Big Sur

It was our last day to explore the central coast of California, and we decided to head for Big Sur. The drive down the coastline was spectacular!

I wasn't about to climb on any rocks!

 We drove through the Redwoods, looking for someplace with a restroom...

 The Ranger Station was closed, but outside near the restrooms were some pamphlets with information about Big Sur. We were looking for someplace with beach access, and read about Pfeiffer Beach, which was a bit hard to find, but so worth it!

The road to the beach was narrow and wound through some beautiful trees and ferns,,,

 The beach was just a short walk from the parking lot...

It was breathtaking!

We left Big Sur and wondered what we should do with the rest of our day. Larry had noticed a young girl earlier at the Ranger Station who was wearing a T-shirt from the Giant Artichoke Restaurant in Castorville, and remembered seeing it when he was about 17. I was all for visiting a restaurant shaped like a giant artichoke, so off we went.

Castorville is the artichoke capital of the world, and as we approached the town, there were fields of artichokes on both sides of the highway. Right after we exited, we saw the sign for the restaurant, but it wasn't shaped like a giant artichoke at all. What happened? Did they tear the original building down, or was Larry not remembering it quite right? We'll never know. But we did get some fried artichoke hearts to munch on during the drive back to Jumbo, and they were super yummy!