June 7, 2024 – You’ve seen this Big Sur movie before. But it’s an amazing bit of cinematography that glows that much more with each re-viewing.
With Highway 1 to the north reopened to the public after months limited to resident and worker access, this moment is when we realize what we lost, and can embrace it with fresh eyes.
It returns with a new coffee shop, and renewed resolve around two fundamentals.
Ordained minister and South Coast ambassador Matt Glazer, GM at Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, has those pre-loaded.
“Right now it’s all about 1) restoring consumer confidence, and 2) encouraging conscientious travel,” he says.
He points out closures help reveal what we take for granted.
“We love Big Sur because of its nature and engineering,” he says. “That’s what people forget. Only with engineering is this possible.”
The engineering feat that is Bixby Bridge presents another helpful reminder, he adds: The bridge provides context and a conduit, but is not the main attraction.
“Going to Big Sur to take a picture of the bridge is like going to the Met to look at the frames,” he says. “Come, sit, be with nature. Get lost in it. Find discovery at other turnouts.”
The uneasy interplay of traffic and transcendence that defines the world-famous area receives thorough analysis with two recent pieces by my colleague Sara Rubin, including a June 2 essay titled, “Who and what is Highway 1 in Big Sur for? It depends on who you ask,” required reading for residents and interlopers alike.
“The balance isn’t easy,” she writes, “but…Big Sur is a resilient and adaptive community.”
Before Highway 1 was a thing, Hannah Newell’s grandpa used to walk to Big Sur—yes, walk—with Helmuth Deetjen. Now she receives guests at his namesake Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, down the hill from where she grew up.
So she’s experienced her share of South Coast resilience through repeat closings and openings.
“It’s nice to get a break,” she says. “It’s also nice to see new people happening upon Deetjen’s and discovering what they can only find here. It arouses all the senses. It’s a taste, a smell, a feeling—so many things—and like Big Sur itself, it’s totally unique.”
Plenty of authors have similarly attempted to do Big Sur justice, including Zen master Frederick Lenz, who said, “It’s one of the true power places in America.”
I channel that power here with photos found along two days and nights that help illustrate that Big Sur remains a place apart.
About the author
Mark C. Anderson, Edible Monterey Bay's managing editor, appears on "Friday Found Treasures" via KRML 94.7 every week, a little after 12pm noon. Reach him via mark@ediblemontereybay.com.
