Well rested and fed after our Thanksgiving feast, today was all about soaking up as much of the majestic Big Sur coast as possible. With just less than 30 miles to ride to the next camp, we took lots of opportunities to stop, enjoy the views, take short walks, and appreciate the ecology of the area. Some riders were immediately struck by the similarities to Catalina. With hillsides smattered in coastal sage, California fuscia, Indian paintbrush, monkey flower, and lupine, many of the native plant communities appeared very familiar. Another similar feature was the presence of dominant invasive species. Fennel is one of the most widespread on the island, and although we’ve seen plenty, pampas grass fills the role in Big Sur. Every eroded slope we passed bristled with their plumed seed heads; a constant reminder of the pressure exotic species exert on native ecosystems.
A state symbol of changing habitats and communities can also be found along this stretch; the California condor. Once reduced to fewer than 10 individuals, their numbers have grown to 300 with the efforts of the California Condor Recovery Project. While still very endangered, this is one of four regions they inhabit, the others being Inland Ventura, the Grand Canyon, and northern Baja. Currently, the biggest threats to their survival are loss of habitat to development and lead poisoning from unrecovered game animals shot by hunters.
Only a couple of us were lucky enough to glimpse one today, but we were all treated to dramatic bluffs, a windswept ocean, and multiple rainbows through the isolated drizzles before arriving at our cliff side campsite.
Miles traveled today: 28
Written by: Jacob Scheidler
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