California Dreamin' Part II: From San Jose to Big Sur, Spending Only $51 a Day

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Getting away from the big city isn't always easy, but the proximity of the magnificent beauty of Big Sur to the major metropolises of California makes it an ideal and popular weekend drive.

Getting There

There's no point in poking around San Jose, so speed on down to the Monterey-Carmel area on US 101 to Prunedale, then westward on 156 to Seaside, where you join the Pacific Coast Highway, Number 1. If you can tear yourself away from the delights of those two cities, start on down the highway, taking your time and stopping at as many turnouts or vistas as you can.

If you have time, return on the same marvelous routing, catching different views and vistas, the better to see the mist creeping in, or a sunset, or a day when the fog bank sits along the horizon like a very thick futon, creating an amazing wall a few miles out to sea. Should you be in a hurry, however, go on down Route 1 to Cambria, and then turn eastward on State 465 to Templeton, where you pick up speedy US 101 for your return trip north.

Highlights

The best weather here is in the spring and fall, the former being the time when wildflowers abound (especially lupines and poppies, as well as the tall purple cones called "the Pride of Madeira"). May is still peaceful, as the big summer season and the crowds begin in June, with warm weather and a chance even to dip into the rivers here. Indian summer and it's requisite marvelous fall colors, with poison oak showing deep red, the maples, sycamore, and cottonwoods their golden yellows and oranges, dutifully comes along late in September and throughout all of October. In mid-November, the season for fishing steelhead rainbow trout opens. Best of all, from the end of December through the entire month of March, you can watch migrating gray whales offshore as they traverse the route from sunny Baja California northward.

All the way down along scenic PCH1, the 90-mile stretch of Big Sur affords great views of the awesomely beautiful and rugged coastline between Carmel to the north and San Simeon to the south. The highway was completed in 1937 after 18 years of hard work, partly with the aid of convict labor. (They didn't even have electricity in these parts until the 1950s!) And although Highway One is well maintained, it has plenty of sharp curves and steep hills, so take it easy. Besides, if you drive too quickly, you won't have a chance to see the most beautiful coastline in the world, in the opinion of many experienced travelers.

If it's beach time you want, bring a blanket and a jacket, as it can be chilly, even in summer. You can get down to the Andrew Molera State Park beach, 23 miles south of Carmel, easily on a mile-long path paralleling the Big Sur River.

A cultural highlight of the drive is the Henry Miller Library, just one-fourth of a mile south of the Nepenthe restaurant on the mountainside of the road. Henry, who wrote his best-known work, Tropic of Cancer, in 1934, settled down in Big Sur (not at this building) in 1944, and wrote many other books here. This is not a library of books he collected, but of books by and about him, as well as other highly literary and experimental works for sale by other authors. It's open Thursdays through Sundays, 11 to 6 or by appointment. Phone the library at 831/667-2574 or visit the Web site, www.henrymiller.org.

Although Big Sur is as close to nature as you can get in America and still be on a highway, costs are typically high, thanks to the distance and scarcity of population. But with some digging, I've come up with lodging and three meals costing only $50.70 per person per day, sharing a double room.

Lodging

There are only 200 hotel rooms in all the Big Sur area, so pickings are slim. Except during winter, you might consider camping out when you get here. After all, that's what the whole region is about, getting back to nature in a meaningful manner. Should you decide you want to live in a tent or rustic cabin, check out the Big Sur Campground & Cabins, 26 miles south of Carmel on Route 1, phone 831/667-2322. In addition to empty sites, there are a few cabins, the tent variety costing only $12, the all-wood version going for $89 and up. The all-wood cabins have their own country-style furniture, woodburning ovens and complete kitchens, not to mention private patios.

