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
Comments