The Pacific Coast Highway

When heading out for a friend's wedding in Los Angeles, we notice airfare to San Francisco was way cheaper. Having been wanting to visit SF and given the cheap rates for an unlimited miles rental car, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. Of course we couldn't miss the chance to take a drive down the Pacific Coast Highway.

We wake early in our Santa Clara hotel and stop by whole foods on the way out of town, hiting Highway 1 around Santa Cruz. The winding roads weave you in and around the cliffs, driving you right over the edge and then back again, over massive canyon bridges and the occasional lowland where you can walk through the preserved area down to the beach.

At a part, the highway weaves inland away from the sea cliffs and into the forests around Big Sur. We find a trail that we can hike, which the park brochure says leads to a waterfall. Bring our backpack of food, we head off to find a picnic location.

Once the sun starts setting we finally hit the less ridiculous section of Highway 1. What were beautifully exciting curves and hairpins in the morning and afternoon light, would surely be terrifying in the dark. Eventually we made it to LA, albeit it wasn't until the next morning that we could see the palm trees.