Page 89 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2021 REDISCOVERING CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL COAST

Finally, a couple of miles north from Ragged
Point, the fog lifted, revealing the magnificent
scenery we remembered. We stopped many
times before descending into Carmel and Mon-
terey. Favorite vistas were the much pho-
tographed Bixby Creek Bridge, also known as
Bixby Canyon Bridge, and Limekiln State Park,
where we watched lumbering elephant seals.
Besides the fog, the frightening proliferation
of non-native pampas or jubatata grass dimin-
ished our drive. Its long plumes rose like the
spears of an invading army laying siege to the
redwood forests, other native shrubs and trees
and the habitats of birds and other wildlife. It
was everywhere, clinging to steep slopes and
marching through canyons.
Sadly, this scourge seemed unharmed by
wildfires that annually blackened thousands of
acres of green wildlands here. Eradicating it by
other means is daunting, given the terrain,
ecology concerns, the weed’s razor sharp
leaves and the growing magnitude of the task.
We can only hope for a miracle to cage and
control this menace.

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