We
left San Francisco and made our way down the scenic California Pacific
Coast Highway. Our goal to was get as close to Big Sur as possible and
then find a place to stay for the night.
One
of our first stops of the day was Santa Cruz, California. Despite being
off season, it was easy to see why crowds flock to this town to
frequent the shops and stores along the boardwalk during peak season.
After walking along the boardwalk for a bit, we entered the arcade to
take advantage of the public restroom. Rule number one of a road trip,
never pass up a chance to use the bathroom...you never know when your
next stop will be.
The
child in all of us loves to play and we were no exception that day.
Before heading out we dropped a few coins into one of the arcade games
and fired away at the screen for two sessions ...Jon proved a better
shot then me and won both games.
A
little while later we found ourselves in Monetary, California just as
our stomachs were calling out for lunch. A quick turn into the marina
area, followed by heading down the most obscure looking road and luck
put us at Phil's Fish Market- where we enjoyed some damn good seafood.
We
continued down the coast, savoring the views. We would finish raving
about the beauty of one location, only to wind our way around the next
turn and become even more impressed with what we were seeing there. I
challenge anyone to drive down the Northern California coast and not
fall in love with America that much more for having such beauty in our
country.
As
sunset neared, we stopped off at Nepenthe in Big Sur, California. The
restaurant and bar is a legendary spot where you can see infinity from
the terrace. We enjoyed a sun downer and then hit the road.
While
the views along the coast are wonderful during the day, the windy road
is down right scary after sunset. And all that beautiful untouched
landscape that inspired awe during the day, does nothing for mobile
reception - you are off the grid on this portion of the Pacific Coast
Highway. As a result, our initial plan to use our iPads or phones to
find a place to stay for the night went out the window. Thankfully Plan B
was easy enough to execute....drive until we see a place that's decent
enough, stop, inquire after a room and hope there is a vacancy.
As
luck would have it, the next civilized spot we passed about an hour
down the road was The Ragged Point Inn and Resort. (Emphasis on
civilized; we did pass one other spot closer to Big Sur but it received
the thumbs down, keep driving nod from both of us.). Ragged Point looked
decent and they had a vacancy in an ocean view room. We called it a
night, rested up and awoke to panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean.
Under the cover of night we thought we stumbled across some average spot
to rest our heads ...only to find out we hit the jackpot in terms of
scenic resorts in the area.
After
a quick look around the stunning grounds, we ventured back out on the
road. Our plan was to visit Pismo beach for ATV riding in the sand dunes
and see if we could finally get out of California....it was already
December 12 and we were due back in Pennsylvania by the afternoon of
December 19.
Northern California coastline during the day.
Northern California coastline at sunset.
Jon and Nadia enjoying a sundowner at Nepenthe Restaurant and Bar in Big Sur, California.
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