Day 5, and after a good and cold night sleep at Big Sur... we wake up early to enjoy the day, before making our way back home to LA... Saw a family of 4-5 deers on the other side of the Big Sur River, having their morning stroll along the river... So lucky to see them at the right time, they are just across the river, 50m from our campsite... They linger for a while, running around and drinking from the river. So we just hold our breathe and talk softly, in case they get frighten and run away. They are almost camouflage with the brown soil, so hard to see... See if you can distinguish the deers below in the photo :)
After a brief close encounter with the deers, time to walk around and go to the scene of the deers and trace their footsteps...
bridge linking both sides of the river,
It will be cool to get a RV, and just stay in the wilderness for a few days, doing nothing...
A charred tree hit by lightning,
steps up to the main road, and shops...
We have a wonderful time at Fernwood, will be back in summer :)
groceries, office, motel and more...
"zhao-cai" cat
After playing with the Fernwood cat... we leave the cat behind, and proceed along Highway 1... Next stop Pfeiffer Big Sur state park, and its famous tall redwood trees, 1 of the tallest tree in the world.
It is a hike in nature up to Pffeiffer Falls, one of the many scenic pit-stops in the park. Winnie is afraid of the mountain lion warning sign displayed. Afterall this is a nature park, and animals are free to roam, including predators. So just walk in groups and make noise along the way, so that the lion knows you are around and not surprise it. Sure you don't want that to happen, so we just keep talking on the way up, and keep our ears open...
this is how big the tree is,
you can really hide inside the truck of this tree...
It is sad that the trees are felling, due to who know what causes... These are super tall and elder tree, and it is a waste. Hope there will be trees left behind for years to come.
I think you can camp inside one of these tree, should be be trapped in a thunderstorm. Big enough for 2 and a cosy fire :)
Pfeiffer Falls, almost there...
Finally, we are here at the Fall. Just a trickle of water, since now the water are still lock in ice... What a letdown :(
Well, after a good hike and some sweat. Time to head for the river, not for a dip, but just to listen to the sound of river flow. Now is too cold to dip in for a swim, summer will be better, but a lot of people as well then...
We left Pfeiffer Big Sur Park, and go on our way... 'Sing your way home, at the close of the day...'
A big group of people gather at a turnout, so we turnout as well... And guess what, they gather to catch whale migrating from north to south California. Now is the season of whale migration to warmer waters in the south, Mexico. And lots of people are gathering to see if they are lucky enough to catch a whale spouting water. Also learn that there is a breeding program for the California Condors, numbers dwindling due to loss of habitat and human hunting. But now, the numbers of condors are increasing, and there is greater awareness of the plights of the birds.
Winnie trying to catch a whale, with her bino.
Those black dots in the sky are the Condors, but our camera not the high-end type to zoom in enough, to capture the birds in flight. So only dots to see... haha
Quite a lot of people staying in Big Sur. Lots of side-road and letterbox as we drive along the road, telling us someone is staying nearby...
We see a sign of waterfall along the way, and stop to marvel the wonder. See that people are hiking up to the waterfall, So... we go up as well. But we get lose along the way, no clear path to follow. After much climbing over fallen trees and big boulders, and Winnie getting a knock on the head on a tree truck, we reach the base of the waterfall... finally... And looking up, there are people on the top of the waterfall, so there is a way up, just we can't find.
Wind condition is great on the Pacific Coast, great for surfing, but we are not surfers. So we just drive and drive...
And we reach the next pit-stop, Piedras Blancas, famous for its elephant seals...
Just imagine thousands of elephant seals on the beach, for as far as your eyes can see. That's a lot of seals. And they are only here for a reason, its mating season... Who knows why all these many seals choose this stretch of beach to settle, find a mate and have a baby seal. Go to "http://www.elephantseal.org/index.htm" for more info and photos... Once a lifetime opportunity to see nature in action.
After a heart-warming moments with the seals, knowing that nature is much alive. We continue on our journey down to Hearst Castle (just 10 mins drive), our last stop before we drive the last 4-hour back to LA... Plan to go for a tour around Hearst Castle, a castle mansion on top of hill, but the last tour is over, so no choice, have to come back some other time. So just take a mini-tour around the ticket hall...
Beautiful sunset on the Pacific Ocean, with an equally beautiful Winnie :) as we drive back to LA, to end our 5 day SF-Big Sur roadtrip...
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