Skip to main content

Big Sur Slide Spectacular Part 4; Prelude to Pfeiffer Canyon Reopeing

Given I was out in Monterey I was very close to the northern section of Big Sur that is still cut off by the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge closure.  Originally the new Pfeiffer Bridge was slated to open on October the 1st but now seems to be pushed back to October the 24th.  I woke up early on the 19th and didn't have much better to do until Mid-Day, it seemed like a waste of a fog free coast not to head down CA 1 to see what progress has been made.  Of course as I stated in Part 1, Big Sur technically begins at the Carmel River or the intersection of CA 1 and County Route G16.






There wasn't a single trace of fog the entire 26 miles south to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park which offered much more clear views of the coastline.  Back in June the weather was still dreary and had heavy rain in places.





Of course I couldn't resist getting some unobstructed historic bridge pictures, this one is the Malpaso Creek Bridge.





Not a cloud in the sky, even Point Sur could be seen far to the south.





The Granite Canyon Bridge.


The Garrapata Creek Bridge and a quick look back to the north.



The coastline south of the Garrapata Bridge.



The terrain along CA 1 starts to get more elevated around the Rocky Creek Bridge.  Aside from the Bixby Bridge I find the Rocky Creek Bridge to be the most visually appealing along CA 1.












Not everyday you get the entire Bixby Bridge to yourself, but really with the Pfeiffer Canyon and Mud Creek closures there isn't much in the way of tourism on CA 1 in Big Sur this year.  There was a huge glut of work vehicles and Caltrans trucks heading south to the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge project but nothing that really impeded getting some clear photos.  There was a work truck on Coast Road which blocked me from taking some photos of the road deck on my way south.












I stopped at Hurricane Point to get a clear look to the north of Bixby Creek and south at Point Sur.  Really the views here are impressive, I still love to look at the coast even after being here so many times over the years.







The Little Sur River Bridge.





Point Sur rises 361 feet above the Pacific Ocean and is the location of the Point Sur Lighthouse.  The Point Sur Lighthouse was built in 1889 and was at one time extremely isolated until CA 1 was built by it in 1937.  My understanding is that the coastline around Point Sur was extremely prone to shipwrecks prior to a Lighthouse being established.






South of Point Sur CA 1 treks inland towards Pfeiffer Big State Park and the bridge closure.  Not much here has changed since June other than the roadway being much more clean and I think a new VMS sign?  I'm to understand that there is far more hiking routes available now than back in June, I'm hoping to try some of them next month.  Regardless I flipped a U-turn at the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge closure and headed back north to Monterey.








On the way back north I did stop at Hurricane Point and the Bixby Bridge for some extra photos.  The work truck from earlier was long gone which opened up access to Coast Road.  For some reason the road closure sign to anyone other than locals is still present on Coast Road.















Just for kicks I stopped at Jacks Peak County Park on the way back into Monterey since I had some extra time to kill.  I figured that an overlook of Monterey, Monterey Bay, and even the Santa Cruz mountains would be worth stopping for a couple minutes.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Abandoned US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon

Within the Truckee River Canyon in the Sierra Nevada range numerous abandoned portions of US Route 40 can be found alongside modern Interstate 80.   This segment of highway was opened during 1926 as a bypass of the Dog Valley Grade which carried the early North Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway. The corridor of the Truckee River Canyon State Highway would be assigned as US Route 40 when the US Route System was commissioned during November 1926. During 1958 the segment of Interstate 80 between Boca, California and the Nevada state line was complete. When Interstate 80 opened east of Boca numerous obsolete portions of US Route 40 were abandoned. Some of these abandoned segments have been incorporated into the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.  Part 1; the history of US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon The Truckee River Canyon for centuries has been an established corridor of travel known to native tribes crossing the Sierra Nevada range.  The first documented wagon crossi...

Former California State Route 41 past Bates Station

When California State Route 41 was commissioned during August 1934 it was aligned along the then existing Fresno-Yosemite Road north of the San Joaquin River.  Within the Sierra Nevada foothills of Madera County, the original highway alignment ran past Bates Station via what is now Madera County Road 209, part of eastern Road 406 and Road 207.   Bates Station was a stage station plotted during the early 1880s at what was the intersection of the Coarsegold Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road.   The modern alignment bypassing Bates Station to the east would be reopened to traffic during late 1939.   Part 1; the history of California State Route 41 past Bates Station Bates Station was featured as one of the many 1875-1899 Madera County era towns in the May 21, 1968, Madera Tribune .  Post Office Service at Bates Station is noted to have been established on November 23, 1883 and ran continuously until October 31, 1903.  The postal name was sourced...

The William Flinn (not Flynn) Highway - Pittsburgh's Misspelled Street

For decades if you traveled along PA Route 8 in Pittsburgh's North Hills suburbs, you would have noticed signs that read "William Flynn Highway" at every intersection.  Even today, many businesses and residences have their addresses listed as XXXX William Flynn Highway.  However, it's not William Flynn Highway, it is William FLINN Highway - and the gentleman who it is named for has a long and storied past in Pittsburgh's infrastructure history. William Flinn was born in England in 1851; however later that year, his family emigrated to the United States and would settle in Pittsburgh.  A 10-year-old school dropout, Flinn grew interested in politics and would join the Allegheny County Republican Party in 1877 as a ward commissioner and a seat on the Board of Fire Commissioners.  Flinn would serve in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives and Senate from 1877 to 1902. (1) Flinn along with James J. Booth would found the Booth and Flinn construction firm ...