A Son's Gift

Brad and I were talking on the phone as Ed and I hung out at Starbucks, one of the few places we could find decent internet in King City. When I mentioned our whereabouts, he said,

"Oh, I remember King City, a dumpy little town, but..." And the "but" was all important as he went on to say, "Yessi and I traveled the Nacimiento-Furguson road, just out of King City, when we were going to Big Sur. It's a narrow, twisting road, with bowering trees (perhaps too low for Thistle) but a wonderful drive. We were on the motorcycle. The road passes through Los Padres National Forest and the Hunter-Leggitt Army base. You might enjoy it."

We found ourselves on a wonderfully curvy road heading up a steep grade into the coastal range and then down the other side to the Pacific. We always know we're on a road-to-love when the warning signs read, "Vehicles over 30 feet restricted".

Might enjoy it? Oh yes! We loved it!!!

Beauty reigned as the scene changed from oaks and madrona to redwoods, to maples, back to oaks, then pine, and finally scrubby hillsides of sage, poison oak, ceanothus and yucca. Streams, rocks and canyons unfolded as we twisted along through this splendidly steep, narrow and curvy road. And then, pow, in all it's glory, the Pacific.

We are camped at Kirk Creek Campground on Highway One overlooking the ocean. Eight miles south of us the highway is closed and three miles to the north it is closed. Just a smattering of people are here camping and hiking. Work crews are here too, busy repairing the bridge at Big Sur as well as winter slide removal and cleanup work.

Having a heavily traveled highway empty, leaves us giddy. We ride, weaving back and forth, laughing at the freedom and luxury of no traffic. The middle line is too tempting to resist a swirl or two. And the quiet of no cars or trucks leaves us intoxicated with delight.

To travel north we will go back up and over the Nacimiento-Furguson Road, the only access to and from this eleven mile "island". Thank you Brad for the fabulous suggestion of the Nacimiento-Furguson Road -- a 10+ without the highway closures. With the closures, it has been an off the scale experience!

~~~

"Reality doesn't impresss me. I only believe in intoxication, in ecstasy, and when ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another. No more walls."

~ Anais Nin

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