The Pacific Coast Highway

The summer time was not made for early mornings. Unfortunately for us, circumstances dictated that we wake up at 6:30 Central Standard Time (translated to 4:30 Pacific which is what we had been working on up until then) to catch a flight from Memphis to LAX. The flight was about 4 hours and we slept for the majority of the way. Plane seats – not so comfortable. We landed at LAX, boarded a shuttle back to the Radisson where we had left our car, and promptly set out on the next leg of our journey.

We decided to take the California Highway 1 better known as the Pacific Coast Highway on our northern route from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The trip went exactly as we anticipated it would. We had gorgeous, breathtaking vistas for about the first quarter of the drive and then it got repetitive and long. We would see a sign for Monterey that told us it was 46 miles away and 30 minutes later we would see a sign that it was 40 miles away. The twisty turn-y roads forced us to drive 20-30 miles per hour the entire way. I can’t express how much more fun the drive would have been if I had been driving my MINI. [Dad, you would have loved it in your Triumph].

There were two reasons we chose to drive this route instead of a more inland route: 1) we wanted to stop at the famous Hearst Castle, and 2) we wanted to stop in Monterey to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. First, if you are planning a trip to see Hearst Castle make sure that you arrive there nice and early in the morning. I’m not sure what time the previous night you would have to set out in order to make that [we left LA at 10 in the morning and didn’t stop all that often and we didn’t make it before 4:30 p.m.]. This was all we got to see of the hilltop masterpiece that is El Castillo de Hearst:

So after striking out at the Castle we set off for Monterey. Again, the drive was very nice. Probably the coolest house we saw was one that was on a humongous hill that rose abruptly and dramatically from the flat plain that extended from the side of the road. At sea level the plain turned into a half-moon shaped beach at the base of the hill right next to the road that wound its way around the hill to the house. Although, I’ve since been informed, it is impossible/illegal to have one’s own private beach that is essentially what this family had. The picture was made complete with the lighthouse on the coastal side of the hill. I can’t imagine how they get their groceries, they are a million miles from civilization. I want a house like that some day, a beautiful house on a hill that makes people pause and take a quick breath as they drive by.

Anyway, back to the drive. It felt like it took forever and a day to arrive in Monterey. Along the way we passed through Big Sur and Carmel. Both of these were very nice places that if we had more time and more money would be great places to stay. Mark and I decided that the greatest thing that came out of the Great Depression was the construction of the Pacific Coast Highway. Most of the bridges we passed over had dates of 1932 – 1934 on their historical markers. Really, just a great decision on the part of the U.S. government.

The PCH dropped us off in Monterey at about 7 p.m. We took a quick drive around what we thought was Cannery Row (we would find out the next day that we hadn’t really seen it), scoped out some of the local hotels, and then drove downtown to find somewhere to eat. Apparently, we arrived for the first day of the Monterey Wine Festival although you wouldn’t have guessed it by looking at the number of people on the streets. We settled on a restaurant named Rosine’s. It was packed with locals so we figured that it couldn’t possibly be that bad, and it didn’t disappoint. A strong Caesar salad was followed by decent pasta entrees. We left there feeling well-fed. Ultimately, we decided to stay at the Cannery Row Inn.

It wasn’t the most terrific place we’ve stayed in thus far but, it was in our price range and we only needed it for one night. At first glance one might even say the hotel room was reasonable. It had a fireplace, a king-sized bed, and a balcony with a view. However, the fireplace didn’t work (making for a very cold night), the bed was as hard as a rock, and our view was of the building across the alley unless you turned 90 degrees to the right and then you could see this:

All in all the drive to Monterey was an enjoyable experience. As I said before, it probably would have been more fun if I had been in my MINI only because it was tough for the Red Ranger to take the tight hairpin turns in the mountains. But, the Red Ranger gave a valiant effort and when all was said and done delivered us safely to our destination. It’s quite a little truck, perfect for this trip. The next day we spent the morning and afternoon in Monterey before heading up to Healdsburg for the weekend.

P.S. - A bonus to our trip was the discovery of a "vista point" where one can see elephant seals basking in the afternoon sun. Mark didn't want to stop at first because he thought it would be a waste if the seals weren't there. I assured him that we wouldn't find out unless we tried and that I was sure the seals would be there after seeing all the cars in the parking lot. So, I pulled off the road and parked. We were delighted to see not just one or two seals but lots of them (I'm not sure what a group of seals is called).