Navigating the pool, while avoiding any unnecessary contact with the water – 1966
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park in the 1960’s was the smell of sycamores and campfire smoke, the sound of cawing crows and, more than anything else, the shock of the heart-stopping ice water in the Big Sur pool. Actually, it couldn’t have been any colder than the river it came from – it just seemed like it. Somehow, every time we went in, the coldness was always a bit more bone-cracking than we remembered.
But people were tough in those days and on warm summer afternoons there were always plenty of swimmers.
Serious business – wading in
We can’t remember exactly when the big pool was bulldozed out, but it was long, long ago. Only memories now remain …
We wish we had some photos showing more of the poolside “scene” as we remember it, but these are all we’ve found so far. We’ll post more if we find them.
Xasáuan Today 
Are the photos of you? Too cute. Is this the famous swimming hole on the Big Sur river, just before the entrance to the State Park, on the right side of the highway? Sterling has some photos. Many fun sunny afternoons there.
No. This was no swimming hole. It was the big concrete pool inside the State Park (on the east side of the river near the picnic grounds). Water, diverted from the river, flowed into the upper end of the pool and out from the lower end. And, yes, I was quite a bit cuter then.
That attentive wariness — or wary attentiveness — in the second photo is priceless.
WOW! What a flash back – this is where my Gramma taught my sister and I how to swim, going from side to side of the river/pool. I do remember the chill of the water, but mostly the fun of learning how to swim, and then graduating to the big swimmers side. Way fun, thanks for bringing back thoughts of wonderful times.
I’ve got some old B&W snapshots from the 50’s if I can scan them, I’ll send them. Yes, the smell of wet sycamore leaves–you nailed it! Wow–those were good times.
The Pfeiffer Pool! I knew I remembered it!