Julie Pfeifer State Park

Place Details: Julie Pfeifer State Park campground in California. Also known as Big Sur Campground, very close to Monterey Bay. 

Time of the year: September/October, close to the end of summer.

Preparation: Went out with my wife, and this was our first overnight camping trip together. Incidentally it was an impulsive decision to go for camping, since we had recently bought some sleeping bags from Costco. However, we wanted to make sure we were covered from all angles and so we spent around 1 day making a checklist and collecting the items we had to carry. Here is the list from first-timer campers perspective.

1. Coleman Evanston Screened 4-Person Tent (see picture below)
2. Sleeping bags, bought from Costco
3. Coleman propane gas grill & gas cylinders
4. Camping chairs
5. Battery operated night lamp
6. Flashlights
7. Jungle knife (did not get a chance to use this)
8. Mosquito repellent
9. Snacks & Power Bars, fruits and cup noodles
10. Lots & Lots of drinking water
11. iPad mini with movies (there was no mobile network there)
12. Board-game & books - we forgot, but I highly recommend Scrabble 
13. Sporty & carefree attitude!!

Overall Experience: We drove on Friday afternoon from San Jose. It was pretty okay drive till we reached Monterey Bay. Once you reach that area you would experience endless vista points with amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and pretty Europe-like sceneries. You can find a few pics below... it was much better than captured by mere iPhone camera.

Campsite

We booked a camping site that was right next to the river. Initially it seemed just about okay however it all changed in the middle of the night, as it was an utter bliss sleeping with river water hush and trees rustling sounds. Trust me, I can't put that in words - it was simply amazing. 

Unfortunately we didn't put the camp in the right place, realized it when we packed it that it was on a slope which led to bad backache for both me and my wife. 

Green & Blue Ocean, separated by volcanic rocks

We planned for trekking, however on the site we decided to chuck the idea of walking and instead decided to just soak our feet in the river. We put our camping chairs (which we keep perennially in the truck of our car) right in the middle of this stream and had pretty good time with our feet soaked in this freezing water while relaxing on camping chairs. 

Where the sky meets the Ocean

It got dark pretty soon, and here dark means pitch black. No street lights or anything... people were using their car headlamps or nightlight lanterns to avoid any accidents. But no lights means you get an amazing view of the night sky.

Surprisingly there was a decent grocery store (open between 1pm and 8pm), laundry area and more so surprisingly a very well maintained bathroom/toilet.

Dos:

• Make/take dinner before it turns dark
• Lots of mosquitos - take some repellent without fail
• Take a telescope and immerse in the night sky
• Journey is more important than destination, and no matter which side you come from the Pacific ocean gives you amazing views and sceneries to capture
• If traveling near the end of summer, do take a warm blanket along. It gets chilly in the night
• There are couple of waterfalls and trekking areas outside the campground - within 15miles - you might wanna try those as well. 

Water fall @ the Ocean

Don'ts:

• Don't take scented items - creams, lotions, perfumes - as it attracts more mosquitos
• Very strict rules with check-out timings, don't delay the pack-up
• Don't forget the flashlights... it's pitch dark in the night
• Don't rush to leave. We stayed there only for a night, but I would love to go back and spend at least 2-3 night there.
• Don't wait to book. If you wish to go, then book a campsite and just plan accordingly.

Local Favorites: We stopped at a small town right outside the limits of Carmel River State Beach to grab some coffee. Pretty nice Starbucks out there, but coffee is as bad as anywhere else. Other places which we would highly recommend are:

1. Island Taco - Pretty nice food. Very unconventional Mexican food.
2. R.G Burgers - It's very famous, however I found it just about okay. I took veggie, but I am sure other burgers must be better. The hot-dog looked really awesome.
3. Weber Goldsmith Gallery - Fine jewelry shop @ Crossroads. Exquisite collection.
4. Nothing Bundt Cake - we know it's a chain, but the carrot cake was really awesome.

Key Takeaways:

1. Book a campsite in advance
2. Good place for big and small families, we saw children enjoying bath in the river and adults like us enjoying cycling & small strolls. 
3. Prepare well and enjoy nature at it's best - river, trees, ocean, waterfall, night-sky etc
4. If you go in a group of 6-8 friends, you could literally do a campfire cum dance party. Put on some music on the car audio (no music after 10pm though), drink some beer, take someone's hand and go dancing.
5. Respect the Campsite regulations & enjoy nature