A Trip to Big Sur

Hi All,

I have just recently returned from a 2 night 3 day vacation with my mom, brother, and step-dad to Big Sur, along the coast of California, south of Monterrey. I really enjoyed the trip, and it was nice to get out and see the California sites, especially since I had been doing so much sightseeing in Poland (and will likely be doing so in India as well.)

We were able to take several nice walks, including one Tuesday morning on which both of the following photos were shot. The fog was hanging around the coast for much of the morning, as the first picture shows.
The next picture is of me and my brother near to the previous picture. A waterfall is actually in the background to my right.

One thing I realized I never mentioned and finished up on Poland is the road situation. When I assigned my classes to read my blog, the common response I received was one of disbelief that Polish roads could be in better shape than American roads. Furthermore, many of the other Americans teaching English in Poland did not agree with me that Polish roads were better than American roads. So let me revise this. Polish roads are kept in better condition than a surprising number of Californian roads (no one else teaching English is from California.) This is sadly very true in San Francisco, where I have found many of the roads to be in just as bad shape as I remembered from when I left. How sad.

However, the road that goes down the California coastline and through Big Sur is one of the most beautiful scenic roads ever built. I can never fail to be amazed by driving on a road that has been carved into a cliff 1,000 feet above the ocean. Also, Big Sur was a big recepriant of Great Depression construction, as many bridges were built (including the one in the following picture) that drastically reduced the travel time down the California coast since drivers did not need to drive up each individual valley anymore. Although, they may sort of be 'bridges to nowhere' they are very beautiful, and very useful when used for driving to Big Sur.


Lastly, a picture of the ocean (and rocks) through a Monterrey Pine, native to the area. This was taken on another walk later in the day. The tree actualy does have some orange colored rust-like moss on it (if you can tell?) So moss was only located on a certain side of the hill.


Next, an entry about India before I leave Saturday morning.

Until then,
-Andrew