Go ahead . . . Make my Day – July 12, 2016

I’m getting behind in my writing as I have been doing more driving than taking time to sit down and write but I will try to get back on course over the next couple of days.  This post goes with the photos from Tuesday, July 12, 2016 going down the Pacific Coast Highway.  I was writing this later that night after a wine tasting and invitation to spend the night in the vineyard so excuse me for the pause in this but decided to leave it in anyway.  I was typing this sitting in my Margaritaville chair under the stars.  It was a good night.  Here goes . . .

I started the morning in Santa Cruz by the ocean with a nice cup of Bailey’s coffee and the smell of bacon on the camp stove.  It was a little chilly but not bad as the wind had died down overnight. The morning fog layer quickly burned off and the sun was out shining brightly.

Yesterday’s drive along the coast had a couple of issues that needed to be dealt with before starting this morning.  The rack carrier on the roof with all the road up and downs, left and right turns had several times yesterday forced the rack, pod carrier, cooler, and five gallon gas can to slip to one side.  It had shifted over the edge of the roof on the driver side so that the gas can and cooler were almost blocking the doors.  The whole rack shifted and had to be pushed back over the vehicle roof and the U-bolts holding it to the roof rack had to be tightened.  The road curves with the sharp turns and elevation changes caused the shifting.  About 20 minutes of maintenance before starting should do the trick.

I left around 10:30 am and topped off the gas tank since stations were few and far between.  It was only a couple of miles to get on the freewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Apparently I fell asleep while writing this, sorry. 

It was only a couple of miles to get on the freeway and the road quickly opened up to farmland with many working farms, several had migrant workers picking or working the fields.  There were many local fruit stands or vegetable stands along the highway.  I was shocked at the low prices and thought I should buy large amounts of fresh produce and send it up to Alaska.  Avocado's were less than ten cents each and fresh sweet corn ten for a buck. Almost everything was 10 for a buck, crazy.

I headed for Carmel by the Sea and the Hog’s Breath Inn, a restaurant once owned by Clint Eastwood.  I was going by there to have a drink toast to my brother-in-law Doug Coker who passed away suddenly last week as he was a big Clint Eastwood movie fan.  It seemed fitting to toast to life.  He will be missed by all of us as he touched everyone’s life with his sharp wit and funny sayings. Just after leaving Hog’s Breath Inn I received a text from Ashley my niece who wanted to thank me for Doug’s eulogy and was looking forward to seeing me and hearing stories that Doug and I had over the years.

I made the short drive down the mountain (hill) to Pebble Beach and the golf course and made my way along the famous 17 mile drive which winds around the golf courses, the rugged ocean and beaches.  I stopped at Pebble Beach so Placido Flamingo and I could put our “Toes” in the water in the Pacific Ocean.  We created quite an event as people were coming up to me to find out about the Flamingo and the photos.  Several have started following the “Where’s the Flamingo 2016 Tour” including a CHIP’s officer who took a photo with Placido Flamingo.  Thanks Officer Chaty for the picture and hopefully you will not get too much flak from your brother’s on the CHP as several have chimed in on FB.

I stopped several times for photos along the way on the self-guided tour on the 17 mile road as it winds its way along the ocean.  Beautiful multi-million dollar houses lined the drive with many either being remodeled or finished.  Extravagant mentality at its finest, people with too much money on their hands who could do much to help other and they probably only live there part time.

I wanted to have a photo of the world famous “The Lone Cypress Tree” on a rocky perch over the ocean which had survived winds, rain, and storms over the years.  It was a “hang in there moment as everything will be alright” if you just stay the course and overcome all the things that hit you in life.  A nice family took the photos of Placido and I which I wanted to get their information but they left quickly.  Thanks again and hopefully the wife’s picture with me turned out ok.

After leaving the 17 mile drive and heading south on the Pacific Coast Highway toward Big Sur I shortly came upon an area called “Carmel Highlands” with an elevation of 184 feet.  I don’t know if I have been on the road too long but it struck me funny that it was barely above sea level.  Maybe another name would have been better.

The road along Big Sur was winding and climbed and descended along the edge of the mountain.  It slowly climbed from several hundred feet to several thousand feet above the water.  The sheer cliff on the roads edge would probably make many people uncomfortable if you were the passenger and had time to look over the edge.  It was breathtaking when you had the opportunity to stop along the way which there is many.  Small parcels to pull off to allow passing were everywhere and many people did so allowing faster cars to proceed at their own risk.  The speed was slow around 20-25 mph most of the way with some areas in the 45 mph range but then you slowed to 15 to make a turn or sharp winding curve.

I stopped twice at the two bridges, the Rocky Creek and Bixby Bridge to take photos and see the magnificent work from the 1930’s when they were built.  Both sit several thousand feet above the ocean with large rock formations (most of the coast is like that) and waves crashing onto them.  Even with the wind and high above you could still hear the crashing water sounds from below.  It is hard not to stop and take photos as with each curve and pull off it seems like this rock formation or size is different from others taken.

I finally got to the stop I had been waiting for the McWay Falls at the Julia Pfeiffer State Park.  The entrance and parking lot were full but cars were parked for about a half mile in both directions. I was lucky to find a spot as a vehicle pulled as I drove up.  It is about quarter mile walk along the cliff above the lagoon where the water fall comes off the mountain and falls into the beach lagoon.

It is a long slow drive from the JP State Park down past the Hearst castle sitting on the top of the mountain.  I flew a hang glider over the castle in 1975 on a trip to California so it was interesting to see it from several miles away as I approached.  

There was a Cruise America RV who refused to pull off and let anyone pass so a gaggle of vehicles were slowly going behind him for miles.  I was in the number four spot and could easily see the frustration and hear the horns blowing as opportunity after opportunity for the RV to pull off was passed by.  I could see both in front and behind me in the mirror the hand gestures and hand slamming on the steering wheel by the other drivers. After about two hours following this idiot he pulled off into Elephant seals viewpoint on the beach.  It was my last stop on the coastal road below the Hearst Castle. I pulled into the parking space next to the RV so was curious to see who was driving.  It was a family in their 40’s so not what I thought it would be.  There were many Asian families who stopped at every turn off for photos and I thought it may be but the fact they had not stopped pretty much ruled that out.

There were hundreds of elephant seals lying on the beach in two spots.  Only one was close to the water so that was the only one I saw with any movement other than flipping sand by those just plopped on the beach.  A lot of people had stopped and were looking but nothing really to see.

I decided I had driven enough of the Pacific Coastal Highway and it was a short drive to where I could turn off and head inland across the mountains.  It would be a several hour drive to I-5 and I figured I would find a place to stop along the way as I was heading toward LA which I would by-pass and go to Palm Springs.

I discovered I was in wine country as there were multiple vineyards with acres and acres of vines on each side of the road. I decided I would stop at one to do a quick tasting and get a local wine for the road.  I stopped and met a nice couple who did the tasting as it was late afternoon and they were almost at closing time at the end of their day when I arrived.  As we talked and they discovered more about my trip they suggested we go out into the vineyard to enjoy a bottle of wine together.  As the sun was setting I told them I needed to head out and find a place to park and camp for the night they suggested and showed me a beautiful spot on top of a hill in the vineyard where I could see the town of Paso Robles several miles away.  It was a beautiful night under the stars sitting in my Margaritaville chair and sleeping a restful night’s sleep.   I hated leaving the next morning but had to be out before the workers arrived.  Thanks so much for a great evening and hospitality.

What an incredible day with many bends and horizons, some awesome sights seen and wonderful people met along my journey.

Ice