Cambria -> Monterey
You know, I always feel incredibly lucky to live where I do. To be surrounded by that kind of beauty is something I'm genuinely thankful for. But on our trip up the Californian central coast from Cambria to Monterey, I came across one of the few places in the world where I could honestly see myself packing up my life and leaving for. I'd say that I'd let the photos speak for themselves, but they just don't convey the impact of the Big Sur coast. If any of you ever get the chance to take the drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco, grab it with both hands, it is quite possibly the single most beautiful place I've ever seen.
An early morning at the Cambria Palms motel began our day, and from there, we took it slowly down the road. Stopping frequently, we took off down the road, and throughout the day saw a wide variety of animals, our first Californian wildlife experience.
Once again, I find myself at a loss to explain the spectacular drive we had up the coast. Along what's known as the Big sur coast, the pacific highway (US highway 1) hugs the side of a long chain of steep cliffs where the mountains drop of into the sea. The road is dotted with tiny 'towns' which usually amount to no more than a cafe and an expensive yet impossibly cute gift shop. The road is also dotted with the houses of the super rich, and the hippy outposts of the 70s throwbacks. The road, being so close to the coast, also occasionally includes stunning and famous bridges, towering hundreds of feet above the canyon floor below.
Other highlights of the day were Julia Pfeiffer Burns state park, with its redwood grove and California's only coastal waterfall, a truly spectacular sight. We also stopped in the town of Big Sur itself and came across an arts and crafts market in and around an old hall in another redwood grove at the bottom of a valley. I wish I could describe it, or had decent pictures of it, but I just can't... Guess y'all will just have to experience it for yourselves. When we arrived in Monterey, we found a very nice room in a pink motel (picture tommorow), a perfect end to a spectacular day.
An early morning at the Cambria Palms motel began our day, and from there, we took it slowly down the road. Stopping frequently, we took off down the road, and throughout the day saw a wide variety of animals, our first Californian wildlife experience.
Once again, I find myself at a loss to explain the spectacular drive we had up the coast. Along what's known as the Big sur coast, the pacific highway (US highway 1) hugs the side of a long chain of steep cliffs where the mountains drop of into the sea. The road is dotted with tiny 'towns' which usually amount to no more than a cafe and an expensive yet impossibly cute gift shop. The road is also dotted with the houses of the super rich, and the hippy outposts of the 70s throwbacks. The road, being so close to the coast, also occasionally includes stunning and famous bridges, towering hundreds of feet above the canyon floor below.
Other highlights of the day were Julia Pfeiffer Burns state park, with its redwood grove and California's only coastal waterfall, a truly spectacular sight. We also stopped in the town of Big Sur itself and came across an arts and crafts market in and around an old hall in another redwood grove at the bottom of a valley. I wish I could describe it, or had decent pictures of it, but I just can't... Guess y'all will just have to experience it for yourselves. When we arrived in Monterey, we found a very nice room in a pink motel (picture tommorow), a perfect end to a spectacular day.
posted by Jono Russell at 4:08 pm
5 Comments:
Hey, sounds great. I remember driving up through all the redwood forests. It was amazing. Anyways, just so you know Jono, I passed my driving test today so you might want to be careful on the roads when you get back here. :).
By the way, gotta love the picture of the squirell
hmmmm.... alex can drive, another designated driver..or should it be.. alex can drive, QUICK... DUCK FOR COVER...? no, jk, that's fantastic Alex, congrats again!
and Jono, you really are making me jealous! this sounds amazing, but i seriously do not think even the photos do it justice... this blog has made me sure i am visiting america sometime!
Wow, that's great, Alex. You know this means we're going for a road trip in January sometime, right? Which car are you gonna be driving in the short term? any development in the employment stakes?
When do you get back from over here anyway, Alex? Oh, and just a heads up, I'm still a day behind on the blog posts, so I'm actually curently in San Francisco (well, across the Golden Gate bridge from SF, actually), hope to get up-to-date some day.
Hey Jono, I'll be getting back from America around the 20th of January. But we'll still have plenty of time for the road trip because I think uni starts in March. I havn't really been looking for a job at the moment, mainly cuase I doubt anyone's going to employ me if I'm about to go on a holiday. Anyways, it sounds like you're having a great time and make sure you go for a drive down Lombard street (the really steep one ;) )
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