We took the coast highway to Big Sur where we camped in Pfeiffer State Park among the giant redwoods.

This is somewhat of an anniversary for us since we had stayed in one of the park’s cabins early in our relationship. We hiked the harrowing “Ridge Trail” where Joanne almost turned to jello, and Mitch held on tight to a leashed, spirited dog. Its one thing to be afraid of heights but another to be on the ledge overlooking the abyss. Too scared to take pics of this hike, so here’s one from much lower elevation.

We also stopped by the iconic Nepenthe.

Later we made a visit to  the New Camaldoli Hermitage, a Benedictine Monastery that rests two vertical miles above the Pacific Coast. For more info on Camaldoli see Mitch’s cousin Ann Louise Bardach’s piece in last Sunday’s N.Y.Times T-Magazine section- The Stunning, Sacred Retreats of California. http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/04/the-stunning-sacred-retreats-of-california/?hpw&_r=0