Iconic Highway 1

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This entry is about a road, not a place. After our great time in Monterey, we headed South to Ventura on the Highway 1. We left pretty early, which made it for even a better drive. The sun was out there, but the fog was in full power hugging the coastline too. This made it for a very bizarre drive.

The Highway One here is one more time anything else than a straight road. It's bend after bend after bend. I wish I would stop every two minutes to enjoy the scenery, but I still end up stopping every 5 minutes to get blow away by the beauty of the place. This is a paradise road to drive a Mustang on. It's a place where if google map tells me there is one hour drive, I know we are still enjoying the place two hours later, and far away from the end of it.

So as always, just enjoy the pics, they are telling way more than my simple writting. Later on, the road joins the Highway 101, which makes for a much more boring experience. Before reaching 101, our last stop was for a colony of sea elephants. Tiffany loved them, wow, that was so much fun for her. We spent time looking at them fighting, bathing, napping, sun tanning...the sea elephants life!

San Luis Obispo is in the middle of another wine region,the Central Coast Valley. We drove through the city, but nothing really impressive, so we decided to continue our way through the vineyards, but without stopping on our way.

We stopped for a little lunch in the city of Santa Maria...find this completely logic once we saw it on the map.

Later on that day we drove through the beachside of Santa Barbara. I have to admit, I was not really impressed. This is actually look more like the big start of suburbia LA, not my biggest cup of tea! Our stop for the night was in Ventura, few miles north of LA. No pics, as nothing really interesting around either. The only memorable experience here may have been our mexican take-away for dinner!

We spent some time in LA, but I will not do any blog on LA. I have to admit, there are way nicer places in California. But as this was a first for Tiffany and Mari, we drove Hollywood Boulevard, Rodeo drive, and the suburb of Beveverly Hills and Belair. Due to the traffic, and our time constrain, Malibu and Santa Monica will have to wait our next visit.

The next entry is all about families...kids being kids, adults enjoying some fun time....we name it....themes parks and how not to blow the credit card too fast....

And you guess it, from now on...it's blue sky and sunny weather all over!

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

We enjoyed the elephant seals also
Love looking at those slugs. Your drive in the Mustang sounds like a classic. The perfect car for the coast.

[aspiringnomad]

Very nice little beach!
Love this picture, you should make it your first. We spent three-days driving the Big Sur and were frustrated and fascinated by the fog. When the sun came out it made everything seem all the more magical, and even when it didn't the brilliance of the flowers still managed to shine through the grey. BTW, I commented on your last blog, but it registered me as "anonymous" as I wasn't logged in.

[deleted_148721]

Wow!!!
What a ride a scenic view! And not last the RED Mustang. My favorite of all :D. We had a fantastic time together on Highway 1 and enjoyed every minutes of it! Merci mon chéri! Je t'aime!!!

[Gregory Coy]

I\'m so sorry you were disappointed with your stay in Santa Barbara! There are so many local secrets that really do make it a great place to travel. Next time you stop by check out some of the great hikes (Seven Falls is my favorite) or try camping at one of the awesome camping spots (El Refugio is right on the beach!). If you do decide to stay in a hotel I suggest The Sandman Inn (www.thesandmaninn.com) on State. Many hotels in Santa Barbara are horribly overpriced. The beaches really are pretty down by the Wharf but it can get a bit touristy. I definitely suggest letting a local show you around next time, there are some great areas in Santa Barbara and something for everyone to love.

[Joyce]

I hear driving the 1 through Monterey and Big Sur area is incredibly dangerous but incredibly beautiful as well! I've only experienced driving this down in Southern California and you really can't beat that! Driving along the Pacific ocean with the windows down on a clear day is one of the best things you can do. I really like your pictures as well! Great shots, glad you guys had fun on your trip! I personally love driving the 1 in Santa Barbara. The most beautiful city with a ton of great things to do. Did you guys go there? If you ever plan on going back you should check out the South Coast Inn (www.goleta-hotel.com). Beautiful hotel with everything you could imagine!