Cambria And San Simeon: A Respite From The Fresno Heat

Dale Matson

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Moonstone Beach Cambria CA

Ok, so we just had to get away from weeks of triple-digit-bad-air in Fresno so we headed to the central CA coast for a couple of days. It’s about 150 miles and 2.5 hours of driving to get to Cambria taking Highway 41 South and Highway 46 West to Highway One. It’s been about 5 years for me and I had forgotten the huge contrast.

Would Highway One be built today with all the environmental implications, lack of fresh water and frequent landslide closures? Probably not but that is a moot point since the buildings and infrastructure have been in place for years creating a lovely place to entice tourists.

We left Fresno where the temperature that day would reach 106 degrees and arrived in Cambria for lunch. We sat outside for lunch, needing to quickly find a place where we could sit in the sun to stay warm in the 63-degree weather. Much of the language around us was European. At our Fresno Costco most of the many languages are not European.

The rule of thumb is fog on the coast translates to heat in Fresno. And that is what we had much of the time. Note to self, ALWAYS bring a jacket to the coast. Our beach walks along Moonstone Beach required even more clothing than I brought with me. It was an onshore breeze and I was cold with long pants, a long-sleeved wool shirt and a hooded sweatshirt over that! I forgot to bring a hat and my face was bright red after one day. I am unaccustomed to noise of the surf which is continuous with alternating crescendos and pianissimos.  

After two occasions of walking (with our shoes off), Sharon sat down near more serious rock hounds and began sifting through the piles of pebbles for Moonstones. She used a Glucerna bottle from my travel breakfast for her rocks but the serious folks had two gallon pails. I eventually tired of sitting and watching and headed back to the motel for a nap.

Driving up the coast near Cambria is much different than the Monterey and Big Sur area where there are large cliffs along the ocean. I twice ran the Big Sur Marathon before it became so popular that they began using a lottery system.

We went past the Randolph Hearst Castle set far east of the highway on a hilltop. At one time Hearst owned 50 miles of oceanfront property. We took the tour years ago. There are still zebras on the fenced property not far from the highway.

There is an area near there where elephant seals congregate on the beach. They are impressive in size and noisy. They remind me of the fictional Jabba the Hutt from Star Wars.

Since I spend 95% of my “away” time in the mountains, it was quite a contrast to go from 11,053’ on top of Mammoth Mountain last week to 10’ below sea level at low tide on Moonstone Beach. It was also about 15 degrees warmer on top of Mammoth Mountain.

We were however, happy to be on the coast and liked being chilly for a spell. The air had an ocean scent to it but it was easy breathing air without the cumulative impurities the wind brings to the central valley. There is also the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite that is adding smoke to a vast area of central California. We had a great time and the salt water taffy tasted super. The central coast is popular with Fresno folks.

This was also a break from big cameras to only my Sony RX100m3. It is a great little camera that is also easy to video with. 

zebras   

   
Video Clips in addition to photos can be found on YouTube Here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owfXOhvX_iY

Day Hike To Tuttle Creek Ashram Near Mt. Whitney

Dale Matson

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Route

Wilderness permit for an overnight here: https://www.recreation.gov/entranceDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72203&entranceId=315548

For Background, hike particulars and more photos there is an excellent article here: https://modernhiker.com/hike/hike-to-the-tuttle-creek-ashram/

There are a few things about our hike that need discussing up front. We began our hike after 10:00 am. It was already over 80 degrees with a finish of 105 degrees! This was the hottest hike I have ever done and should have known better. There is little shade on this exposed trail along the canyon wall.

Driving on this road becomes increasingly difficult. Much of the road has a downhill camber. If you have a great off highway vehicle and a skilled driver, you will find a place for two vehicles at the trailhead. If you don’t, park further down! I have a Tahoe 4X4 and limited courage so I parked in an open spot about 7/10^th of a mile below the trailhead. It is supposed to be a mile to the Ashram from the trailhead. My Suunto Ambit 3 had our hike distance round trip at 3.7 miles with about 1,300’ of gain overall. My Garmin Map 64 had the distance at 4.7 miles. Normally, this would not be too difficult except for the extreme heat and times when the trail grade was above 15 percent. I appreciate the difficulty and dedication it took to get building supplies up there. But…I wanted to do this for the last 3 years and had the time and opportunity.

I have hiked up the other side of Tuttle Creek looking for the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep a few times so I was familiar with the terrain. The Tuttle Creek canyon is deep and the water is not accessible until you cross the footbridge not far from the Ashram. You can resupply there if you have a means to purify or filter the water. There is no water source at the Ashram itself.

The Ashram was never finished but the structure is well built and sturdy with poured concrete walls and ample roofing. The roof is not, however rain proof. It would be a good place to shelter if you were backpacking and a storm came up. You could pitch your tent inside the building. There is some evidence of disrespect but for the most part, folks have honored the place by leaving it as they found it.

One final note. There are some who use this trail as the beginning of an alternate approach to a summit of Mt. Langley. https://www.summitpost.org/tuttle-creek-to-mount-langley/314792

I used a Sony A7R3 with the 16-35 GM 2.8 lens and the Zeiss Batis 135 2.8. 

 Mt. Langley (14,026) Left Of Center

 Sharon And Marie With Mike Up Ahead

If You Look Carefully The Ashram Is Left Of Center

Trailhead Sign

 Tuttle Creek Waterfall

 Footbridge Across A Portion Of Tuttle Creek

 Our Hiking Companions Mike and Marie

 Inyo Mountains East Of The Trail

 Afternoon Clouds Typical Of The Sierra Nevada

 Parking Area By Trailhead-Most Should Not Drive This Far!