Day 36

After leaving Carmel we were on our way to one of the most anticipated stretches of our trip. The best section of Hwy 1 and Big Sur followed by wine country. We were originally supposed to camp at Pfeifer Beach State Park, but unfortunately those plans got cancelled because the Sobranes wildfire burned a large portion of the park, some 60,000 acres at the time we passed. So, we decided to just wing it and take our time meandering down the coast and end up wherever we ended up for the night.

On the way out of Carmel we stopped at the absolutely gorgeous Point Lobos state park for some of the most stunning coastline we'd see the whole trip.

Next down to McWay falls which is pretty much iconic at this point. A rare waterfall that actually empties right on the beach.

We then headed on down the coast to a beach that Elephant Seals return to every year. These suckers can get up to 18 ft long and 5000 lbs. Its crazy to see them laying around and fighting over females all day. Not to mention the odd snorting sounds they make.

After all this excitement it was time to find a place to stay for the night. As we arrived in San Simeon we knew it fit the bill so we checked into The Sands hotel and went into town to get some grub. With a good meal in our bellies we headed back to catch the sunset at the hotel.

Since the coast is so cold at night The Sands lights bonfires near the beach at night so we wound down next to the fire hoping to meet some interesting fellow travelers. Later in the evening two fellows named Bill and Ted(no, not THAT Bill and Ted) strolled up and we knew we were in business. After some great conversation and a few rounds of smoky scotch courtesy of Ted we headed to bed.