Big Sur, a portal to a fascinating coastal biodiversity and an a classroom for experiencing life

I read that it took around 18 years to build a scenic route that has allowed lovers of nature to discover the unique beauty of Big Sur. Most of the work was done by convicts, who in exchange got sentences shortened. Driving up North on Hwy 1 From San Simeon to Monterrey is a really curvy, slow, and narrow path that provided us with abundant opportunities to look very closely to the left, the Pacific Ocean, and to our right, the impressive mountain array and rock formations. I was hypnotized by 90 miles of magnificent mountain range, vegetation, sea life, native flowers, and coastal cliffs.

From San Simeon to Carmel, Highway 1 provided us with an infinite number of opportunities to be in the present, beautiful moment that we were experiencing. 

The Now was immeasurable.

 In a way, HWY 1, has been unconsciously designed to not rush from one town to another but rather to breathe in the ocean and impressive mountains and breathe out all the stress we carry in our mundane life.

I am so grateful for the capability of being mesmerized by one of the most immensely coastal portions of California. Road trips are always incredible opportunities for meditative moments to observe closely and honor the omnipresence of this region named "Big Sur," definitely priceless.

It was here that the California condor was reintroduced after being extinct. I kept seeing them flying high in the sky till, in one moment, one came down very closely to us. The Condor, who inspired the internationally well-known Peruvian music "Condor Pasa," kept on and on reminding me of the freedom and the looking inwards for soul searching. It was all there.

 At Piedras Blancas we met the elephant seals and learned from them to just lay back, relax, and indulge in the moment. Out of a population of 2500 that gather at the beach, we met 100s. It was hard to think about their near extinction.

Our second stop was to experience Pfeiffer State Beach and Park. We walked towards a peaceful gorge, then the mountains, and across the river, and saw canyons and coves filled with living nature. We met many Stellar's jays here and people from all over the world. Exhausted from all the hiking, we fell asleep at the hidden Pfeiffer Beach, famous for its purple sand. 

Getting to the beach itself was an adventure, if people have things to say of our Southern California 100s of steps down and up. I can't imagine trying to reach the beach and discovering that it is not just right here at the entrance... No walking allowed, so buckle up for an epic drive. Are we there yet?

So much to see and savor but not enough days to do it all. Especially if we wanted to dedicate time to each place. On our last day before heading home, we visited The most amazing natural preserve I remember seeing. Point Lobos with its cypress trails, kelp forest, tentacle forest (I named it like that because kelp here looked like octopus tentacles), seals, otters, blue herons, birds, jellyfish, and a variety of native vegetation. 

There was a whole pelican peak community, which made us super happy because these descendants of velociraptors also once were extinct. In this park we learned of Trentepohlia aurea, the orange formation on trees that we had never seen before.

For our back-to-civilization moment, we visited picturesque Carmel-by-the-Sea, where I got to take pictures of beautiful gardens, signs, and hamlets and definitely sensed life all around us... We experienced a sunset surrounded by a very welcoming and friendly community.

We could not come back home without visiting Dr. Wayne Dyer at Asilomar. A very peaceful place for more opportunities to be in the present moment. We kept thinking about how much Dr. Dyer appreciated this place and how amazing it is that it is available to all of us, as one of many California beautiful state parks.

For all the book lovers and HBO series followers, "Big Little Lies," a TV set at Lovers Point, is another beautiful spot. We saw squirrels that were willing to pose and gorgeous reefs and coves filled with anemones and humongous starfish.

We were so grateful for all the raw ocean living beauty we encountered without having to see it enclosed at an aquarium. For the 1st time, we had the opportunity to enter the Monterrey Aquarium, blessed by the gift that a patient of my husband offered us.

We loved the opportunity to see all the work the community of Monterrey is placing on making a sanctuary to preserve life in the ocean. We got to hear about Luna, a rescued otter, and about Baja California, my childhood hometown, where whales and different species are being followed and protected by researchers and oceanographers.

Driving the 90 miles of coastal mountains, canyons, forests, bluffs, and the magic within the Big Sur Preserve and State Parks was an epic adventure. This is our 1st field trip for Giancarlo's 7th grade of education, and we look forward to more journeys like this. 

This educational trip gave GC plenty of learning opportunities in a very open and inviting classroom called nature. Definitely it was a field trip for sensing life at is fullest.

Our time was up, and it was time to go home, not without observing considering,  acknowledging and reflecting upon what we have seen beyond the beauty of Nature. While on the 101, we drove, passing by fields and fields of lettuce, cabbage, and many nurseries. 

We noticed produce being picked by hardworking Latinos, and it made me feel  proud of my people, my roots, my ancestors. A tremendous gratitude to all of the field workers for their very important contribution to our life and country.

We are deeply grateful for the decades of dedicated work from my fellow humans who place food on our table. I hear discussions about the 11 million "undocumented" immigrants in America, many of whom work in the fields, and I wonder if immigration reformers, politicians, ICE workers, congressmen, and our president feel humble passing by the majestic Central California mountains, witnessing the farmworkers' arduous work so that we all have food on our tables. 

I did feel immensely grateful and small standing behind the ocean, between mountains, and next to all the abundance life can offer.

Photographs and article by ©KarlaGMundo2018