Skip to main content

Big Sur Slide Spectacular Part 4; Prelude to Pfeiffer Canyon Reopeing

Given I was out in Monterey I was very close to the northern section of Big Sur that is still cut off by the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge closure.  Originally the new Pfeiffer Bridge was slated to open on October the 1st but now seems to be pushed back to October the 24th.  I woke up early on the 19th and didn't have much better to do until Mid-Day, it seemed like a waste of a fog free coast not to head down CA 1 to see what progress has been made.  Of course as I stated in Part 1, Big Sur technically begins at the Carmel River or the intersection of CA 1 and County Route G16.






There wasn't a single trace of fog the entire 26 miles south to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park which offered much more clear views of the coastline.  Back in June the weather was still dreary and had heavy rain in places.





Of course I couldn't resist getting some unobstructed historic bridge pictures, this one is the Malpaso Creek Bridge.





Not a cloud in the sky, even Point Sur could be seen far to the south.





The Granite Canyon Bridge.


The Garrapata Creek Bridge and a quick look back to the north.



The coastline south of the Garrapata Bridge.



The terrain along CA 1 starts to get more elevated around the Rocky Creek Bridge.  Aside from the Bixby Bridge I find the Rocky Creek Bridge to be the most visually appealing along CA 1.












Not everyday you get the entire Bixby Bridge to yourself, but really with the Pfeiffer Canyon and Mud Creek closures there isn't much in the way of tourism on CA 1 in Big Sur this year.  There was a huge glut of work vehicles and Caltrans trucks heading south to the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge project but nothing that really impeded getting some clear photos.  There was a work truck on Coast Road which blocked me from taking some photos of the road deck on my way south.












I stopped at Hurricane Point to get a clear look to the north of Bixby Creek and south at Point Sur.  Really the views here are impressive, I still love to look at the coast even after being here so many times over the years.







The Little Sur River Bridge.





Point Sur rises 361 feet above the Pacific Ocean and is the location of the Point Sur Lighthouse.  The Point Sur Lighthouse was built in 1889 and was at one time extremely isolated until CA 1 was built by it in 1937.  My understanding is that the coastline around Point Sur was extremely prone to shipwrecks prior to a Lighthouse being established.






South of Point Sur CA 1 treks inland towards Pfeiffer Big State Park and the bridge closure.  Not much here has changed since June other than the roadway being much more clean and I think a new VMS sign?  I'm to understand that there is far more hiking routes available now than back in June, I'm hoping to try some of them next month.  Regardless I flipped a U-turn at the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge closure and headed back north to Monterey.








On the way back north I did stop at Hurricane Point and the Bixby Bridge for some extra photos.  The work truck from earlier was long gone which opened up access to Coast Road.  For some reason the road closure sign to anyone other than locals is still present on Coast Road.















Just for kicks I stopped at Jacks Peak County Park on the way back into Monterey since I had some extra time to kill.  I figured that an overlook of Monterey, Monterey Bay, and even the Santa Cruz mountains would be worth stopping for a couple minutes.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dillon Road

Dillon Road is a 34.2-mile highway located in northern Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California.  Dillon Road begins at Avenue 48 on the outskirts of Indio and ends to the west at California State Route 62 near San Gorgonio Pass.  Dillon Road was developed the 1930s as a construction road for the Colorado River Aqueduct.  Dillon Road serves as a northern bypass to much of the development of Coachella Valley.  Dillon Road is known for it's frequent dips and spectacular views of San Gorgonio Pass.   Part 1; the history of Dillon Road Dillon Road was constructed as a haul road for the Colorado River Aqueduct through Coachella Valley.  The Colorado River Aqueduct spans 242 miles from Parker Dam on the Colorado River west to Lake Mathews near Corona.  Construction of the Colorado River Aqueduct began during January 1933 near Thousand Palms and was made functional on January 7, 1939.  West of Berdoo Canyon Road the alignment of Dillon Road is largely concurrent with the Colorado

Oldtown Toll Bridge - Maryland and West Virginia

  The Oldtown Toll Bridge linking Oldtown, Maryland over the Potomac River with neighboring Green Spring, West Virginia is only one of a few truly privately owned toll bridges located in the United States. It's a simple bridge by design, as the 318 foot long Oldtown Toll Bridge is a low water bridge. Low water bridges are designed to allow water to safely and efficiently flow over the bridge deck. Additionally, a dozen concrete pedestals have been secured in the Potomac River in order to support the bridge and wooden deck. The bridge was constructed in 1937 when a gentleman by the name of Mr. Carpenter obtained the proper permits to build the Bridge through an Act of Congress. This was a blessing for residents, especially on the West Virginia side of the Potomac River, as it saved motorists commuting to Cumberland an hour in travel time. Using Mr. Carpenter's blueprints, the Army Corp of Engineers and a number of local laborers constructed the bridge and it remained under the

Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road

Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road is an approximately 21-mile highway located in southeast Kern County.  Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road begins at Tehachapi Boulevard (former US Route 466) in Tehachapi and crosses the Tehachapi Mountains via the 4,820-foot-high Oak Creek Pass.  Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road enters Antelope Valley of the wider Mojave Desert and passes by the historic stage station of Willow Springs to a southern terminus at Rosamond Boulevard.  Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road has historic ties to the Havilah-Los Angeles Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road due to the once reliable presence of water at Willow Springs. Part 1; the history of Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road Oak Creek Pass and Willow Springs were known to the local tribes of the Tehachapi Mountains for generations.  The first documented European crossing of Oak Creek Pass was during 1776 as part of an expedition by Francisco Garces.  Oak Creek Pass is as used again by John C. Fremont during an 1844-1845 expedition to e