Last Spring Steve and I took Emma up the coast of California to explore our state. While I was planning our trip I came across an app called Roadtrippers. It’s an awesome site and I highly recommend you check it out if you’re planning a trip. I think it’s a great resource just to see if there are any hidden gems near where you live. It would really be a fun way to plan a couple of day trips.

Anyway, as I was planning our trip I found a lot of cool little secret places to see. For example we found the gum wall in San Luis Obispo. That’s right, all that stuff in the pic is chewed gun, disgusting and fabulous all at once.

We planned a stop in Big Sur that is referred to as the Sun Portal. We got there about an hour before sunset because apparently when the sun sets at ocean level it shines through a hole in a rock formation. It’s supposed to be beautiful. So, we took an unmarked road down to the coast. It’s about 2 miles and odd enough to make you ask yourself if you’re on the right road or not. Then all of the sudden a National Park’s gate with a ranger is there and you pay a few bucks to get in. It’s just like a totally legit park. It’s a weird experience. Then we walked on a little path surrounded by pine trees and other really lush trees. there was a creek next to the path and a lot of foliage that made us feel we were going on a forrest hike. Then, what?! The trees opened into this wide beach that felt so weird, and the light was a totally different quality I’ve not seen before. I’m sure I was acting like a weirdo but I couldn’t help myself. I was amazed, I felt like I just walked into heaven. It was surreal. This first picture is not blown out it was really that white.

I’m sure those of you who live where there is fog think this is perfectly normal. I’m such a so cal girl and our foggy beaches don’t really get this socked in. It was really cool .

As we walked across the flat wide beach we could see the portal in the rocks. We watched waves splash through it and took videos and pictures of it. After a while it seemed clear there were not going to be rays coming through the portal on this foggy day.

We still had a lot of fun exploring the beach and taking pictures of seaweed and birds and of each other.

Then, all of a sudden the sun broke through and we were sure it was going to happen! But then it just became socked in again.

So we went back to taking pictures of each other. Why waste such beautiful light? Here are a few of us together just enjoying whatever happens.

So, that was us at the Sun Portal. Emma had the chance to use the Diana camera and practice loading her film. We never saw the sun break through the portal but we really had fun anyway seeing something we hadn’t ever seen before.