I have a nature-loving, photographer friend who knows every square inch of Monterey County. Often, he will message me and say, "let's go to _____________!" (somewhere within a 50 mile radius) and, he usually means RIGHT NOW! I can be a spontaneous person but this kind of thing really stretches me.
On this particular outing, we were in search of dynamic weather. It was supposed to rain but not until later in the day. As soon as we were headed down Highway 1, just outside of Carmel, the rain began to fall. Umm, ok, not what we had in mind but, we pressed on. As we drove further and further south, the clouds got thicker and thicker. Thinking this day was going to be a photographic bust, we thought we would check out the New Camaldoli Hermitage, a quaint little monastery that overlooks the Pacific and then head back home.
This is what we saw, on the way up to the hermitage. We were now actually part of the cloudscape! The road gets narrower as it winds up the mountain so I was a tad bit bummed that I had to pay attention while I was driving. ;) How gorgeous is this?!
After our visit with one of the monks, it was time to head back down the mountain. During the slow and gradual descent, what did our eyes behold?...A BREAK IN THE CLOUDS!!! Thankfully, there was a place to pull off so we could enjoy the dynamic weather that we had been seeking. The layered colors creating the horizon line were subtle but magnificent. The pool of light on the ocean was, both literally and figuratively, a gift from above!
This is a bonus shot mostly because I like pampas grass and all those lines going every which way intrigue me. :D
The further north we headed, the more the sky parted. Look at the shadow that little low floating cloud is casting. That some good stuff right there!
At this point, the rain was falling again but we couldn't pass up the chance to take a peek at one of the iconic views of Big Sur...McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. This is the view from the highway but there is a short trail that can get you a little closer. We decided to skip it this time.
The color of the water in the cove is unreal. I did very little editing with this shot so what you see is what you get. And how often do you find a waterfall at the beach? This spot is certainly worthy of an audible gasp!
This is the view looking north up the rocky coastline. Another famous landmark in Big Sur is Bixby Bridge which is there in the distance. We even got some faint rainbow action...can you see it?
I hope you enjoyed this little jaunt which is my kind of day at the beach. I'm not one to sit on the sand and soak up the rays. I would rather be hiking, climbing on the rocks and finding those dynamic moments. FUN FACT: While I was putting this post together, my adventurous friend messaged and said, "let's go!" Looks like I may have another post to share soon! :D
This is my contribution to #beachwednesday by 
!steemitworldmap 36.157020 lat -121.660302 long Big Sur Coast d3scr
