January 8 - Paradise Loosed

Further

north,

but

first

slightly

southwest

along

the

beach

and

back

up

the

Wilmar

Stairs

to

street

level

and

car,

then up the coast past Shell

Beach,

San

Luis

Obispo,

the Nine Sisters (including Islay Hill,

Cerro San Luis, 

Bishop and

Chumash Peaks,

Cerro Romualdo,

Hollister Peak,

Cerro Cabrillo, Black Hill, and

Morro Rock),

Cayucos,

Harmony,

Cambria

(Pines),

San

Simeon

and

Hearst Castle,

Elephant

Seal

Beach,

Piedras

Blancas,

Ragged

Point

approaching the

Santa

Lucias,

Salmon

Creek,

Redwood

Gulch,

Gorda,

and

Lime

Kiln

Canyon

State

Park,

to

lunch

at

Lucia

(restful

scene

of numerous challeges -- today, road construction just to the south; last time here, fire further).

Big

Creek

Bridge

Canyon

and

Viewpoints,

The

Esalen

Institute,

Julia

Pfeiffer

Burns

McWay

Falls

Beach,

Torre Canyon,

Coast

Gallery,

Lafler

and

Grimes Canyons,

Deetjen's

Inn,

Henry Miller Library,

and

Nepenthe

lead

to

a

drink

at

Ventana

Inn

Restaurant,

where

the

fog

looms

to

the north.

There's nothing to be done but descend

 
into

Big Sur Valley,

with views of

Mt.

Manuel,

followed by the

blaze out into

Andrew Molera,

where the cloud cover covers the Lighthouse,

to

Little

Sur

River,

Hurricane

Point,

Bixby

and

Rocky Creek Bridges,

Notley's Landing, and

Garapata Beach.

Civilization re-intrudes at Malpaso Creek, with a Carmelized landscape of Highlands and

Bay, to Monterey's

Sand City

of beach

and

fading sun.



San Mateo (a hit-and-run rear-ends the car in Santa Cruz, but, mercifully virtually no damage is done -- except to the nerves), San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, and Solano in the dark to a video of A Walk Through California: San Luis Obispo (Elephant Seals).