This summer was a whirlwind to say the least! We began the year planning to head out to California for an elopement in Sequoia (check it out here) and we have talked about getting a van for our driving travels for years! We decided this was the year, we were going to get a cargo van and renovate it for our trip. Easier said than done. haha! Luckily, we finally found the perfect van just 15 days before we had to leave.

So we converted a completely bare cargo van in just 15 days with the help of some family members and then took off for a 4 week adventure! It was wild, crazy, and a trip we will never forget and can’t wait to do again!! We spent a few days exploring Big Sur. We camped in the Pfeiffer Big Sur Campground and woke up for sunrise at Pfeiffer Beach. Which was one of the highlights of our trip. We had the beach to ourselves and watched the sun peak over the mountains! So hopefully one of these days we are going to make a full construction video of our process whenever life slows down a bit.

After the elopement, we had a few sessions planned along the Pacific Coast Highway and our first stop was in and around Big Sur with a little adventure with the Tarango family. We’ve known Mandy for years and she was actually one of our first destination clients. She is the most beautiful soul and we loved seeing her and her adorable family! We met them at their hotel in Big Sur and started in the creek behind the Inn. With the soothing sound of the water,  Jason fell sound asleep. Dotted along the creek were chairs you could relax in while soaking your feet in the water. We laid him down in one (he could not roll out promise) and it was so precious!

We left the river and headed north on HWY 1 about 8 miles to a secluded beach. It was the most perfect setting to catch the sunset dip below the Pacific horizon. Big Sur has been a place we have visited several times but only in passing. It was a dream to be able to spend some quality time in the area and see all the hidden gems this tiny piece of the coast has to offer. Unfortunately we were nearly out of gas as we left and had to put a few gallons in the van. It was only $4.78 a gallon. AHHHH! Totally worth it!

There will be tons more from our Big Sur adventure. You won’t want to miss them so stay tuned because we will be blogging them soon throughout the winter!