Big Sur

Big Sur: 5/8-5/11

Photo Highlights!

Hey up there!

I’m really not that complicated. Big Sur started as just a name on a map—one that sounded kind of cool. I’m sure Sarah had seen or heard way more about it than I had, but I remember sometime last year, I was scrolling around the California coast on Google Maps and thought, “Huh, this place looks pretty neat.”

Not long after that, my grand idea of running a marathon started gaining momentum, and I began researching a bit more seriously. That’s when I found out about the Big Sur International Marathon, a pretty iconic race held every April. Since Sarah and I had already been planning to launch our big adventure around that time, it felt like a perfect fit.

Looking through the photos of the course blew me away. They actually shut down a huge portion of Highway 1 through Big Sur just for the runners. So from fall through Christmas, the plan was for me to train and run that race.

Of course, it’s all just a plan until you buy your ticket. As New Year’s rolled around, I realized I needed to lock it in. Unfortunately, by the time I checked again, it was already sold out—apparently people fly in from all over the world for it. I was bummed, but it worked out in the end. The Salt Lake City Marathon ended up being better for a bunch of reasons, and I still got a great experience.

We were still super excited to explore Big Sur, especially after our less-than-inspiring experience in Fresno and Pinnacles. Before I go any further, I’ve gotta give a shoutout to Sarah—she basically wrote the last two blog posts. Could you tell? My version of events mostly sounded like I was obsessed with where we’d camp each night. Which… might actually be true. I tend to get anxious about where we’ll sleep—whether it’ll be safe, whether it’ll cost a ton, whether we’ll even find a spot. I’m writing this now from San Francisco, after a full week of uneventful nights, so—that’s a win.

We parked just down the road from the beach, and in the morning, we moved to an all-day spot so I could work. There’s something special about working by the ocean—it gave me that feeling of quiet accomplishment. Definitely surpassed working in the middle of the Nevada desert. On our restroom walks, we’d stop to watch sea otters and harbor seals playing in the rocks by the shore. We love seeing wildlife, and Big Sur didn’t disappoint—even Canadian geese, weirdly enough.

Monterey Bay

A pretty pee walk

Not for swimming. Too cold

Sea otters all day

Sunset on the very cold beach

sea shells down by the sea shore

Somehow, another week of work flew by and it was already Saturday. Up to that point, we hadn’t even driven the stretch of Pacific Coast Highway that makes Big Sur famous. So we carved out some time to finally experience it. It’s surprisingly accessible, though apparently it’s slowly crumbling—12 inches a day, if you trust the tourist at the overlook. (We will not be fact-checking that.)

There was a bit of construction, but the most iconic stops were still open. Even with a ton of tourists gawking, the views were still incredible.

Brixby bridge

Ethan at brixby bridge

Ethan at brixby bridge (bet you cant tell it was Sarah with a hat on)

Partway through the drive, we pulled into Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Honestly? Probably skippable. A cute little forest, a waterfall—nice, but nothing compared to the views outside the park. We did get a solid $10 shower at one of the campgrounds, which felt like a luxury.

Skippable

At the far end of the road, just before the landslides start, is one of the most photographed coves or shorelines you’ll ever see. Again, I won’t be fact-checking, but I think it’s called McWay Falls. We hung around for a while and even took our first Polaroid there. Side note: keep your doors shut on this drive - it's WINDY. Sadly, we lost our beloved llama photo because the camper door stayed open too long (and a few precious magnets).

McWay Falls

On the way back, we couldn’t resist stopping at one more overlook. While we were there, a couple came up the trail—no car in sight, looking pretty worn out. They asked where the next pullout was, and Sarah, in her mountain-savvy way, told them it was about 0.7 miles up the road. (She says she checked Google Maps, but we all know Sarah just knows.)

They looked discouraged—they’d already done a 6.5-mile loop and weren’t keen to walk more. So naturally, Sarah offered them a ride. They hesitated for a second, sized us up, realized we were bigger than them and decided to trust us. Before climbing in, they gifted us trail mix, roast beef, bread, and cheese...we might never buy cheap lunch meat again. Premium deli cuts only from here on out.

We took them back to McWay Falls to make sure they didn’t miss it, and then gave them a lift to their car. Shoutout to Darlene and Jonathan—two of the most pleasant people we’ve met so far. It felt good to follow through on our promise to be a little more friendly and helpful on this trip.

cow

We cant seem to make friends under the age of 60 on this trip. Good thing these guys don't believe in preservatives!

Our final hike of the day started at that same spot. We scrambled down about a mile to the beach and explored the rocky shoreline. Apparently, that’s where ships used to offload goods back in the 1800s. Hard to believe how people lived and worked in a place like that. We didnt bring our camera, whoops. So the pics kinda suck.

Partington Cove

Another sunset near Carmel By The Sea- The cutest little town

Sarah and I have early-onset birdwatching syndrome—binoculars and all. For our Sunday stroll, we headed to Point Lobos, a haven for wildlife. It just so happened to be cormorant nesting season, though we totally didn’t plan that. Sarah’s starting to get over her fear of birds, watching the nesting pairs will do that to you.

There were also sea lions, harbor seals, and lots more otters. If I had to pick a favorite? Definitely sea otters. Sarah even got to touch a pelt—they’re soft. Cute lil creatures.

Point Lomos

happily OMW to bird island, blissfully unaware that there would be birds

Ew all those black spots are birds

I repeat, all birds!

It was very cool to see though. We watched a Nat. Geo. documentary about birds once. It was cool to see the males trying to impress the females while they sat on some eggs.

Flirting

zoom

While we were watching a sea lion-covered island, our friend Jean caught up to us. She was a bit frustrated—apparently the ranger said the trail would be “no problem,” but it was rocky and steep in spots. She asked for a hand, so I helped her down and back up when it got too rough. Sarah’s got a little competition now.

Oh hey there!

His (or her) power pose

This is not just a rock. These are seals. You can see some in the water doing flips too.

Some red moss.

This was the real moss monster

Jean tryna steal my man.

4k image of whales

After that, we were supposed to go whale watching, so we headed north toward Monterey Bay. We made salmon for lunch (a Mother’s Day tradition in the Carter family, apparently), but just as I started cooking, we got the cancellation notice. Huge bummer—Sarah had been really looking forward to it.

Still, we pressed on toward San Francisco. Just before we reached Half Moon Bay, Sarah shouted that she could see whales from the road. We pulled over fast and saw a whole pod just off the shore. We even caught a few tail flicks from a distance. A pretty magical end to this stretch of the trip.

We’ve still got a serious hankering to see whales up close though - planning to seek them out up north.

Some additional photos...