Big Sur

while on our drive along the California coast we came upon the region of Big Sur. I had romanticized Big Sur in my head because of the Jack Kerouac novel of the same name, and the Death Cab for Cutie song, Bixby Canyon Bridge, about the memory of the author in Big Sur. it definitely did not disappoint and it was probably my favorite part of the Cali coast. 

we stopped at McWay falls which is one of the few tidefalls in the world. a tidefall is a waterfall that empties directly into the ocean. you are not allowed to go down to the beach because it is too dangerous, (although I did see some guys do it on youtube) but you are able to see it from the short trail above.  

here's a short video I took on my phone of the falls.

we continued driving up the coast.

 it was super windy which I think is why I'm doing that weird pose.
we got to the Bixby Creek Bridge, and of course I had to play Death Cab as we were coming up to it. 
"I descended a dusty gravel bridge, beneath the Bixby Canyon Bridge..." 

we ate lunch in Big Sur at a cute little cafe. the actual town is a little bit inland and it is a tiny little place surrounded by trees. there seems to be a lot of hippy type people that live there, which makes sense because it is such a laid back place. 

we got a hotel in Monterey and explored the old fisherman's wharf that evening. it was such a nice, relaxing evening in a beautiful place. we only saw a very small part of the city and I would like to go back sometime and see more.

we spent a long time watching the otters swim around in the ocean. it was so cool being able to see them in their natural habitat rather than in an aquarium. we watched as they grabbed clams and hit them together until they broke open, and they would make cute little noises as they did it.