01/10/2014

I’m not sure if I was born with a case of wanderlust or if I’ve acquired my jet setting addiction in adulthood, but my travel bucket list is a serious mile long.  With the third trimester upon us and a few extra days of holiday break to spare, Aaron and I decided to cross one of our destinations off that list last week with a road trip to Big Sur.  It was so incredible!  Like up-there-with-one-of-our-favorite-trips-ever incredible…

We started in Los Angeles, stopped in Carpinteria for lunch with friends, and made it to Morro Bay just in time for sunset.  That’s Morro Rock in the background and my 27 week baby bump in the foreground.  (Unpictured: dozens and dozens of barking seals that were swimming in the water!  Incredible!)  We continued up to Monterey Bay where we spent our first night.  In the morning after breakfast we started off to Big Sur by way of Pebble Beach, the 17 Mile Drive, and Carmel.  Check out these views…

Aaron was pretty much in photo heaven…

You know you’re getting close to Big Sur when you spot the Bixby Bridge.  Aaron gave me a little bit of a panic attack with some of his choice spots for taking photos…

We arrived in the afternoon and checked into our cabin at Glen Oaks.  If you’re venturing to Big Sur, I highly recommend this place!  Think rustic cabin in the woods meets modern San Francisco design with a fire pit and a great little restaurant next door.  In the mornings we would hike the little paths around our cabin then head over to Big Sur Roadhouse for coffee and breakfast.

During the day we ventured to McWay Falls and hiked around the coast.  Aaron would be rock climbing these jagged cliffs (cue more panic attacks), while I was determined to spot my first whale… and did!

In the evening we went to Pheiffer State Beach to check out this stunning view at sunset…

…then roasted marshmallows on our campfire before dinner at Big Sur Bakery.

I turned 30 on Sunday, so Aaron surprised me with this plate of birthday marshmallows late Saturday night!  Sorry for the blurry picture– I was too excited about my marshmallows to keep the camera still!

On Sunday, we took Highway 1 back down to LA, stopping along the way for the elephant seals, cinnamon rolls in Pismo Beach, and views like these…

This weekend is going to be equally as adventurous in a very different way.  We are taking a baby care class tomorrow hosted by The Pump Station!  It should be interesting!  What are all of you up to this weekend?  I hope it’s a great one!

Photography by Aaron Pinkston