Morro Bay

After a day spent gawping at the magnificence of the Big Sur drive, we rocked up in Morro Bay around late afternoon hoping to grab a couple of hours on the beach.

Morro Bay is a small seaside community where the majority of the town’s life centres on the harbour, in the shadow of a rather large rock.

After dumping the bags, my travel buddy and I headed through the harbour and onto the beach where we were greeted by some extremely strong winds. The rock appeared to have blocked the majority of the wind but with the beach located at the side of the rock, we were exposed to the elements and unfortunately didn’t last more than half an hour on the sand.

We headed back into the town, shot a few games of pool and were able to witness a stunning sunset, the sun silhouetting the boats on the harbour.

Big Sur

The iconic Big Sur is rightly listed amongst the world’s most epic drives.  Within ten minutes of leaving Monterey we encountered a beautiful creek, with a luxury house delicately perched above the sea and between the trees.

On from the creek the road snaked around the cliffs with just a barrier between the edge of the road and the steep drop to the sea below.

The drive was honestly one of the most exhilarating experiences that I have ever encountered, with a new and breath-taking view around every corner.

This road is certainly not the quickest way to travel around California, but it’s certainly worth the extra travel time.

Stumbling across a beach filled with seals topped off an incredible journey. 

Monterey

For a minute I could be forgiven for thinking I am at home. From the cosmopolitan metropolis of San Francisco, to a seaside town reminiscent of Falmouth and Padstow in a matter of hours.

Monterey sits a couple of hours south of San Francisco and is a small peaceful community located on Highway 1, one of the most dramatic stretches of road in the world.

Much like at home, life seems slow paced and visitors and locals mix around the picturesque pier, the only difference being the expensive yachts moored nearby and the resident sealions making an uncontrollable racket.

I grabbed a ride down with a friendly Canadian girl I met on the Couchsurfing website and we spent much of the journey admiring the dramatic Californian sea as the road wrapped around the rugged coast.

Monterey is a lovely reprieve from the bustle of the city, however tomorrow we must move on and continue through to the Big Sur and what will hopefully be the drive of a lifetime.