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My favorite camping area in Big Sur is Pfeiffer
Big Sur State Park. Most of the climate,
vegetation, camping and general area information on
this page is courtesy of the parks visitors
pamphlet.
The Pfeiffer Big Sur campsites, are located along the
Big Sur river in redwood groves, oak woodlands and
grassy meadows. Each Campsite can accommodate up to
eight people and two 32foot vehicles, and includes a
fire ring and picnic table. Since I like
to camp alone there is plenty of room for Homer and
I. (Yes my tents name is Homer) Running water,
restrooms and hot showers are located throughout the
campground within easy walking distance of every
site.
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The Big Sur River, one
of the 50 streams that flows down the mountains into
the ocean, plays a critical role in creating the
evolving landscape. This is especially true when
heavy rainfall causes th river to transport
tremendous volumes of soil, downed trees, branches
and other debris downstream. The relatively gentle
terrain within the park causes this debris to slow
the river to a gentle flow in low water periods.
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The sixty
foot high Pfeiffer
Falls, at the end of
Redwood creek, is not spectacular as falls go, but
is indeed a scenic highlight. A wooden platform at
the base of the falls offers a place to rest or have
a picnic.
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In the canyons beside the river, redwoods live side
by side with sycamores, black cottonwoods, big-leaf
maples, alders and willows. The above photos were
taken at high noon, but the redwood canopy is
so thick that the forest floor receives only soft
dim filtered light.
One of the bridges along the
Valley View Trail, which goes
through deep redwood forest to open oak woodlands
to hot, dry chaparral - all within three miles.
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Traveling
north on Hwy 1, heading toward Carmel,I came upon
this scene of what seems to be an Old Ranch, surrounded by a sea of
yellow. The scene was magnificent but being an
armature photographer I was again unable to get the
camera to see what I saw - If
any one who lives in the Big Sur - Carmel - Monterey
area knows the history of or has any information
regarding this scene, please drop me a line ( al@calif-journal.com ). It
would be greatly appreciated.
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Monterey Bay Aquarium This photo of a diver swimming past was taken at the world renowned Aquarium.
Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is located in Monterey, California, is one of the largest and best-organized aquariums in the world.
It includes a 10-meter-high aquarium for viewing California coast marine life and 1 million gallon aquarium. The aquarium, which is located near the large undersea Monterey Canyon, is also known world-wide as a research institution, especially in areas that deal with deep-sea marine life. Much of the biologic diversity and density seen in Monterey Bay is the result of cold and nutrient-rich water upwelling from the ocean depths via the canyon.
Sealife on exhibit includes stingrays, jellyfish, and sea otters. In addition, there is an exhibit featuring a kelp forest
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Yahoo! News Search Results for Big Sur Monterey Bay Aquarium
Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:29:32 -0700
Season offers exciting whale-watching opportunities in Monterey Bay
It's a feeding frenzy in Monterey Bay and one you don't want to miss if you like watching whales.
Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:40:39 -0700
Coasting Along California
Have you ever wondered where all the sand comes from at the beach? How waves form? Why the beaches at Big Sur are so different than beaches, say, in North Carolina? How we can harness the energy of waves? Or whether we should be worried about tsunamis in the Santa Cruz area?
Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:38:47 -0700
Viewpoint: Like Laguna Beach? That's comparing apples-to-Orange County
Jeff Hellmans Viewpoint (June 24, How do you value Cambria? or, Value and values) attempts to exploit irrational fears to convince people to oppose the proposed desalination project. I suspect he would be making the same arguments if it was a pipeline, a reservoir, or any other means of lifting the moratorium. Mr. Hellman seems to be trying to convince us that if the project is built ...
Thu, 08 Jul 2010 05:00:00 -0700
Deep Blue Deals: Celebrate Monterey Peninsula's New Blue Ocean Film Festival & Summit With a Wave of Hotel Deals This ...
- Top 10 Deals with a View & Liquid Adventures for Lovers of the Sea -
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