RAGGED POINT, Calif. (CN) — During a trip to Big Sur 20 years ago with my wife and another couple, we parked near the trail leading to Salmon Creek Falls when an eccentric character exited his old RV and introduced himself as “Doc.”
After some chatting, Doc invited us to see the inside of his rig, which included several interesting knickknacks and an organ. He only knew how to play a few songs, though, so, on a sunny spring day, we watched Doc joyously belt out a boisterous version of “Jingle Bell Rock” in his home on wheels.
You’ll meet all kinds in Big Sur, which has long drawn its share of hippies, foreign tourists, writers, celebrities, weirdos, bikers and more. The highlight of California’s Highway 1, Big Sur encompasses a 90-mile trek from Carmel on the far north to San Simeon in the south.
“It’s one of the great drives in the world,” said Jim Ramey, who grew up in Ragged Point and is the co-owner of the Ragged Point Inn and Resort.
The need for a highway through Big Sur had been discussed in the late 19th century. And when construction finally began in 1919, creating a highway along the steep and rugged terrain represented a daunting task.
“In modern times, it would be a challenge,” said Kevin Drabinsky, a Caltrans public information officer.
With loads of dynamite and labor provided by San Quentin inmates and locals that included novelist John Steinbeck, the road opened for traffic in 1937. As seen in movies, calendars and old Rand McNally atlas covers, the area is stunning, featuring snaking roads, rocky coastline, redwood trees, waterfalls and expansive ocean views.
Need to get away for a while? This is the place — made clear as soon as your cellphone reception gives out.
“The rest of the world kind of falls away,” Drabinsky said.
But traveling the entire stretch of winding, narrow, mountainous roadway can be both nauseating and exhausting. And, due to heavy winter rains, Drabinsky said, it hasn’t even been possible since January, when mudslides forced multiple closures that have required extensive cleanup and repairs.
Luckily, the south end of Big Sur opened up after a month of closure in February, so those traveling from the south can get a quick taste of Big Sur — without the need for Dramamine.
“You get the full Big Sur Coast experience,” Drabinsky said.
In the 1950s. carnival owners Monte and Gladys Young operated a small snack bar and gas station at Ragged Point. In 1961, Wiley Ramey, of Coalinga, California, was pumping gas there during a getaway when he met Monte, then 82.
Ramey, who sold gasoline to farmers in the Central Valley, offered to buy the land. And soon he and his wife were living and working there while raising three children.
“It was lonely because we were really isolated in those says,” said Jim Ramey, who was six years old when his family moved to Ragged Point.
Today the site features a small complex, still run by the Ramey family, that includes a hotel, restaurant, gift shop and snack stand — along with incredible views of 600-foot cliffs bordered by the Pacific Ocean.
“The views and ambience are as good as it gets,” Ramey said.
When I first wrote about this place 20 years ago, I talked to multiple visitors, including one who traveled from an hour away, a man from New Jersey and a woman from Denmark. I also talked with a guy called Brother John, an artist who ran a small jewelry shop there.
“Probably every movie star you can think of has been through here,” said Brother John, a.k.a. John Mehan, whose resemblance to writer Ernest Hemingway prompted many visitors to request photos with him.
Mehan, who died in 2011, was a kind curmudgeon with a select list of art clients.
“He had to like you to make you something,” Ramey said.
Characters like Mehan are typical of Big Sur locals, Ramey said. But on a typical day, you’ll see a range of visitors.
“You’ll see a Volkswagen mini bus and a Ferrari behind it,” Ramey said.
His business took a hit when the winter mudslides closed sections of Highway 1 both to the north and south of the inn, cutting off access to electricity and food.
“We were kind of trapped,” Ramey said. “You feel a lot like you’re in jail.”
Locals like Ramey helped neighbors get through the crisis, Drabinsky said.
“The community at Ragged Point was heroic this past winter,” he said.
During a drive to Ragged Point in June, there were few visitors, most motorists likely deterred by signs alerting them to continued Highway 1 closures. Several Corvette enthusiasts weren’t fazed, though, as proven by a minor ‘Vette rally parked on the inn’s lawn.
While the Ragged Point Inn complex offers a quick and accessible way to take in the Big Sur magic, a short drive north offers more rewards. So I drove three miles to the Salmon Creek Trail, which leads to the main attraction, Salmon Creek Falls. While Pfeiffer Falls, which famously empties into the ocean, is the most recognizable Big Sur waterfall, Salmon Creek Falls is actually bigger (120 feet verses 80). And it’s just a short hike from the parking spaces near the trail.
Because of the wet winter, the waterfall was roaring with activity, creating excellent photograph opportunities.
That same winter, of course, caused problems for Highway 1. Rain makes the soil both heavy and slippery, Drabinsky said. And combined with steep terrain, that water leads to massive mudslides.
Caltrans is still clearing the highway — and will have a better idea when the entire Big Sur highway will be open in mid-July, Drabinsky said — but I was happy to end the day at the falls.
As I hiked away from Salmon Creek Trail, camera in tow, I thought again about Doc, who told us he had traveled across the country to see Big Sur one last time.
He’d been here once, in the 1960s, he said, and had always longed to see it again. So he packed his RV, crammed an old organ inside, and set off from the East Coast, eventually making it to California several weeks later despite suffering a stroke along the way.
I’m not sure what became of Doc, but no matter how many times I’ve been to this place, I always heed his advice:
You can’t just drive through Big Sur; You have to stop and take in its splendor.
While growing up in Ragged Point was lonely for a young Ramey, as an adult, he’s well aware of that splendor.
“I love it,” he said. “It’s in my blood. It’s in my soul.”
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