We stayed at site #107 this time in the south camp sites loop.  107 was great because it was close to the restrooms, a short walk to the camp store, and backed up to an open field, which would have been great for seeing the stars, but still turned out to be a good place to throw a frisbee.

Site #107 at Pfeiffer Big Sur

This time we explored a little outside Pfeiffer and went hiking at Andrew Molera State Park so we could get down to the beach, but also to check it out as a future camping option.  The sites at Molera are right off the parking lot, leaving much to be desired in terms of ambiance, shade, or any kind of camp store to buy food, drinks, or whatever small items you forgot to pack.  As for the hike, it was a very flat and easy walk through a coastal meadow where we spotted several deer, and then through a small patch of trees and out to the beach.  Much of the trail is also used by a company that does horseback rides to the beach, so watch your step.  I would not advise the horseback riding unless you have never been on a horse before and this may be your only chance.  It looked to be your no frills trail ride with the nose of your horse nearly touching the rear of the horse in front of you.  Abandon any thoughts of a free spirited ride through the sand.  We did enjoy the beach though and had lunch there before heading back to the car.

Several deer on our way to the beach at Andrew Molera State Park

A large piece of driftwood where we ate lunch at Molera Beach

We still enjoyed the hike down to the beach and it was easy enough that we did not get a single complaint from the 4 year old.  I just don’t think we will camp at Andrew Molera, though camping at Pfeiffer allows you to enter Molera without having to pay the day use fee and we will definitely be back to Pfeiffer.

Another favorite of ours is the Bixby Canyon Bridge and we got out to have a look this time.  Don’t forget to play the Death Cab For Cutie song by the same name as you drive over.

Not a bad shot considering the camera was on a timer and balanced on a rock

Paris amongst the trees

Part of the appeal of Big Sur is the variety of the terrain.  You are right near the ocean, have areas of redwood and sequoia groves and then more open areas as you start to head up the hills.  This means that there can also be quite a difference from camp site to camp site.  We were at site 177 which was mostly out in the open, but had just enough shade to keep our tent from turning into a sauna.  The site was tent only and had a fire ring and picnic table.  Site 177 was also very close to the adjacent sites.  We lucked out on one neighbor and got to enjoy some pretty good campfire guitar, but we could have probably done without the others.  Take a good look at the map and see how close the sites are when booking.  One plus side was we were close to the restrooms which were generally in good shape.  Some of the restrooms also have showers–ours did not.

The Big Sur river winds through the camp and there are many sites on the river.  If you can get one, grab it.  The river is mostly shallow and slow and kids seemed to have a lot of fun playing in the water.

The Big Sur River winds through the camp

The lodge near the entrance to the park has a great store for souvenirs and supplies.  There is also a coffee shop there, a restaurant, and wi-fi.  There is a second store that was near our site that was open fewer hours and had less of a selection, but was convenient to be close to.  Both stores sell firewood at $7 per bundle.

In the morning we headed off on a hike to check out Pfeiffer Falls.  The shortest trail to the falls was closed for repairs from the fire damage, but we were able to get there by way of the Valley View trail.  On the hike we encountered several charred trees from the fire, but for the most part everything is still in really good shape.  We did encounter several deer on the hike and that was a high point for Paris.

We ran into several deer on the trails

Arriving at the falls was a bit underwhelming–just don’t expect Yosemite, but Paris was impressed.  On the way back, we did hit the rest of the Valley View trail and the view at the top was well worth the steep climb.  Hitting both the falls and the lookout point made for about a 2 mile roundtrip with some uphill trails, but Paris at age 4 was able to handle it with minimal complaints.

It was a short trip, but we already have a return scheduled in August for the Perseid meteor shower.

The view from the top of the Valley View trail

Paris in front of the new tent

My old Coleman 4 person dome tent was pretty much done in by a week of Tijuana sun and wind while building houses a couple years ago and then suffered the final death blow Father’s Day weekend last year.  In looking at new tents, I knew I needed to go bigger as there was no way 4 of me were fitting in that Coleman.  It seemed to me that when kids are involved, a good rule of thumb for tent size is to double the size of your family.  I was looking for an 8 person tent.  Some of the comparison shopping was done away with when Jenny and the girls bought me the Kelty Ridgeway for my birthday after I had been checking it out at Costco.  As a gift, I am not certain what the price was, but I believe they can be had for around $160.  The tent consists of two rooms and the front room can be used as a screened “porch” or zipped up for full privacy.  The back room has pop out windows on each side which give a little extra room.  Since the maiden voyage was going to be Father’s Day weekend 2009 with just myself and Paris, I did a test setup at home in the yard to make sure it could be done by myself with minimal assistance from an eager 4 year old.  Setup was easy.  The back room has two long crossing fiberglass polls anchored at the corners.  For the front room, there is one fiberglass poll over the doorway that connects to a metal poll on each side that anchors at the same spot as the fronts of the fiberglass polls for the back room.  There are also 2 small fiberglass sticks, one for each of the popout windows.  I really liked the spaciousness of the tent.  Paris and I felt like we had a ton of room, but I could see it being just right for the whole family of 4.  At 6’4″ I was able to fully stand up in the back room, which was nice.  There is a loop at the top for hanging a lantern, or there is a mesh square that can be attached up high and form a shelf to store small items in a handy location.  Paris and I kept our packs and a few items in the front room and slept in the back.  In the future, I would see Jenny and I in the back and the kids in the front room.  A large portion of the ceiling is mesh so that without the rain fly you have a great view of the stars.  Take down was as easy as setup and the most amazing thing for me was that the tent and accessories actually fit pretty easily into the bag they came in.  On many other tents I have found that you have to roll everything so tight to even have a chance at getting it back into the bag and even then it was about as easy as getting toothpaste back in the tube.  As far as complaints, the only one I have noticed so far is that it is difficult to get the rain fly on, particularly if doing it by yourself.  The same great height on the inside means you have to throw it over the top on the outside and hope there is no breeze while trying to do this.  As mentioned earlier, I am fairly tall, so shorter campers make sure you have help.  You can also definitely tell that this is an economically priced tent and is not meant to compete with the top of the line at REI.  That said, if you are looking for a reasonably priced tent that is easy to set up and large enough to comfortably handle a family of 4, this tent is a good choice.