June 01, 2005
The Suaku Singaporean Reports: #5
Without a doubt, Highway 1 
is one of the best drives I've ever been on.
I started off on Monday morning at 1030, leaving SF behind me and taking Highway 92 to get to the coast. Half Moon Bay was the first stop on my coastal drive. From there, I stopped at random turnouts and vista points to take photos of the amazing scenery, and just to get some fresh air. There's really nothing like driving with the windows down and Alice 97.3 blasting on the radio.
Lunchtime was spent in Carmel-by-the-Sea, which is a really quaint little town. The main street heads down to the coast from Highway 1, passing by little shops and very pretty houses and ending up at a wide expanse of sand. I spent an hour sitting on the beach people watching and getting some sun. Then I headed back up to the trusty little red Ford Focus, got a sandwich from the deli and headed off.
Along the way, I passed through Big Sur, San Simeon and San Luis Obispo, the latter of which was made famous by the movie "Sideways". There's tons of campgrounds and state parks/beaches along Highway 1, so next time I'm going to take more time to go camping. I spent the night in Pismo Beach where I saw a Motel 6 for US$39.99 a night which is hella cheap! I spent the evening watching people surfing near the Pismo Beach pier and catching the sunset.
It's been an experience doing a road trip on my own. The good thing about travelling on Memorial Day is that there's lots of travellers on the road as well so I never felt lonely. Plus, the drive itself was so scenic and challenging that I didn't have time to even need any social interaction. I probably only spoke like 10 words on Monday: "Do you have rooms available?" and "Do you guys want a photo?" (the last said to a couple travelling down Highway 1 as well). The only part where I felt a little sad was when I lost the signal for Alice 97.3 somewhere past Big Sur, driving home the point that I had finally left San Francisco, the Bay Area and Northern California behind.
I'm now in LA after 2 days of leisurely driving. I have to say, Northern California appeals to me more. The scenery here is nice with the beaches and the palm trees but I think Highway 1 up in Norcal is much more rugged and breathtaking.
Today LA; tomorrow San Diego!
Posted by scrabbyfoo at June 1, 2005 12:07 PM