May 26
Memorial Day

This Monday of the three day weekend proved to be the best weather. A little overcast in the morning, the fog quickly burned off leaving only sapphire-blue skies overhead and liquid jade waves crashing ashore. It seemed like a great opportunity to drive down the coast south of Monterey, all the way to Big Sur, then back to Carmel for some more time in the sun.


Painbrushes over Bixby bridge

We were never able to figure out if these were Indian Paintbrushes or Monterey Paintbrushes, but the reddish flowers in the foreground seemed a bright accent to the jade ocean and deep blue skies.


Big Sur Retreat

Chilly, but not quite icy, is how I would describe the water here. A plunge into the stream woke you up, but it was refreshing, considering how warm the weather was.


Inviting Swimming Hole

Sunning on a rock, or eating lunch in the shade of the trees, it seemed like a perfect place to spend the afternoon.


Baby Redwoods

These youngsters grow quickly. Only a few decades old, they're almost a hundred feet high. But they're tiny compared to some of the old growth along the coast. Muir woods has some stately giants that reach three or more times higher up, and are easily twenty feet across.


Clear Blue Sky

While we spent the noon hours in Big Sur, the coastal fog was being blown away. Now, on the drive back up to Carmel, there's barely a wisp of cloud in the sky... and probably that's just a jet's contrail.


Thistle and Iceplant

Both the dry, thorny thistle and the succulent iceplant tint the coastal hills with magenta and purple. Though you couldn't tell from the photo (except from the whitecaps on the waves,) it was very windy here... standing was very difficult.


Carmel Creek Park

We decided not to go to the popular but crowded beach at the heart of Carmel (you can see it off in the distance here) and instead caught some rays here at this less visited but still beautiful beach just south of town.

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