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876 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2010 : 09:19 AM
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While in San Francisco, we rented a car and drove down the coast through Santa Cruz, Carmel, Monterey, and Big Sur. There were plenty of opportunities for hiking, both up the hills and down to the many beaches, especially south of Carmel.
Marshall Beach, San Francisco: A 10 minute hike down the hill from Lincoln Blvd in the Presidio, this is a great perspective of the Golden Gate Bridge. And when my wife turned in surprise to find a naked guy playing with himself, we soon realized it was also a popular nude beach.
 
Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz: This is a very cool little city, with a vibrant downtown, markets, and fun shops. Just outside town is this small but unique state park. We had a picnic supper on the beach here.
  
Monterey: The 17 mile drive across the mansion-spotted coastline featuring (among many) Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill golf courses was well worth the $10. We saw sea otters, seals, cormorants, and deer, as well as countless songbirds. Carmel was a very nice city too.
Big Sur: This coastal drive was amazing, with plenty of spots to stop and stretch the legs. One of the nicest spots was at the north end of Julia Pfeffer Burns State Park, where another 10 minute hike takes you to McWay Falls. We met an excited young couple who had got engaged here the night before, and had returned to take pictures. They asked me to do some engagement shots for them, which was a lot of fun. This got me wondering about photographic consent and if I can publish any of those photos. I clearly had implied consent, but it occurred to me that might not be sufficient. Any advice from photographers in this forum??
  
 
Garrapata State Park: The big bang on our trip was Garrapata State Park. We found a pull-out where there might be a trail leading down to the beach just as the sun was setting. The trail worked its way down to a creek lined with calla lilies, which fed out of a steep drainage right into the ocean. The solitude and beauty of this spot was remarkable. A couple seals started coming close and poking their heads up at us; one had a fish in his mouth. In the low light, it wasn't worth trying to get a picture. We stayed until the light left us and the cold Pacific winds sent us back towards our car.
   
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Jasper, ab
Canada
1028 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2010 : 09:23 AM
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| Amazing pictures as usual. Sounds like you had a great trip to a beautiful part of the States |
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ALBANY, OR
USA
588 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2010 : 09:27 AM
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May can be a great time to see the California coast. Tourist season hasn't geared up too much and the weather can be just fine. No summer fog yet either.
Very nice pic's. |
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 Utah's canyon trekking,deck chair packing desert explorer who dreams of visiting Canada someday
3988 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2010 : 8:30 PM
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Mc'Way Falls look Mcway cool!! 
Say, isn't Clint Eastwood the mayor of Carmen?
What a nice trip. I never imagined it would be so naked hehe along the coastline. I mean the edge so undeveloped? I imagined freakin smog, fog, and chamillionaires homes all over the crags. Why not? I AM impressed!! Plus, you have an amazing eye for photos. WOW!!
I want to drive up the coast to BC, some day. Come on Lottery!! hehe |
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Penhold, Alberta
Canada
2009 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2010 : 01:53 AM
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| Nice pics Davin. If I recall the weather here was pretty sad, so it looks like you picked a great time to go. |
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876 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2010 : 6:51 PM
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Yup, timed it great and missed some nasty weather back home.
quote:
Originally posted by Rented Mule
Mc'Way Falls look Mcway cool!!
Say, isn't Clint Eastwood the mayor of Carmen?
What a nice trip. I never imagined it would be so naked hehe along the coastline. I mean the edge so undeveloped? I imagined freakin smog, fog, and chamillionaires homes all over the crags. Why not? I AM impressed!! Plus, you have an amazing eye for photos. WOW!!
I want to drive up the coast to BC, some day. Come on Lottery!! hehe
Thanks! I was also impressed with how much of the coast is protected by designating state parks. And they don't junk up the roadside with signage. At Garrapata State Park, for example, there was pretty much nothing that told me where I was.
Now where there aren't state parks, there are certainly chamillionaire homes at every turn, especially around Monterey and Carmel. Definitely a drive I'd recommend and, should that lottery thing work out, maybe one of those mansions clinging to the cliffs too! |
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Trail running, bike hucking, fast packing, beer drinking collector of pine cones on a day pass
AKA
Dances with Trees
Forest Gnome Cabin
Canada
13035 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2010 : 8:18 PM
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| I really enjoyed that part of the California coast, thanks for the pics! |
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Central California Coast & Garrapata State Park
