Big Sur, January 2016
Without fail, every January brings me a sudden and intense urge to retreat along the California coast and spend some time in the magical Big Sur. This year, I heeded the call and headed south to ring in the New Year in one of my favorite places on this earth, all by myself.
The trip was nothing short of fantastic. As obvious as it may sound, being fully in control of every decision was so empowering and affirming! I had no one to explain or defend my choices to, no one to bounce ideas off of, and no one to share the blame with if anything went wrong. I went wherever I felt like going, with as little or as much planning as I felt like giving each action. I met new people, made some great connections, and by the end of the trip, very affectionately looked back on January 1st as quite possible the most perfect day of my life. Not a bad way to start the year. ;)
After renting a car (which the kind clerk upgraded to a needlessly fancy Toyota Avalon hybrid, with seat warmers (!), satellite radio (!), and a rearview camera), I drove the 3.5 hours to Big Sur on New Years Eve evening. When I arrived, the sky was clear and the stars and Milky Way were nothing short of breathtaking. I slept along Nacimiento-Fergusson Road; after arriving in the dark of night, it was such a treat to awake to a birds-eye view of the Pacific Ocean and the sun rising over the mountains. Highly recommended! I later heard from my new friend Deborah at the Big Sur Lodge that the wildflowers along Nacimiento-Fergusson in Spring are worth a trip alone.
My morning view
My next stop after enjoying the sunrise and exploring the road and the coast a bit was Andrew Molera State Park, where I hiked the roughly 9-mile loop that connects the Bluffs, Panorama and Ridge trails and took a small detour to explore the beach. For the first 2 hours, I didn't pass another soul; I was truly alone with my thoughts and beautiful scenery.
Before setting off on the hike, I had successfully made a nighttime bathing reservation at Esalen, which is only open to the public from 1-3am. Post-hike it hit me that I had quite a bit of time to fill. I drove a bit aimlessly, stopping at every roadside gallery or general store that piqued my interest. Eventually I found myself at the Henry Miller Memorial Library, where I browsed their small but well-stocked book shop and enjoyed several cups of hot tea on their front patio. While sipping, I started in on writing thank you notes and correspondence to family and friends.From there, I headed to Fernwood Grill and had a light meal (and more hot tea, it was in the low 50s after all) while completing my letter-writing.
After exhausting the corner table at the tavern, I found myself at Big Sur Lodge where I curled up by their fire and started in on the book I had picked up earlier at HMML. Eventually, I ended up having a great conversation with Deborah, who was managing the lodge that evening. She imparted lots of sage life advice, as well as sharing her favorite french toast recipe.
With the night winding down, it was finally time to make my way to Esalen. Our group of night bathers met at the top of the hill, right along Hwy 1. We walked down to the baths, which are perched over the Pacific Ocean below. One side is open air, and the chilly air is the perfect contrast to the natural hot spring water. The entire experience was superb, and I ended up being the final bather by a long shot. I ended the night, sometime around 3:30am, just taking in the sounds of waves crashing against the shore, reflecting on what an inspiring and recharging day it had been. Then there was the slow walk back up the hill, through the cool air, in awe at such a magical experience.
The next morning I began the journey back to the city, making a stop at McWay Falls (as cliche as it is, I find it impossible to pass up!) and a handful of other turnouts along Hwy 1. It's always hard to leave Big Sur, but I took with me a clarity of thought that I'd been lacking for awhile, and I'm positive I'll be back before too long.
