When my boyfriend went to California for the first time on business last year, I was a little jealous. I wanted to be the one to show him California. He’d flown into San Jose and stayed mostly around there and Fremont — very urban, built-up areas. But then he was taken to dinner in Half Moon Bay — through the coastal mountains and down into the home of the largest pumpkins in the state. Seriously, pumpkins and Christmas trees are huge in HMB. I’d lost the chance, though, to show Kasul the beauty of the state outside the cities.
This vacation was my chance. Thursday I introduced him to where I lived and worked — the Monterey area. Friday, though — Big Sur.
Big Sur is an area of towering redwoods, rocky coasts, perilous beaches and imposing hills. The astounding beauty of the place hits you head on as you round a curve on the Pacific Coast Highway and the rough terrain forces the highway to balance on the edge of high cliffs.
The picture at top is the Bixby Bridge, which crosses a steep canyon. At the foot are tidal caves where tourists lose their lives every year. Back when bungee jumping was a craze, Bixby Bridge was a favorite spot. When we drove by yesterday, tourists and influencers were getting as close to the edge as possible for those selfies. I don’t care how pretty you are, your fish lips aren’t improving the picture.
We continued on down to Pfeiffer Big Sur and spent some time exploring the redwoods. We got some excellent coffee at the lodge there, then headed back to go shopping in Carmel. So yeah, we’re tourists after all, I guess.
We had lunch at Tarpy’s Roadhouse, a California cuisine place near where I used to work. We’d go there for lunch occasionally when I worked at Sony or Symantec. The weather is nearly always decent in the summer. When we went yesterday, a Great Egret was just casually sunning itself in their small pond. I had to watch it for a minute until it moved to prove to myself it was real.
Afterward we climbed Jack’s Peak, a regional park named after Monterey Jack himself, David Jack. It had great views of the coastal towns on one side, and steep valleys on the other.
After suppertime, we stopped for boba tea in Monterey, then headed back to Carmel to see the Wizard of Oz at Pacific Repertory’s Forest Theater. This is a stage set in a small wooded area near the center of Carmel. The entire theater is outside, surrounded by trees, and people should dress pretty warmly as it can get a bit chilly.
The production was a lot of fun. The singing was great. The munchkins were very cute.
California takes a lot of heat from politicians who don’t know what they’re talking about. Even though I don’t live here anymore, I’ll still defend it, any day, any time. There is no place in the world like California.
Generic recognition comment: We’ve been to Tarpy’s a few times over the years. It has been a long stretch since we last went. It isn’t in the neighborhood or anything. But glad to hear it survived the pandemic!
Pretty much the same as always, thankfully.