Unfortunately winter days are relatively short and we still had a lot of distance to cover. We continued following Highway 1 north, only briefly stopping at some of the overlooks.
Our original intention had been to spend some time at Big Sur, but it was still mostly closed due to heavy rains.
Rock- and mudslides often cause trouble along this highway.
Willow Creek Picnic Area view point
The beach at the mouth of Willow Creek .... and many sea birds!
Various seaguls and even a brown pelican
Highway 1 as it passes over Willow Creek and the road down to the beach...
.. and driving over it
Passing through the Rain Rocks Rock Shed, which allows loose rocks and boulders to continue to fall without damaging the road or passing cars, while still allowing nature to take its course
Big Creek Cove Vista Point
Looking north towards Big Creek Bridge
An info sign shows the building of the impressive highway. Construction began in 1922, but most of the work took place during the Great Depression (1929 - 39) under President Roosevelt's New Deal public works project. Convicts from San Quentin and Folsom state prisons were often used for unskilled labor. This was seen as a solution to overcrowding but also as a way of rehabilitating first-time offenders. Because of frequent landslides and poor weather, building the road was dangerous, time consuming and very expensive.
Many of the original 31 bridges have been replaced. Seven concrete ones, however, still remain... including this one at Big Creek.
