Easter Sur-prise
Our tradition has been to spend Easter weekend in Carmel-By-The-Sea, however, this year we had to play things by year. While there were no hotels for us to book or places for us to eat at in Carmel, we were not deterred. We packed up our car for two potential outcomes: sleeping in the car, or finding a place to camp. We packed sandwiches, wine, and marshmallows and hit the road. Carmel was our first stop, and we took our usual stroll along the beautiful beach of white sand lined by wind-swept trees. We then walked barefoot through the open streets, admiring every quaint cottage and garden that we passed. Carmel’s charm was ever present, even if the candy shop, pretzel bakery, and roasting companies were closed. We sat at Mission Ranch and ate our pre-packaged lunch, and headed into the Big Sur for what we expected to be a casual ride with the hope of finding a place to pitch up our tent.
Jamie had never been to the Big Sur before, and what a time to go! No National beaches or parks were open, due to quarantine ordinances. You could pull off and take photos of the dramatic coastline and Bixby Bridge, and drive through the beauty of the winding coastline. We stopped at Big Sur Bakery to get hot chocolate and coffee, finding out that a nearby camp site was independently owned and open. Without hesitation we drove to it, and to our pleasure it was in the heart of Pfeiffer National Park: Fernwood Campground. We got a beautiful site by a stream that ran through the campground, which turned out to be the prime location for a group of kids to fish for crawfish, and as night fell, where bats flapped about. Bunches of ferns and clovers edged our site as well. We had a small trail where we walked amongst the redwoods, and Boo even tested the cold waters of the stream as she stepped and plopped down onto its bed of rocks.
The morning was a fun Easter morning. Children at other camp sites were doing their egg hunt, bringing all their eggs to our site as they tried to catch that morning’s breakfast. One kid poked his head to look into our tent, and asked us if we were staying another night. Groggy, I said no. His reply was: “Well, we are staying another night. I really hope we see you both again.” Honestly, they were the best mannered kids we have seen in a long time, and their enthusiasm for their bikes and fishing was endearing. It was adorable. Once we were awake, we sat and watched colored eggs drift along the stream’s current.
The rest of our day progressed just as beautiful as it began. We found a trail just off HWY 1 and hiked up the hillside to see the road weave beneath us and the ocean open wide before us. We drove back along the coastal highway back to San Francisco, stopping for ice cream at Santa Cruz Boardwalk. It was a fly-by-the-seat kind of a weekend, and turned out better than if we had planned anything.