The best-priced commercial lodging in the area is at the modest Ripplewood Resort, where there are cabins costing as little as $65 (double bed), $70 (queen), $75 (queen and double), up to $105 (queen and double, kitchen, deck, and fireplace). The cheaper cabins overlook the redwoods and the hills, while the more expensive are along the Big Sur River itself. All units have private bathroom with shower or tub. Just 27 miles south of Carmel, the resort is also the site of a wonderful cafe (breakfast and lunch only), a gas station (you can't imagine how helpful that is) and a grocery store (ditto). For reservations, phone 831/667-2242. Their Web site is www.ripplewoodresort.com.

The best little hotel in the region, in my opinion, is the Big Sur River Inn on Highway 1 at Pheneger Creek, Big Sur 93920. There are 20 rustic and cozy rooms with private baths ranging in price from $80 in winter, $90 in spring and fall to $100 in July and August. That's for a room with one queen bed. On weekends throughout the year, you pay the summer rate of $100. What's fun here is to sit in Adirondack chairs in the shallow river, dangling your feet in the water, and drinking a beer. Above the iris and calla lilies along the banks, on the lawn between river and hotel, people relax over their food, and a jazz band plays on weekend afternoons. A throwback to the 1930s, the River Inn was once known at the Apple Pie Inn, having started as a restaurant back in 1934. It has been run by the same family (Pfeiffer and Ewoldsen) ever since. Contact the Inn at 831/557-1700 or 800/548-3610, fax 831/667-2743, Web site www.bigsurriverinn.com.

You can have your adobe hacienda and not pay big bucks for it if you stay at Glen Oaks, in the Big Sur River valley. All rooms are in single story structures, and each has a private bath and walk-in shower. You also have a patio, surrounded by flowers in season and a view of the valley. There's a good restaurant on the premises, too (see listings on the next page). A queen bedroom here costs $89, queen and twin $94, two queens $99. You can have a whole cottage to yourself for $125, with a kitchen $140, beyond our price range but doable if you have four persons sharing the costs. Contact the Glen Oaks at 831/667-2105, Highway 1, Big Sur 93920.

Moderately priced during the winter (at $89), the rooms at the Big Sur Lodge rise precipitously during the rest of the year, so I can recommend it only in the November-March period, when the weather can be wonderful. There are 61 huge cottage style units, each with deck or balcony. Some units can sleep up to six persons. Nestled among the marvelous towering redwoods and oaks inside the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, these units are a perfect place to get away from the apparent world and enjoy the real realm of nature. There are no phones, TVs, radios, or alarm clocks. There is a restaurant on the grounds, as well as a general store, and a seasonal heated pool. They're on Highway 1 at Big Sur, 93920, phone 831/667-3100 or 800/424-4787, Web site www.bigsurlodge.com. Rates here include the admission fee not only to this park but also to four others in the immediate area. That, in turn, allows you free use of the parks, including hiking and firing up the barbecue if you feel like it.

Alternatively, if you are really into nature, and want to stay at a Catholic monastery where you get absolute peace and quiet, you might like the New Camaldoli Hermitage, about 25 miles south of Big Sur Village at Lucia, where rooms go for a suggested donation of $45. You usually need to book six months in advance here! You need not participate in the liturgical worship, but you may if you wish. All rooms are single occupancy, each with half bath and a personal garden overlooking the ocean. There is also a room with several showers and a common kitchen where you pick up your mostly vegetarian meals, to eat by yourself in the garden or room. If you want a retreat house trailer, these, too, are available, with a full bathroom (shower, not tub!), small refrigerator, small countertop gas burner, and a sun deck. Suggested donation is $55. To keep the place quiet for the Benedictine monks, you cannot use radios, typewriters, or musical instruments, nor can you bring a pet. Phone the monks at 831/667-2456. They ask that you phone them, not e-mail them (unless you live overseas). Their Web site, however, is www.contemplation.com.

