Name Removed Stowaway Submission Feature Article Word Count: 1277 Big Sur Bali, Belize, Barbados, Bahamas.

The possibilities for your next unforgettable vacation are endlessand why not shoot for another stamp in your passport while youre at it? While such foreign tourist traps can be tantalizing, they also come with disorienting daylong flights, exorbitant airfare, and unfamiliar culturescustoms. For a peacefully domestic travel experience this year, discover the dramatic beauty of one of the California coastlines pristine gems: Big Sur. A narrow, rugged stretch of the Central Coast, Big Sur is located a couple hours south of San Francisco, and a few hours northwest of Los Angeles. Its cut by Californias famous Pacific Coast Highway 1, which winds down 90 miles between Monterey and Cambria and makes the otherwise inaccessible region available to those seeking its unparalleled magnificence. Commonly called the most beautiful meeting of land and sea in the world, Big Sur is marked by the Santa Lucia Mountain Range as it drops dramatically into the Pacific Ocean. Seven state parks, multiple state beaches, the sweeping Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and wilderness reserves preserve and sustain the area. Whether youre seeking a backpacking-access campground above a redwood forest, an evening of five-star dining, and an ocean-view spa, or the most treacherous and rewarding one-day drive of your life, Big Sur imbibes its visitors with a unique peace and renewing change of perspective.
Comment [R1]: Mayb e if you had an adjective for each of these items to make it a bit more parallel.

The Parks The density and variety of Big Surs protected parks and reserves showcase its plethora of landscapes. The first state park in the area, starting at the northern tip, lies at the transition between civilization and the remote Big Sur wilderness. Headed Ssouth out of Carmel, youll follow Route 1 as it leaves behind the last shopping center, residential neighborhood, and high school youll see for over 100 a hundred miles, and comes upon Carmel River State Beach. This is one of the last places that the road is level with the ocean, and one of the few places you can stop to dip your feet if you happen upon a sunny day. The ocean is still northernly frigid from the southern traveling currents coming from the northern coast, but the sand is plentiful and warm even in the infamous coastal fog. Carmel River State Beach is popular for sea kayakers and scuba divers, featuring habitats for several species of migratory birds and a steep offshore drop into deep kelp forests and habitats for several species of migratory birds. The beach is a lovely foray into the more complex meeting between land and sea that lie further south as you enter the depths of Big Sur. Only a few more minutes south on the 1 lands you in the middle of Point Lobos State Natural Reserve and one of your first opportunities for scenic shoreside hiking trails. Once known for its wolves, as the Spanish name Lobos suggests, the area is now better associated withknown for sea otters and more many scuba diving locations, in addition to its whaling museum, which teaches the historic influence of fishing and whaling off that coast. Also take note here of the last Monterey Cypress trees youll see clinging to the rocky crags above the ocean before you continue south.
Comment [R2]: Are you saying it is one of the last place on the drive, or in the US. Also since it is at the beginning of the drive, should you use a phrase of finality such as last place as you do mention road and ocean being level in the lighthouse paragraph?

Comment [R3]: This sounds like the birds live under the water in the steep offshore drop off. Comment [R4]: I am not sure I understand when you say the more complex meeting of land and sea

Several miles south of Point Lobos, keep your eyes peeled for the one and only small brown sign that marks the turnoff for Garrapata State Park. Here you can take the parks famous 50fifty-foot climb to a panoramic view of the Pacificbordered by wildflowers in the spring or dotted with migrating gray whale spouts in the winter. With two miles of immaculate coastline, Garrapata beach is also a popular surfing destination. You could easily spend all day exploring its few- mile radius. For one of Big Surs most unique, iconic vistas, continue a few more miles down the coast, taking time to stop at the plentiful outlooks, until you reach Point Sur State Historic Park. Youll first catch glimpses of the Point Sur Lighthouse, which lies stands atop a huge, lone rock surrounded by ocean on three sides, as it extends its light dozens of miles in every direction. The lighthouse and its surrounding beaches stand in stark contrast to the sheer cliffs that fall into the ocean to the north. The highway drops back to sea level and winds inland slightly, offsetting the over 360-foot rock chosen in the 1880s as home to the lighthouse. (quote from former docent). Clichs aside, there is nothing else quite like this breathtaking sight. Youll most likely have to enjoy the vista from the highway, though, because the lighthouse only opens twice weekly for tours, and its surrounding beaches are strictly protected as nesting ground for endangered birds that migrate to the area. Next on our extensive list is Andrew Molera State Park, practically bordering Point Surs southern reaches. This park has its own unique feel as home to miles of horseback riding trails and meadow landscapes. (quote from horseback rider). Andrew Molera is also a popular spot for surfers since the rocky coastline opens forgivingly into a wide stretch of sand with milder surf. This is one of Big Surs more developed parks, with ample camping and a 40forty-foot yearround waterfall.

As Highway 1 makes its way slightly further inland, briefly losing sight of the ocean, youll find yourself at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park towards the heart of the Big Sur wilderness. Coastal Redwood trees are the drastically different feature of this park. The climate turns so moist and the land is so densely populated with trees that you may wonder if youre in a different state from the one you left a few miles to the north. But this is just another of Big Surs treasured wonders. Pfeiffer is comparatively the most developed park in the area, with a lodge for tourists as well as an extensive campground. The hike the to Pfeiffer Falls is one of the areas most famousbe sure to stop for a picture inside one of the burned-out redwoods next to the trail. These giants can scrape out at 350 feet in height and span 20 twenty feet in diameter. Plus their lush red bark gives off one of the most delicious, earthy scents in the world, and banana slugs thrive among the lime-green redwood sorrel that carpets the forest floor. Pfeiffer State Park is not to be confused with its southern neighbor, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, most famous for it 80eighty-foot waterfall which cascades off of a beachside cliff directly onto the sand in at low tide, and into the churning Pacific in at high tide. While the beach itself is inaccessible for preservation purposes, a paved path leads from the parking lot to a scenic outlook with full view of the waterfall and its spectacular surrounding cove. Campgrounds are again available, offering opportunitiesy to further enjoy the parks miles of unparalleled hiking. Towards the southern end of the Big Sur stretch, the last state park on the map is Limekiln, so named for its history of limestone harvesting and extraction of lime produced in onsite kilns. Limekiln has a more complex history, becoming a state park in 1995 after passing hands as a campground and resort extension. Limekiln Falls are impressively massive, and
Comment [R7]: Do you mean that after it passed hands that it became a campground/resort or before? Comment [R5]: You may want to use a different adjective that does not give off the idea of eating the bark. Comment [R6]: Are these a separate plant? Are they sorrel trees?

visitors can choose between campsites in the parks redwood forest, or campsites with an ocean view towards the mouth of the canyons cove. The Resorts The Drive So, I havent really left room to adequately discuss the fine dining and resort options in Big Sur (plentiful), the Esalen Institute (renowned for its hippie culture and celeb healing zone), or the bridges that visitors might experience on a drive down the coast (very famous and historic). Shall I shorten the Parks section to include more of that, or make the article just about parks? Ideas? Thanks, guys!
Comment [R8]: Also you have plenty of room as far as your word count goes. I would not remove anything about the parks, just add. Comment [R9]: I would mention something about the Monterey Bay Aquarium