who are all these people

and what are they doing in Big Sur?

I hope it’s just spring fever and the place isn’t always as busy on the weekend as it was today. And last weekend. And three weeks ago. Every turnout had 10 cars crammed into it, with chicks posing on rocks in sundresses and sandals and brodudes shooting selfies with their iPhones. I blame this movie.

Our first stop, Partington Cove, was relatively uninhabited. It helps that it’s an unmarked trail dropping steeply downward from a bend in a very bendy road. The parks in Big Sur tend to have a lot of variety–water, woods, hills–and Partington Cove is no exception.

Partington Cove, environment one
look closely and you’ll see cairns sprinkled about
my first cairn
my first cairn – not nearly as impressive as the ones that seem to defy gravity
uh, you might want to look behind you
uh, you might want to look behind you
I had to pay three pence to cross this
I had to pay three pence and answer a riddle to cross this…
old tunnel - looks inviting, no?
…in order to get to this
amazing this thing is still standing - it was built in the late 1800s
it was built in the late 1800s and was used to haul tanbark (and maybe smuggled booze) from the cove
too close to the light
the light

After Partington Cove, we headed a bit further south to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. So did a shitload of other people. The parking lot was full, so some people parked on the side of the highway. There was a small wedding party on the easy walk to the waterfall overlook.

maybe good advice for a couple of newlyweds?
stay on trail
I spread some of Mason's ashes here in 2010 - stopped by for a visit
in bright sunlight, this water looks very blue – the overcast day allowed for a beautiful emerald green color
this is the view from the other side of the overlook - I spread some of Mason's ashes here in 2010 and stopped by for a quiet visit today
the other, more quiet side of the overlook
stupid bird, can't you read? also, poison oak
stupid bird, can’t you read? also, poison oak
bench, 2009
bench, 2009
bench, 2014
bench, 2014 – I’ll bet Sherry Osella would have made sure that grass was cut

 

 

 

Crystal Jackson

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4 responses to “who are all these people”

  1. Did you find any Jade at Partington Cove? It’s funny every time I have made that long haul back up the steep trail I try not to breathe to hard when passing people just starting down so as not to scare them out of going. Not the steep dangerous type of trail that is prevalent in the area but definitely that long calf burning incline especially if it’s the last trail you hit. I saw a huge starfish in that cove (stop laughing) on a rock and it was an incredible color that looked like it had been airbrushed (pastel orange mixed with teal) (no it was not chocolate colored)

    • Haha!!!! That haul back up to the highway is a bitch. I always try not to breathe too hard because James and I have an unspoken contest to pretend like climbs aren’t a big deal. My usual trick when I need a little air is to stop and take a few pictures.

      We passed two chicks heading down the trail when we were almost to the top and totally winded. They asked if they were on the right trail, and our answers were monosyllabic. What they might have mistaken for rudeness was simply a lack of oxygen. Though it did seem a *little* easier this time since we’ve been hoofing it up steep hills in PG for a month. Maybe.

      Didn’t see any jade, though I made a concerted effort not to collect rocks today. Also, the tide was in, so the beachy part where all the small rocks usually are was under water. Didn’t see any starfish–only time I’ve seen one of those in California was in Pacifica, south of San Francisco.

  2. As we were leaving today and making the steep climb back to the car two women stopped us and asked “Is this Partington Cove” to which we very much out of breath replied. “Yes, yes it is.

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