^^our little abode for the weekend
Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP aka heaven!^^
^^Family Christmas Card
Besties^^
^^could this pup be any happier?? nope.
my wonderful, colorful sista^^
Like I said before, Big Sur is honestly one of the reasons I wanted to move out to Cali in the first place. It's just so grand and magical - such a perfect mix of all my favorite types of landscapes. I've been excited to visit ever since we moved here, and this lovely camp weekend with our best friends didn't disappoint. So many gorgeous views, good flavors, belly laughs and peaceful moments. I walked away feeling like we'd been on a "vacation" even though it had only been a couple of days. That's the magic of Big Sur (and good friends).
Where we stayed
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. First of all, booking campsites in Big Sur is tough. I fully recommend that for summer weekends you book at YEAR in advance if you'd prefer to snag the best campsites. For off-season, you still need to book a few months ahead of time and even then you might be stuck with the less desirable sites. That's what happened to us - our initial campsite was terrible. But luckily, using our sticky-sweet persuasion skills we managed to get a campsite upgrade. If you're lucky enough to get the pick of the litter when you book, definitely either go for a site along the southernmost stretch, where you'll be treated to sites scattered with gorgeous redwoods and room to spare, or, a site on the river. Other notes about Pfieffer Big Sur: 1. dogs are allowed! 2. it's in an amazing location, close to everything 3. it's a bit expensive compared to other campsites, but probably worth it if you're going for convenience (which this weekend, we were).
Where we hiked and explored:
Pfeiffer Beach, one of the most gorgeous beaches I've ever been to. We checked it out since it's dog-friendly, and our pups seriously had the time of their lives. It doesn't get too busy since the parking lot is small, and there are tons of lovely nooks and crannies and sea stacks and coves to explore....we spent most of the afternoon there!
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (This Pfeiffer family really has a lock down on things). Amazingly gorgeous views, which you can pretty much see right from the road. Definitely worth a visit.
Where we ate:
Deejen's Big Sur Inn, a classic Big Sur "must see", with food so yummy that Jim and I actually came here twice, once for dinner (we split the roasted 1/2 chicken, mushroom soup and crab cakes - all drool worthy), and once for breakfast with the group. I loved the eggs benedict, but next time would get it without the smoked salmon (it was cold salmon so it cooled down the rest of my meal too much). What's best about it is the rustic, historic vibe - you can sense how many amazing people have been there before you.
Big Sur Taphouse, where we also went twice! Jimbo and I grabbed a snack and a beer on their deck and enjoyed it so much that we brought everyone else back there the next day after our afternoon at the beach. Amazingly friendly and accommodating staff, gorgeous redwood (dog-friendly!) deck out back, yummy beers and a huge selection of games to play. So fun.
{p.s. we never go places twice - we like to explore new things. so the fact that we just had to bring our friends back to these spots really says something!}
Our campsite. We ate some delicious gourmet meals at the campsite as well-- what's camping without camp-food?? Steak, soup, eggs, bacon, baked apples - the works. There's nothing you can't cook on a campfire :).
On the way home:
Garrapata Beach, another gorgeous dog-friendly beach worth seeing :). It's right on the coast between Big Sur and Monterey. We had an amazing time relaxing and hiking here on our way home.
Carmel Bakery in Carmel by the Sea. Oh my gosh my memories are making me drool. I'm literally drooling a lil bit. We grabbed spiced chais and hot ciders at this little stop, accompanied by cinnamon sugar elephant ears. What a way to cap off the weekend
Big Sur, thanks for all that you do! We will be back.
