A Scenic Escape: Leaving San Francisco for the Coastal Wonderland

Hitting the Road: The Journey Restarts

Leaving San Francisco was relatively easy. A quick Uber to the airport and we picked a new hire car. We were upgraded to a Jeep Cherokee which was nice but we were looking forward to a smaller car for the mountain and coast roads. We enjoyed San Francisco but it's good to be back on the road. One thing we like on the main roads is the junctions are numbered in miles so if we want junction 401 and we're at 475 we know we have 26 miles to go. On this journey we had the El Camino Bells added to this, a series of historic bells a mile a part on Interstate 101.

The Majestic McWay Waterfall the only way is up.... and back down again

One of the most impressive stops along the way is the McWay Waterfall. Tucked away in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, this waterfall cascades right onto the beach, creating an exceptional view. Although as we couldn't see the start of the water it also appeared like a giant having a pee. The path leading to the viewpoint is an easy hike, perfect for families and friends alike.

The only slight issue with the waterfall is the scary road we had to follow. This part of highway 1 is really winding with a sheer drop to the sea. We had the brilliant idea of going South on this route but with my tendency to hog the right hand side of the road/curb doesn't help Karen's vertigo and I think much of the way up she had her eyes shut. (Note from Karen, if you are scared of heights this is a scary drive, Go North way as would be easier to cope or get a driver who doesn't want to drive fast and on the edge!!!) Sadly just after the waterfall highway 1 is closed so we used this as a turnaround point and had to retrace our steps and take the interstate to San Simeon.

We have a non-driving day here and enjoy a walk to along the coast and watching the marvellous elephant seals. I liked the fact that once a male has seen off his competitors he will have a harem on 10 to 60 female seals. We also saw Hearst Castle in the distance (decided not to visit so we can stick to our budget) but reading about it from the 1920s era it sounds like an amazing place. The coastal path is well marked but not well used, on a five mile hike only a few other people on the route. At the vista points loads of people.

Unexpected Delights

I think we are now seeing this as a long term trip rather than a holiday as over the last few days have had a microwave dinner for tea, bought our own food to make sandwiches and tonight its been carry out beer, delivery pizza and a two episodes of Nightsleeper. All good for the budget!

A couple of observations -

Toilets - why are the pans filled with water. Very different to the UK and I'm not sure its very "green" to use so much for each flush.

Cost of living - shopping is expensive!!! A loaf of bread $6.99 and you pay tax on top. Gas (petrol) in California is 70% dearer than other states !!!! We haven't filled up yet but that's gonna be expensive.

We are now coming up to 4 weeks travelling and we can't believe how quickly it is going. We're about to set off for Santa Barbara so more details soon.