Restaurants

This is the perfect place to have a picnic, down on the beach or up above, just looking at the coastline. You can stock up on everything you could possibly need at Big Sur Center Deli, located at the Post Office Center, phone 831/667-2225. Open daily from 8 AM to 8:30 PM, the deli has takeout selections of prepared food items for all three meals (including fresh pizza on Monday and Friday evenings), as well as a good selection of groceries, wine, beer, and soft drinks.

Big Sur River Inn, part of the hotel of the same name (see previous page), is a marvelously un-chic place, with quiet corners, tables out on the patio overlooking the river, or near the bar and its big sports-saturated TV screen. Breakfast starts at $5.75 for two eggs, hash browns, and toast; lunch menu items hover around $9.95 (the cheapest sandwich is $8.25), and dinner courses cost from $7.95 (omelets) through $8.95 (fish & chips) up to $17.95 for ribs. Open daily. Phone 831/667-2700.

At the Ripplewood Resort (see previous page), you can have two eggs with a potato casserole and a homemade muffin for just $5.75, or pay another dollar and have the same thing with sausage, bacon, or ham. At lunchtime, a grilled cheddar sandwich will set you back $4.50, a delicious grilled jack cheese and green chili one $5.75. All sandwiches (your choice of bread) come with tomatoes, sliced red onions, sliced pickles, lettuce, and mayonnaise, along side your choice of a green salad, marinated bean salad, or shoestring-cut french fries. They don't serve dinner. Phone 831/667-2242.

The Glen Oaks Restaurant is also part of the hotel of the same name (see previous page), with a copper fireplace and works of local artists, serving dinner only, open year round, but closed on Tuesdays. Dinner items start from $12.95 and range upward from there. Several entries on the otherwise standard menu are Asian inspired, and the pastas and bread are homemade. Wines from the California Central Coast are featured. Phone 831/667-2264 for reservations.

Deetjen's restaurant is in the hotel of the same name, with a cozy, country-inn feeling about the place. Two meals are served daily, with basic breakfasts at about $7.95, comfort-food dinner main courses from $12.95. Chicken with garlic is a local favorite. Phone the restaurant at 831/667-2377. The location is about 30 miles south of Carmel on Highway 1, Big Sur 93920.

Cafe Kevah is located just a level down from famed Nepenthe (see below) and owned by the same family. Its prices are slightly less than those up the stairs, a fajita dish costing 7.95, for instance. The view is almost as good that on the level above, but the ambiance is more utilitarian, the food (with several Mexican items on the menu) is as good, if not better. Since you'll be outside, even on a sunny day in fall, winter, or spring, be sure to bring a coat. In summer, never mind. The address is the same as Nepenthe, but the phone is 831/557-2344.

Nepenthe is not just a restaurant, but also the emotional center of Big Sur, almost since its beginnings back in 1949. It's at the top end of our price range for budgeters, but is well worth the visit. The ambiance is better than the high-priced and celebrated Ambrosiaburgers ($11.95), in fact. After you climb the long flights of stairs, you'll find the views magnificent. You may, if you are lucky, find seats at counters on the edge of the cliff, so that you look right out on the valley and ocean 808 feet below. This is the perfect place to have lunch, if only for the view. The restaurant, formerly owned by Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth, is a celeb favorite. Recent visitors include Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, as well as Bill Gates Jr., and Oakland mayor and former California governor Jerry Brown. Movie fans will want to know that Liz Taylor and Richard Burton frequented this restaurant a lot when they filmed Sandpiper in the neighborhood way back in 1962. Location: On California 1, 28 miles south of Carmel, phone 831/667-2345.

Sunday Brunch

If you make it as far as the Hearst Castle, at the southern end of Big Sur, you might enjoy the Sunday brunch at the San Simeon restaurant in town, costing $12.95 for adults, $5.95 for children under 12. You can eat as much as you want at the salad bar, waffle bar, or omelet bar, partaking of country biscuits and gravy, roast beef, seafood, beef Stroganoff, and the like with a glass of champagne, too. Phone 805/927-4604.