Big Sur

Rating:
I can't give you a privacy or crowded rating because it really depends where you go in Big Sur. There is so much to do and see from the state beaches to the state parks and rivers. The campground we stayed at was perfect for kids and had great bathrooms, showers and a laundry room.

Big Sur is probably one of the most beautiful places I have been too. The campground we stayed at is also my favorite campground I've every stayed out. It is just perfect for families. It's quant, quiet, there is stuff to do and they have great facilities! We stayed at the Big Sur Campground and Cabins.

We had RV site #2 and our friends had tent site 89. They were across from eachother and they were amazing sites. I think ours was the best most private site in the campground. You wouldn't know it on the map, but it was. It had a view of the river and it was near the store that served free coffee and ice cream for a dollar all day long.

There is SO much to do in Big Sur! My favorite places are Point Lobos and Pfiefer Beach. On our trip we played hard...

Saw some beautiful scenery...

Did some hiking...

and climbing...

Yes, that is my child in his underwear climbing that cliff. Typical little C!

Had some good food...

Played...

and got dirty...

I just love my girl and her daddy! Just had to put this one in too.

It was a great vacation, an awesome place to camp!

Kristen

Poison Oak

If you have wondered how bad Poison Oak really is, I can assure you that it is extremely bad! It is the most miserable thing ever! It didn't take me long to figure out that I would rather give birth naturally 10 more times then have poison oak once more.

Remember that wonderful hike in Black Star Canyon? Well, it is a wonderful hike, but I have a nice warning posted across the top of that post about poison oak because there really is a ton of it. Even if you know what it looks like very well, like I do and even if you are pointing it out to everyone in your group, like I did, you still might not be able to avoid it, like I didn't. I ended up with poison oak all over my body except where by underwear covers and the back of my shirt. You can see on my legs where the oil transferred from one to the other that night at dinner when I crossed my legs before I went home and showered. 

Here is something funny... I thought I was immune because I had never gotten it before. Here is something else funny, the first time we went on the hike, I was wearing pants and I had this terrible rash all over my arms that appeared about a day and a half after the hike. I never connected it that it was poison oak. Didn't know that much about it. Well, when I got the exact same rash about 12 hours after the second time we went on the hike it took me 4 days into it to say, hum... I think this might be poison oak. Then I learned everything there is to learn about it, including don't take a hot shower after you touch it because that opens up your pours and helps the oil seep more into your skin. The first shower should be cold. Too bad I took a HOT shower that night.

Yes, I had poison oak. It's basically and incredibly itchy, can be painful, irritating bubbly, oozy rash. This rash usually last 1-3 weeks and in some extreme cases up to 6 weeks. On day 15 I felt noticeably better. I could finally wear clothes and I was able to go about 5 hours without a burning hot shower to ease the itch. The first week I stayed home in my underwear because if even the softest clothing item touched one of my spots it felt like sand paper rubbing my body. By week yesterday was the first day I finally put on jeans. I think that was week 4. I am still itching and you can still see red in my skin, but I am no longer swollen, bubbly and oozy. I was so swollen on one leg that it was a whole pant size bigger then the other. I looked so terrible my husband couldn't even believe it. Here is a picture that is when the rash isn't so bad.

The line above got bigger and below, the entire leg got red and swollen.

Here are some tips for poison oak:
1. Wash immediately with cold water. - 1st shower!
2. Extremely HOT showers or microwaved wet wash cloths give relief for an hour or two.
3. When hiking where poison oak is unavoidable, wear long sleeves and pants. Wash your clothes 2 times immediately after you arrive home.
4. Nothing else really helps.

But don't let a little poison oak stop you from enjoying those beautiful hikes.

Black Star Canyon Waterfall Part 2

Warning: Poison Oak - tons!

We did it! We went back to Black Star Canyon, this time with bikes for the road part of the hike and we made it to the falls. It sure felt good and boy was it worth it. Isn't it beautiful?

Once you get to the stream, you follow it up. At first it's not too bad, but then you start climbing over big rocks and over or around little waterfalls. Here is our first one.

And another picture worthy waterfall. Too bad we are blocking the view for you.

Then a few more till you get to this beauty. This picture is a bit blurry because Mr. C was trying to do the slow shutter thing.

Here I am trying to figure out if I can easily get up to that old mining hole. Nope, didn't make it. I would have had to get too wet and it was a bit cold.

Some kids that were there the same time as us put up this hiker log a couple weeks before. We added our names.

Snack break.

Remember from the first time we went to Black Star Canyon, all the weird things we saw on the trail? Well, here is another. I love this picture. It's so... Vintage I guess. It is just so pretty to me.

If you decide to go on this hike, please bring a little trash bag with you and maybe pick up a few pieces of trash on your way. It really was sad how much trash there was on the hike. We picked up what was clean enough to put in our bag, but we could have taken a lot more if we had a small trash bag. 

For the details on this hike, go here.

Black Star Canyon Waterfall

Privacy: SD
Kids: YA
Beauty: B
Difficulty: S
Warning: Poison Oak - tons!

If you go on this hike, please bring a trash bag with you and pick up a few pieces. The amount of litter was SO sad!

I love hiking and I love waterfalls even more. Every hike we go on, I first look for a waterfall. If there isn't a waterfall then, I look for a stream that we can at least get a little wet in if it gets hot. Either way, I am happiest when there is water along the hike. We set you to go to Holy Jim Falls this morning, but we have been there so Mr. C decided to look up any other good hikes in Orange County and he found Black Star Canyon Waterfall. It seems to be a pretty well kept secret in Orange County, but it is an amazing waterfall in Irvine, Orange County. Too bad we didn't find it on the first try today. We will be going again with our bikes because before you get to the hike part of the trail, you walk along a long gravel then dirt road that passes through some private property.

This part of the trail is quite long and I don't particularly like "hiking" along a road.

We thought we would take our bikes through this part and lock them up when we get to the trail entrance.

We did see some wild life on the way.

Along the way we also saw some old vehicles and things...

Even though you are walking along a road, you can see the stream the entire way. It's actually pretty flowing especially for Orange County.

We stopped and had a pic-nic right on the stream. There are a few parts that you can actually get to it.

To find the trail entrance, you have to really be looking for it. You will pass some private property, it's actually a ranch with an electric fence and some more private property until you get to a little mobile home with a huge yard and a little miniature golf type putting green. When you pass that house you will find a little trail that takes you down to the stream. Follow that DOWN to the stream, not up into the mountains. We went up first. Pretty, but not the hike we were looking for.

It was a good adventure. After a little climb, we thought this might be the waterfall. But when we got closer, it was just a trickle and too hard to get to with the kids.

Anyway, once you get to the stream, you will follow that up and scramble back and forth and over and around rocks and boulders until you get to the falls. There are several tiers of falls that you can go up until you reach the double falls. Part of the falls has water rushing out of an old mine shaft. The other part is a normal natural falls where the water is rushing over the mountain.


Following the stream up is key, otherwise you may not find it. You can follow the road a ways and get to the top somehow. But we were after the swimming.

In short, Blackstar canyon had a lot to see, some water and gave us some good exersize. It was private once you got to the stream, we also hiked on a week day. But we did find maybe about half a dozen pieces of trash to pick up along the way.