For the first weekend of my spring break we decided to take a trip to Big Sur to see McWay falls, which is a waterfall that pours directly onto the beach. The waterfall is located in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. So our plan was to take the highway 1 up to Big Sur, visit the waterfall, and then be in Carmel by dinner time.
We started driving on highway 101 out of the Los Angeles area, planning to catch highway 1 in San Luis Obispo. But we started seeing signs for Salinas (which is north of Big Sur), meaning we’d taken highway 101 the whole way and missed our drive up the coast. So we turned around in Monterey and headed back down highway 1 looking for the state park.
Eventually we saw signs for Pfeiffer State Park, so we pulled in and asked directions to the falls. They told us where we could park for free, where the trail head started, and that the hike to the falls was about a mile. These giant clovers were at the start of the hike.
It was getting dark, so we speed-hiked the mile and wondered why the trail led inland instead of to the coast. Then we ended up here, at a lovely waterfall that is no where near the beach. Apparently we not only had the wrong falls, but we also had the wrong state park. (Pfeiffer State Park and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park are different, and we were 12 miles too far north.)
We hiked back to the car, arriving in the dark, and headed straight for Dametra Cafe in Carmel (“Like Nowhere Else,” the sign says). That is where the trip started going according to plan. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere made it the most welcoming late-night spot in Carmel. These are our grape leaves and bruschetta appetizers. The bruschetta was probably my favorite part of the meal.
Jeff got the vegetarian plate (the spanakopita was phenomenal), and I got the artichoke ravioli (which they veganized for me).
Dessert! Chocolate cake and baklava.
Even though it was closed, we wandered past the bakery we’d visited with Bronwyn and Kelsi to reminisce about our last great trip to Carmel.
Apparently there is a vegan Mexican restaurant in Monterey called El Cantaro that is owned by Seventh-day Adventists. So for Sunday lunch we drove over to check it out. These are our taquitos.
I had vegetable enchiladas in tomatillo sauce, and Jeff had the potato tacos.
At some point we noticed this off the highway and decided to pull over and check it out.
We followed a path to the edge of the bluff, then climbed down a steep trail to the canyon floor.
Lillies! I thought it looked like lillies from the road, but the reality was better than I imagined.
Another turnout with a nice trail loop.
A turnout with a view of Bixby Bridge, built in 1932.
Finally, we made it to the correct state park. The hike to the falls is not a mile, in fact it is just off the road.
This trail runs along the hill opposite the falls, and offers several viewing angles.
McWay Falls! We found it! It was mesmerizing to watch the waves lap up to the base of the falls.
Furry bench.
This is the remains of Waterfall House, which used to have a envy-inducing view of McWay falls out of its south windows. It’s crazy to think that at one time only a handful of people knew the falls existed.
It was stormy the whole time we were there, and the water had color barriers between muddy, turquoise blue, and dark blue.
A couple views of the surf, the staff singing for us at Dametra Cafe, and McWay Falls.