Big Sur, in the rain

Tuesday, March 3 opened with some sunshine, but it was not to last. Some of the gear was stowed while wet, something I try to avoid.

The drive north from San Simeon to Carmel-by-the-Sea is largely a wild, population-free drive. The southern portions of the drive are through ranch lands, populated mostly by cattle (and the occasional ranch house). The landscape becomes more mountainous when you enter Monterey County, and the road becomes more winding, and the scenery more wild. It turns inland at the community of Big Sur, where, due to recent wildfires, and current rains, opportunities to see coast redwoods were unfortunately not available.

I did stop along the southern (San Simeon) portion of the trip to photograph some wildlife, including elephant seals resting on the beaches, and a crane (or is it an egret?)

When the road returned to the coast north of Big Sur, the rains actually stopped, and for about 1/2 hour I hiked around some trails on a spit of land, capturing the scenery and the weather, until it began closing in again.

I made may way north from there, bypassing Carmel-by-the-sea to reach Monterey, where I took refuge from the weather in a motel.