In and around Big Sur

The last trip outside town had been a great time! The winding road to Big Sur took us long, until it was late night. If only we had started off early. But who would have known that the drive from Santa Barbara to Big Sur would take so long?

This time we did not have the courage to take Highway 1. The memory of the previous year's drive from north to south on the same highway had been too winding and unending. At first the sights and sounds had caught our imagination. We were getting at every wayside parking for tourists, and had a look around.

Anyone who has traveled that way would agree that the scene around Highway 1 is breathtaking. The rolling mountains on one side, the shimmering ocean on the other, and the fabulous greenery. What more does a wayfarer need while cruising along?

And if you take the road from Carmel and Monterrey, your mind is already set on the loveliness of the place. The quaintness of Carmel, and the business of Monterrey would have made a mark already, and the mood is set for the upcoming sceneries of Big Sur.

The most striking of all the features of big Sur I think is its mistiness. Whether early in the morning, most mornings, or late in the afternoon, most afternoons, the mist rises from the water of the sea and engulfs the entire area. It gives a dreamy look to the place, and drving along Highway 1 seems to unreal.