Olivia and I have been close friends for years and live across the country from each other, so we decided to meet in central California for a little reunion. We intended to leave all our worries behind for a week, which was well deserved. We went a couple of months after the holidays, and needed to relieve some of our built-up stress. We wanted to indulge ourselves in the beauty of all the parks in the area. In this photo, we are at Pfeiffer Big Sur state park, watching the seals play on the shoreline. We both lived in states that have brutal winters, so we were soaking in the sun every moment we could.
Next on our list was traveling highway 1 to see Big Sur. This is Bigsby Bridge, a famous area for photography. We drove across the coast for hours, stopping whenever we pleased, listening to good music, and sharing even better company. The smell of salt water filled our lungs, and without realizing it we were making memories we would never forget. The highway was closed after about 60 miles, so we found a waterfall to hike to and turned back.
One of our must-see adventures was finding old-growth redwoods. We wanted to be surrounded by some of the oldest and largest organisms and the world. We went to The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park and found more than we could have ever imagined. The trees were massive, creating an oasis in the middle of a small town. We found banana slugs everywhere, babbling brooks creating an incredible background noise, and got to hug some of the biggest trees we’ll ever witness! We talked about our dreams and aspirations while walking through one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.
We wanted to understand some of the culture in the area, so we stopped in Santa Cruz and found an amazing beach. The clouds were rolling in over the mountains while the surf crashed onto the rocky beach. Olivia and I only get to see each other once a year, so we tried to catch up as much as we could on this trip. On this particular day, I only remember smiles, laughter, and being grateful that I had someone to travel with me.
Our last stop of the trip was Monterey Bay. We kayaked through a slough, where seals and otters sunbathed all around us. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip, as we got to see some of the cutest wildlife right next to our kayaks. We also stopped at the aquarium and had dinner on the pier, planning the next time we could have a trip as fantastic as this one.
The Traveling Ecologist 
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