At the time of writing, fire crews are working around the clock battling the Soberanes wildfire to the south-east of Bixby Bridge and slowly approaching Big Sur. I would imagine right now this area is cloaked in smoke.
When I took this image, it was mid-November. Summer fire season – June to September – was over. November falls into Santa Ana fire season – October to April. So in california, especially after the drought of the last several years, fire season lasts all year round! Yet another reason to live in Texas.
Still, we didn't have to deal with that as the sun set over the Pacific and a chill started to descend from the hills. We stayed a while, using ever lengthening shutter speeds to catch the light trails as cars crossed the famous Bixby Bridge. I was trying to capture starbursts from the headlights but this was the only image from several attempts that was successful.
Bixby Bridge was built in 1932 and remains one of the tallest single-span concrete bridges in the world. Between 1998 and 2000 the bridge was retrofitted to make the bridge more earthquake resistant. Caltrans spend additional money to preserve the historical look of the bridge which I, for one, appreciate.
Before the bridge, there was no coastal highway. Inland the terrain is rugged and there are few roads or trails. The ruggedness of the area is one of its main attractions, but it's also a major factor in hindering the fire crews from bringing the Soberanes wildfire under control.
