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Wildlife
in San Simeon
Once
thought extinct, Elephant Seals have made a
resounding comeback. Go the to scene of some real
wildlife excitement. Hearst would have loved it,
right there in his front yard!
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Cambria
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Andrew
Molera State Park
– Big
Sur EcoGuide to California Central Coast
Molera
State Park is a mostly wide open, wind-swept canvas
where the Big Sur River runs wild to the
sea.
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Photo
by Margie Whitnah
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Seven
and a half square miles of wilderness, 21
miles south of Carmel, along the ocean,
into the mountains, and complete with a
wild and scenic river – Andrew Molera
State Park is a great favorite for outdoor
enthusiasts.
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A
variety of interesting trails, most with
incredible views, and a 24-site walk-in
campground make Molera an engaging place
to stay awhile.
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The
State Park Service is restoring native
grasses to reclaim a major aspect of the
park from its dairy farming past. And the
old pioneer home is now headquarters to
the Molera Cultural and Natural History
Center. The “creamery” – a grazing field
for Molera’s cows – is being restored to
its native state. The dairy was home to
the first large commercial production of
Monterey Jack Cheese.
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Wild sweetpeas
(right) make their appearance in the
spring in Big Sur.
Photo
by Margie Whitnah
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There
are scenes in all directions worthy of
contemplation, or serious artistic endeavors.
… such as a long beach with a connoisseur’s
collection of driftwood.
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Elizabeth
Barrat, in the Monterey Herald, wrote:
“You’ll
encounter massive, jumbled piles of silvery-blonde,
storm-polished driftwood. For two miles along the
shoreline, besides the pounding surf and
wind-sculpted scenery, you’ll find an endless
assortment of whimsically artistic beach shelters,
some well-engineered, created from the poles of
trees, lumber, branches, logs, and other flotsam
brought in with the winter’s winds and
waves.
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Pico
Blanco from the mouth
of Big Sur River. A 600 million ton chunk of
white gray marble that migrated from Mexico
presides over the Molera park. It is the
dominant feature of the north westernmost
portion of the Santa Lucias.
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Ohlones
believed Coyote, the Creator of people and
other creatures, resided here.
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Pico
Blanco,
Spanish for White Peak, with its 3,701 ft.
is privately owned. An effort by the
owners to quarry the marble has been
stalled by environmentalists efforts to
prevent it. Now, there is strong hope that
Pico Blanco will be added to Ventana
Wilderness.
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Molera’s
trail system is popular for bicyclists, horse
riders, joggers and hikers. There are 20 trails,
and a good map can be obtained at the entrance
kiosk in the parking lot off Hwy One, or at the
Big Sur Station just south of Pfeiffer Big Sur
State Park.
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Camping at Molera
is available for a limited number of campers
– see Molera
Trail Camp
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Old
Coast Road
begins at the
northern end of Bixby Bridge, goes along the
eastern slope of the canyon and into the Big Sur
backwoods. Along the way groves of sycamore and
redwoods congregate along streams.
Bold
views of the Santa Lucias, vignette scenes of
remote ranches, and Pacific panoramics are plenty.
The crowning achievement is when the breathtaking
convergence of Big Sur River and Pacific Ocean
occur at Molera State Park.
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Past
the sandbar with the driftwood junkyard, the Big Sur River
makes a lagoon for birds.
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