A monarch butterfly spotting trip became what was more like a central coast scavenger hunt. It wasn’t like I didn’t do the homework. I marked and picked the “best” of all the spots to watch them, set our tent nearby the big eucalyptus trees where they are supposed to hang around. I woke up early circling the trees with binocular and then running around trees again in the evening, sadly to find that there weren’t any phenomenon scene like the ones you saw online that hundreds of butterflies resting on leafs layer by layer. But the interesting thing was that I did saw one lonely monarch butterfly flew by in front of me, but only one and I am pretty sure that’s monarch… Could be the rest of the team late for the migration this year or be caught up somewhere else?
The rest of the story involved beach hunting. Also, we didn’t forget to stop by the lighthouse, the one you always see stretching out into the ocean on a lonely rock but has a locked gate on the side of Hwy1. (FYI, the Point Sur Lighthouse Station is open for public only on weekend mornings, so check out the times if you want to visit.)
My very first impressions about Big Sur were the ocean, the mountains, and the testing-your-wheel-steeling-skill Hwy 1. But you know Big Sur is more than just that. An unexpected turns, an unmarked roads can easily turn into something worth the effort. The rocky coastal line and steep terrain make you hardly believe there are beaches and yes they are hard to reach and somewhat hidden unless you hunt for.
In the title, I put “not just about ocean this time”. You’ll know why from the following the pictures.
I will end with the ocean.
Have a nice weekend friends!
Filed under: adventure, travel Tagged: andrew molera, Big Sur, california central coast, lighthouse, mixby bridge, nature, ocean, outdoors, pfeiffer beach, point sur, point sur lighthouse
