There are a couple of challenges to deal with when shooting the Pfeiffer Arch up at Big Sur. First of all, the setting sun only streams through that arch a few weeks out of the year, generally from December through early January. Secondly, you need an evening where there is no fog and a clear sky right out to the horizon. Last Sunday, the forecast called for clear skies up North so I jumped in the Prius and headed off.
Having spent my entire life here in Southern California, I am used to a certain default amount of ugliness as everything generally turns brown around May and stays that way until Winter. But as I headed West on the 60, I found myself experiencing one of the most gorgeous mornings I had ever seen. The hills were just beginning to turn green due to our recent rain, and even Los Angeles could be considered beautiful, glistening in the golden morning sun, the scattered clouds reflected in the mirrored windows of the skyscrapers downtown.
As I drove out of Ventura on PCH my jaw hit the floor as I had never seen the Pacific Ocean that blue. Continuing North, the color of the water turned aqua as I drove through Cambria and San Simeon. As I glanced toward the coast, I noticed two huge bull elephant seals in an epic battle for dominance of that corner of the beach. As I pulled into Big Sur six hours later, I was all smiles as this day could not possibly get any better.
Right up until I reached the turn off for Pfeiffer Beach....and it was blocked with multiple signs across the road announcing that the beach was officially closed.
Frick.
Undettered, I parked the car determined to walk the two miles down to the beach if necessary. I had hauled my gear for 20 minutes or so when I noticed a couple cars full of smiling young people headed down to the beach...and they didn't return. As I was now dreading the hike back UP that road, I decided that I had to at least TRY to drive down closer to the beach as I had already passed at least a couple of spots to park. I walked quickly back to the car and drove past the barricades and found that not only was the road now open (it was closed due to mud slides three weeks earlier) but the parking area was open!
I still had some time to kill before the sun was due to stream through the arch, so I decided to explore the area a bit more this year. I remembered that an older photographer who had shot extensively in the Big Sur area told me that he preferred the view from up on the mountain behind the arch, so up I went. (Disclaimer: If you decide to shoot from there, stay FAR away from the edge of the bluff! Recent rains have made the cliff face very unstable and it looks like more could come down at any moment.)
I reached my spot at around 3:30, and then it was time to sit back and just enjoy that amazing view for the next hour or so, waiting for the sun to get low enough to stream through the arch. By 4:15 I was shooting from several spots along the bluff, being careful to stay away from the edge. By 5 PM, I was back in the car in an attempt to reach the McWay Falls before all the light was gone from the sky. Six hours after McWay Falls, I was pulling into my driveway. Even though it involved over 12 hours of driving, I'm already looking forward to my next attempt next year.
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