Last week I shared some of my images from our hike that started at the side of Highway 1 and ended at Gerstle Cove. There is, of course, an easier way to get to the cove; if you’d rather drive than hike and don’t mind paying the fee, the access road from the highway leads directly to the day use area. But it would be a real shame to miss this beautiful woodland, with its bubbling creek and bounty of ferns and moss. It was so amazing that I was almost sorry to come out into the clearing — however, my disappointment vanished when I got a look at the ocean.

Above the creek