This was our third trip to Big Sur California. The first two revolved around races, the first being The Big Sur International Marathon and the second was the Big Sur Trail races. This third time in Big Sur was going to be special, it was our honeymoon!
We knew that the area had been hit by devastating wildfires and then torrential rains which led to a bridge being closed for repairs and a massive landslide which closed Hwy 1 and many of the trails. Many businesses were financially affected due to the decrease in tourism. Some businesses closed permanently due to this hardship so we thought it would be great to bring our tourist money to an area that we felt so connected to and loved.
We flew into the San Francisco International Airport which is a breeze to navigate through, picked up our rental car and were on our way. We had decided that we wanted to try as many wineries and breweries on this trip as we could handle responsibly. We also had a lot of hiking on the agenda to balance things out.
We decided to stop in Santa Cruz for lunch at The Seabright Brewery. They had a nice outdoor patio area and the weather was beautiful. We opted for an easy burger which was decent and had an eye on one of their IPA’s. Our server unfortunately told us they were out of that particular IPA which was disappointing. We tried one of his recommended beers and it was drinkable but I did not order a second.
Our next stop was in Monterey to stretch our legs and quench our thirst. We were drawn to the Fieldwork Brewery by appearance alone. They made use of several shipping containers for this space and it was very visually appealing. We ordered a flight of IPA’s and sat at an outside table to enjoy them. It was definitely worth the stop.
Fieldwork Brewery
Back on the road making our way to our final destination of Big Sur, we made several stops along the road to take in the scenic views of the ocean and take advantage of the photo OPS.
Big Sur coast
The famous Bixby Bridge
We were staying for a second time at The Ripplewood Resort. http://ripplewoodresort.com/ When we pulled into the parking lot of the resort a sense of peace came over me and I felt like I was home. The cabin that we called home for this week was in the lower portion of the resort right near the Big Sur River. The sound of the trickling river had such a calming effect on the soul which was exactly what we needed. Keep in mind there is no WIFI and no TV in the cabins. This type of trip or honeymoon may not be for everyone! The kitchen is fully stocked with utensils, pots and pans and all the necessities (coffee pot) you would need if you so choose to do your own cooking. It is a rustic cabin with a fireplace, private bathroom and very comfortable bed. Almost forgot to mention there is no air conditioning. Depending on what time you check in your cabin may be warm but as soon as the sun goes down and the temperature drops outside the cabin is a perfect chilly temperature for sleeping. With the bedroom window open and the sound of the river I had the best night’s sleep I have had in a longtime. Each day a fresh bundle of firewood is dropped off at your door which you can use for the indoor fireplace or your outdoor fire pit. There is a cafe at the resort that we ate breakfast at nearly every morning. The staff was extremely friendly and cheerful and the food was amazing. It was a great way to fuel ourselves for a busy morning.
Time to check-in!
Breakfast at The Ripplewood Cafe
Our cabin
The Big Sur River behind our cabin
We learned from our server that since the bridge went out he now had to hike to work each morning. A commute that would have taken him minutes in the past now requires an hour of walking thru the trails! It was also from this same gentleman that we learned of a special opportunity because of the bridge/road closure. A bike shop set up a temporary location on the other side of the bridge that rented battery assisted bikes that you could ride down HWY 1 since there was very limited traffic (open to locals only). We had to hike the same path he did every day to and from work to reach this shop. We walked thru the Big Sur campground in the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park which brought us to the trail, which was the easy part. Once we hit the trail it was a mix of even and technical terrain with a lot of climbing with a total of 1.90 miles of hiking one way. I cannot imagine doing that twice a day just to make it to work but the effort was certainly worth it as the views from the bike were amazing! I have never been so exhilarated or scared on a bike in my life. I rode the brakes on my bike very hard that day as it was so easy to pick up speed on those crazy downhills. Hwy 1 is an extremely winding and hilly road so we were very grateful for the battery assist on the bikes. We rented the bikes for 4 hours but thought we would not need all to use all 4 hours but time as it does sometimes flew by. The team at the bike shop gave us a list of the sights along the way, two of them stood out to us so we wanted to make sure we saved time for them. Our goal was to make it to the end point which was Mcway Falls, this 80 foot waterfall flows directly into the ocean. We locked up the bikes when we made it there so we could hike down the trail for a better view and take some photos. The second must see stop for us was the famous Nepenthe Restaurant which is known for the Ambrosia Burger and the views and we were not disappointed by either. The clock was ticking and we needed to hop back on the bikes and pedal like the wind to make it back in time. We made it back just in time and covered a total of 22 miles on the bike.
Battery assist bikes
McWay Falls
The famous Ambrosia Burger!
The view from the Nepenthe Patio
We did some research and found that Carmel Valley had a plethora of wineries to visit, and visit we did! I lost count of how many we stopped at during our time there as we made several trips into Carmel during our stay. We actually had 19 bottles shipped home and some of them are still waiting to be opened! My top 3 wineries were:
- Cowgirl Winery
I love reds and my husband is more of a white guy but he is coming around to the dark side. We each did a tasting flight (me red & him white) and there was not one wine that I did not like. That rarely happens. My overall favorite was the Cowgirl Red. If you haven’t guessed it the theme is “Cowgirl”. There was a very cool, fun and laid back vibe here. They raise chickens and roosters and they roam the property freely mingling with guests looking for crumbs from the complimentary bread and cheese plate to hit the ground. If you are stingy with your crumbs they also have vending machines with feed for them.
Flights of red and white wine at Cowgirl Winery
One of the locals at Cowgirl Winery
View from the patio
2. Folktale Winery
This was the most beautiful winery we visited and you are greeted upon arrival with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine. You cannot beat that! My favorite wine here was the Chardonnay, it was superb. The space inside is beautiful but the outdoor patio is perfection. There is a huge wood fire pizza oven on the patio and let me tell you they sure know how to use it. The pizza combinations were oh so tasty and let me tell you about the salad, oh the salad – sorry I lost myself for a moment there! This was probably the best salad I have ever eaten. You must try the melon salad. I wish I lived closer so I could eat this weekly, or even daily.
So many choices
Fig and Pig Pizza
I dream of this salad
- Twisted Roots Winery
https://www.twistedrootsvineyard.com/
This small tasting room shared a space with an art gallery. We were surprised to find out that it was the owners of the vineyard that we were speaking with. A husband and wife team both very knowledgeable and super friendly. The Petite Sirah was delicious but my favorite was their sparkling wine. I’m not usually a big sparkling drinker but this had my taste buds dancing!
Twisted Roots tasting menu
We did two hikes at the Andrew Molera State Park on two different days. The first hike was The Ridge Trail totaling 8 miles in length which involved a lot of climbing with some technical sections as well. The views of the ocean were spectacular. The second hike was much shorter, only 3 miles round trip and is called the beach hike as it leads you directly to the ocean. This is a much easier hike so it was more populated with hikers.
Ridge Trail elevation profile from my Garmin 225
View of the ocean from the Ridge Trail
Hiking the Ridge Trail
More ocean views from the Ridge Trail
Beach Trail
The trail ends here!
On the beach at the end of the Beach Trail
Our week came to a close much too quickly and before we knew it we were driving back to San Francisco to catch a plane home. There is still so much to see in Big Sur that many more trips will be in our future. I will never grow tired of the beauty this area has to offer.
Have you been to Big Sur? Tell me where you stayed, hiked, eat and drank.