Hundred Dollar Lunch with a Million Dollar View

Day 23

          So, what’s in a name anyway?

          What is a Big Sur?

          Is there a Little Sur?

          Even if you have never been here and driven the California Route 1 Highway between Monterey and San Simeon, you have probably heard of this stretch of the California Coast.  I am sure that you have at least seen it in the many automobile advertisements and commercials that have been shot here.

          In fact, it ranks in the top thirty-five of tourist destinations in the world. And there are a lot of places to choose from when you consider the world has literally thousands upon thousands of places in it. So, before we get to probably the easiest post that I’ve ever done (because all I need to do is show you the photos. Never has the old adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” been more appropriate than when describing Big Sur) I will answer the question that is now burning up your curiosity….

          No, there is no Little Sur.

          Big Sur is combination of the old Spanish name for this region and present-day English. The Spanish had to bypass this part of the coast on their way north from San Simeon because it was impassable. They went inland through the valleys to arrive in Monterey and they named the land that they couldn’t penetrate, “El pais grande del sur”.

          Translation: “The BIG  country of the SOUTH.”

          Hence….  Big Sur.

          So now you know!

          The highway clings (literally) to the cliffs and hillsides far above the surf that pounds the rocky coastline below. There are a few beaches along the way but there really isn’t any white sand. The sand here is comprised of ground up rocks so it takes on the color of its origins. There must have been a storm way out in the North Pacific when we were there because there was a High Wave Warning for the Coast. This made the viewing of these waves so far below that much more dramatic. I wish that I could show you a video of it!

          This is another drive that makes taking photos of it very easy.         Every time you go around a bend there is another view that is almost the same as the one that you just left, but it is also very different. I hope you get my meaning here.

          It is hard to say, “Ho-Hum…. another gorgeous view.”

          Examples for your perusal:

          We wanted to have lunch while we were out and as you can imagine, there are only a few places to stop along this stretch of the Coast. The place that we were going to (on the advice of my daughter, Lorelyn) was at the very end of our journey. Our timing was perfect as we pulled into the Lucia Lodge, perched right on the edge of the cliffs, at precisely noontime! According to Lorelyn, they had the best Fish ‘n Chips on the planet, or at least on this road. What they did not have was a place to partake of their famous fare, as the building was gutted for extensive restorations.

          Rats!

          And we had not brought any snacks with us, as we definitely had planned to stop along the way!

          So, an about-face we made and headed back north obviously along the same route that we came down on. The view going the other way was just as good as the ride down and we took advantage of the many pull-offs and Vista Points along the way in  order to grab additional photos and just gaze down at the shoreline hundreds of feet below us.

          We had seen several places on our way down, but they were about thirty miles ahead of us, so on we drove. The first spot was really cute, nestled in a grove of trees that were tucked back in a little valley, but all they had on their menu was some stuff like quinoa and beans.

          The second place we stopped looked even better. It was a very old lodge and as we entered you got the feeling that you were a traveler way back in the day and you happened upon one of those perfect cottage-type inns that only get better with age.

          They were open for dinner only, not lunch.

          Our friend Goldilocks must have been in our back seat because the third place that we tried could be the most perfect restaurant on the planet.

          Perched 880’ above the water, Nepenthe has been serving passers-by for seventy-three years. The Fassett family bought a cabin here from Orson Welles and his wife Rita Hayworth in 1949 and opened their restaurant. It is still in the family and judging by what we experienced should still be going strong for another seventy-three years and longer.

          The food was great, as was also the view. It was nice to see that the owners did not just rely on the exquisite panorama to be their calling card. The wine list was extensive, and the menu varied and a tad eclectic, but prepared in such a way that you knew that the kitchen was as proficient as the view was grand.

          It was worth every penny that we dropped there.