USA Road Trips – The Big Sur
The Big Sur is one of the most spectacular coastlines I have every seen. Even the beautiful valleys and coasts of Hawaii just don’t come close to this amazing beauty of the Big Sur. Translated from Spanish Big Sur is ‘El Sur Grande’ which translated into Big South.
The Big Sur coastline covers about 90 miles, more or less bordered by the Carmel River northwards and about 120 miles south of San Francisco. Along these far-reaching, swooping seascape of woodlands, sheer cliffs and mostly little used beaches, Highway 1, finished in 1937 with inmates used as labor, makes its occasionally alarming, but always a spectacular drive.
It is not for the faint of heart because this is a steep winding drive with turns that will slow you down to a few miles an hour. Many travelers ask if they can take their RV on this portion of Hwy. 1 and the answer is yes. I have done it in a 25 foot trailer and I have seen 40 foot rigs make the trip, just be prepared to drive slow and very cautious.
Point Lobos State Park is a must see. Here you will find a variety of wildlife including sea lions, sea otters and grey whales. Point Lobos is about 20 miles north of The Big Sur near the town of Carmel More beautiful stony scenery abounds somewhat farther south at Garrapata State Park.
Big Sur stays sparsely inhabited, with about 1000 residents. The citizenry of Big Sur nowadays are a various blend of descendants of the first colonist and ranchers, artists and additional creative people, along with affluent residents.
There are no urbanized areas, but you will find gas stations that sell gas at very high prices, some great restaurants and motels.. A great deal of the land on the coast is privately owned or belongs to the state park system. The Los Padres National Forest and Fort Hunter Liggett Military Reservation cover almost all of the interior areas. The mountainous terrain, environmentally aware occupants, and deficiency of property acquirable for exploitation has preserved Big Sur all but unspoiled, and it continues to be an isolated part of California.
If you plan to travel to this area during the winter months be aware that when there is heavy rain in the area parts of the road wash away right into the ocean. Be sure to carry emergency supplies, water and food. Sometimes Highway 1 can be closed for weeks. The closest civilization is the town of Carmel which is about 20 miles north up the coast if you can make it.
Also during the summer months fire is a great danger. The Basin Complex Fire of 2008 forced residents and visitor to evacuate for 2 weeks and of course Hwy. 1 was closed also.
Nowadays Big Sur continues to comprise to be a preferred place for local and foreign artists of every type. Art galleries located along Highway 1 display beautiful visual artistry.
A great deal of of the area is controlled by the state and federal park systems, and hiking trails can be found throughout The Big Sur. The Los Padres National Forest, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Garrapata State Park and Andrew Molera State Park is known all over the world for their bedazzling scenery, and with good reason. Each park bears its personal unique ambiance, and no 2 hikes are similar.
USA Road Trips – Palm Springs California
If the cold weather is getting you down this winter a vacation is Palm Springs may be exactly what you need. Easy to get to on major highways from any direction. A road trip to Palm Springs is scenic and enjoyable.
Palm Springs is an notable haven resort nestled between the mountains, not far from the Mojave Desert Less than 100 miles east of Los Angeles, the city of Palm Springs basks luxuriously in the warm California sun against a backdrop of majestic San Jacinto Mountains. In the San Jacintos, if it gets to hot on the valley floor, You can take a great road trip, about 1/2 hour from Palm Springs to the rustic town of Idyllwild where it is usually about 20 degrees cooler. in Calif.. It is a outstanding destination to see on a California vacation with its many golf courses, Health spas, resorts, hiking and great entertainment and moderate weather year round.
Palm Springs tramway will take you to the top of Mount Jacinto into the cool alpine woodlands. The air can be up to 25°C chilly than in the desert, And it’s wonderful to be able to play in the snow in the winter days. The panoramas from the peak of the mountain are dramatic. In 14 minutes you will have completed your 5873 foot ascent. When you reach the top you will be in Mount San Jacinto State Park which encompasses 14,000 acres, 54 miles of hiking trails, mule train rides and campsites.
There are landrover tours that will bring you out in the Mojave Desert. Here you will be able to check out desert life up close at hand, from the wildflowers of the desert, to the San Andreas Fault. If the heat of the desert get to you. Freshen up yourself at Knott’s Soak City USA. This water park is entertaining filled with eighteen wet and wild water rides! For a real treat visit Joshua Tree National Monument, it’s about a half hour drive and the scenery is spectacular. Check the weather first is you go in the middle of the summer as temps can be over 100 degrees. Joshua Tree National Park straddles two deserts (Mojave and Colorado), and is a wondrous place filled with interesting rock formations and a wide variety of flora. It is worth hiking, or trekking it by horse.
If you are a golfer, there are world class golf courses throughout the area. If the outdoors aren’t really your scene, then you can shop until you drop at El Paseo, or play a round of golf before unwinding at a spa resort.
If you would like to do some shopping and not pay the prices that the rich and famous pay, the city of Cabazon has a large outdoor outlet mall, one of the largest I have ever seen, It’s just about 10 miles east Of Palm Springs on Interstate 10.
If you like to gamble, you will not find any shortage of Palm Springs casinos. The great thing about Palm Springs casinos is that most have top billing entertainment all year. If you are in town for a while pick up the Friday Press Telegram which lists all the shows at the various casinos, or just do an internet search for casinos in Palm Springs. Almost all have web sites with information about current a up coming events.
After your visit to Palm Springs you may want to take a half days trip to Las Vegas. At the time of this writing you can get rooms for almost nothing. It is a pleasant, scenic and enjoyable ride. Interstate 15 can be quite a mess on Holidays and some weekends, so plan accordingly,