McWay Falls

After some more sketchy details about when the beautiful waterfall would be open, the final conclusion was that the only way to find out would be to just go down there. So on Wednesday afternoon we drove down to Julia Pefiffer State Beach again and fate was more on our side this time (although it seems fate was on our side before, given that it sent us on the amazing Ewoldsen Trail).

The best word I can think of to describe McWay Falls is "magical." I'll let the pictures say the rest.























The view in the other direction wasn't too bad either.





I wasn't sure I'd gotten enough pictures, so I took some video too.

6/10 of a Mile

After Pfeiffer State Beach we drove down to Julia Pfeiffer State Park to check out a beautiful waterfall. And the beautiful waterfall was closed. A park volunteer who was very sketchy on the details of when and why the waterfall might open again told us that there was if we went on another hike, there was another waterfall sixth tenths of a mile up the trail. So on we went through the sun-dappled redwood forest.







As we met other hikers coming the opposite direction, we asked (1) if we were close and (2) if the waterfall was cool. Most of them smiled and nodded and kept walking. Hmmm... I'm not a good judge of distance or even time, really, but after awhile it definitely felt like more than 6/10 of a mile. Luckily the trail kept us entertained with wild irises.



Finally we met some hikers who told us what the volunteer had not: there is no waterfall. There is a small stream that makes some mini-rapids, but definitely no waterfall. They also told us that the end of the trail was only about another hour, so we figured that if we'd already one "6/10 of a mile" what's another hour?

Another hour = another hour of uphill climbing. But it was definitely worth it for the view at the top.







The first time I'd ever see the curve of the Earth:







Honestly, I don't think we'd have tried this hike--that turned out to be 4.5 miles--if we hadn't been sent on a wild waterfall chase. But how else would I have gotten this deep picture?


Good work, ladies.

Pfeiffer State Beach

When we were trying to figure out what we should do on Tuesday, Mary pulled out a list of recommendations she'd gotten from her brother. One description read: "There's beach with purple sand. Purple sand!" Purple sand? How could we resist?













There were also some not too shabby rock formations and crashing waves:













I couldn't resist the video:

Wilderness Girls

I've done my share of camping over the years, but I definitely don't consider myself a "camper" per se. Yet somehow I ended up as one of the more experienced campers on this trip. I have to say, I was pretty proud of use four city girls not only making our way in the woods for four days, but doing a pretty darn good job with it. Not only were there no disasters, we even had some pretty gourmet food. Nice job, ladies.

By the time the tent was set up, there was only piece we didn't know how to use:


We discovered that one of Sarah's multiple intelligences is setting fires:




Unfortunately, Sarah is not as skilled at judging water depth:


As I mentioned, camping did not keep us from delicious meals. Yes, that bread is toasting.


"We just wanted to prove that we're real wilderness girls?"
"Well who ever said you weren't?"
(Name that movie, win a prize)

The Next Best Thing

As we got into the Big Sur area on Highway 1, the coastal drive slowly transformed from beautiful to fantastic to stunning. "Is this what New Zealand looks like?" Sarah asked.

Good question. More than anything it reminded me of the drive along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia, which was pretty amazing. I tried to think of comparable experiences in New Zealand, and first came up with the cliffs and water color around Takapuna and Long Bay--it wasn't too much of a jump to imagine Big Sur with bright red pohutukawas dotting the hills. I also made some mental connections to Cape Reinga, Abel Tasman National Park, and the Coromandel Penninsula. But really, no matter what I tried, Big Sur just doesn't quite compare to any of them.

But it tries. And it comes so close.

There are beautiful coastlines:




Cool plants and beautiful flowers everywhere:




Even some koru:




I guess until I can get the courage (and my loans paid off) to move back to New Zealand, weekends in Big Sur will have to do. Luckily, it seemed to know how much I miss Godzone and sent me a little message that the California coast will be a sufficient surrogate: On our last night, we stopped for sunset drinks at Nepenthe, a restaurant that overlooks the ocean. There, on the wine list, was my favorite NZ wine, Spy Valleny sauvignon blanc. It's one of the few things that I will happily use the food miles for, but I haven't been able to find it in the US. But there it was, and it couldn't have come at a better time.


Thank you, Big Sur. Nothing will ever be New Zealand, but this certainly makes a pretty good second best.

SURprise!

Somehow I got lucky enough to have my school's spring break coincide with Stanford's spring break, so I actually had five full days without any formal obligations. Something had to be done to commemorate this momentous occasion.

Even luckier, my friend Sarah invited me along on a camping trip to Big Sur, a place I've been meaning to visit since I got to California. The entire trip was exactly what I needed. Four days surrounded by breathtaking scenery, fresh mountain air, giant redwoods, and amazing people. Perhaps more importantly, it was four days completely cut off from email, phone, Stanford, and high school students--all things I love, but that I definitely needed a break from.

The next few posts highlight just how much we packed into four days.

Elect This Man

I set up this blog as a way to keep friends an family informed of my whereabouts, adventures, funny stories, etc. as I'm off traveling the world and having adventures and funny stories. As such, I've tried to keep the political commentary to a minimum. There are enough political blog out there and it's not like I have a unique perspective to add to the lot.

However, I can't not mention Barack Obama's recent speech on race in this country. I have been an avid Obama supporter for a long time, but I worried that reaching his new political heights would tarnish his vision, idealism, and most of all his honesty. His recent speech on race is one of the most beautiful, honest, human things I think I've ever heard from a politician. Finally, someone willing to name the state of race in this country for what it is without dismissing the legitimacy of anyone's feelings, status, etc.

If you haven't read it already, I strongly recommend that you make the time for it. Or watch it on YouTube. I was in tears by the end.

Not that my endorsement means much, but as a teacher, as a student, as a woman, as a person of color, as a white person, as a young person, and as any other demographic I can think of, I whole-heartedly believe that giving this man the keys to the White House will send our country in the direction it needs to go.