Purple Sand of Pfiffer Beach - Big Sur, California
I lived on the Central Coast of California for nearly 3 decades and I didn't find out about the purple sand on Pfiffer Beach until I moved away. How is that possible?! The revelation came through a Facebook post by my friend, Brian Mack. I let out an audible gasp when I saw his pictures...they were A. MAZ. ING!!! I already had a trip up north planned so I contacted Brian to see if he would take me to the spot because I simply had to see it with my own eyes. He agreed.
After driving a good part of the day, I picked up Brian and we flew down Hwy. 1 and got to Pfiffer just as the sun was setting. This beach is also the home of the iconic Keyhole Rock (look up some pics of that...mine weren't great) but we ran right past it to get to this marvelous purple sand. Seems like I am always running when I'm with Brian for one reason or another. :D
I probably have over posted here but I was completely mesmerized and I hope you are too.
I got this shot as I was running down the beach trying to catch up with Brian. I had no idea it was going to get better and better as we went. Notice the extra bonus of the footprints...I got a little toe action going there...fun!
The color of the sand comes from manganese garnet in the rocks above the beach. The deposits run down in the creeks from the mountains above and out to the ocean.
Here is one of the rivulets in action. The pattern that the moving water leaves behind looks like a spine to me. And look at that deep green colored rock!!!
Nature's collage.
This is perhaps an overzealous editing job but, a girl's gotta play, you know? I was experimenting with the color saturation and trying out some soft focus. One of my favorite things is the bubbles congregating in various places along the bottom of the picture.
I wanted you to see how the mountains meet the sea and the garnet filled creek becoming one with the tide. If you are ever in this area of the world, I highly recommend you check out Pfiffer Beach...it would make for a perfect ending to anyone's day.
Some of you know that I concoct patterns out of my photos and sometimes I borrow pics from my friends. Brian allowed me to use those pictures he posted and I came up with over 50 designs! I created a Steemit post about it a few weeks back. Click here to check it out.
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Its a shame you didn't find out about it till you moved away! I'm sure you would've been there all the time had you known :).
It's all good. I will get back up there from time to time. You are most likely correct.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
You got garnets beneath your toes:) Love the shots. A purple beach ... who knew?
Well, I certainly didn't know! LOL! I still marvel at that fact.
I just couldn't get enough of this place before the sun went down. There was a little bit of a moon so it was still beautiful even then!
Sounds absolutely magical:)
Wow! That's magical. I wrote a purple sand beach into a scifi novel once, but the way the colours mingle here is amazing. Thank you for sharing. Big Sur is one of the most stunning areas. I hope to visit again some day, and try to get to this beach.
It really was fantastic; I've never seen anything like it! Wow, a sci-fi novel...that's fantastic too! I admire that kind of talent.
It was my pleasure to share. I think I heard that the purple sand is only there after the rain / while the water is flowing so, winter and early spring are your best bets.
Good to know! And thank you! :)