Wednesday, 13 November 2013
We left for our much anticipated road trip on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) today. Our time with Uncle Jim and Aunty Oi Lin came to an end after five days. They looked after us so well and were so warm and hospitable, we're blessed to have them host us. We managed to get up, pack and leave their lovely Seaside home by 0900hrs but went for breakfast together at McDonald's for our last meal together. I hope that we can somehow repay them in the future. Though we were raring to set off on our road trip, we had to swing by RadioShack to get the 1-to-2 cigarette charger adaptor so by the time we left Seaside proper, it was about 1100hrs.
Loading up the car before setting off.
Breakfast at McDonald's.
Devouring her hotcakes.
And off we went!
The route along the PCH (otherwise known as highway 1) is nature at its best! The famed scenery is breathtaking, to say the least! The stretch nearer to Monterey is lovely, with its windy cliffs along the coast and waves crashing below us. We just couldn't get enough of nature's glory. We were so intoxicated with each new view and stopped at several of the strategically located vistas, so we hadn't made much headway in terms of distance after 2 hours. I'd wanted to make this trip on highway 1 for many years and was very happy that I could do it at last, with my loved ones. Despite the beautiful scenery, we had to somewhat move along and decided we could not continue stopping at every vista as we didn't have many daylight hours left.
Long, uninterrupted, undulating roads conceal what lies ahead, allowing the scenery to reveal itself gradually.
Beautiful rock structures and the glistening sea beckon.
The sun can disappear as quickly as it appears.
The most photographed bridge along the PCH, Bixby Bridge, built in 1932.
Bixby Bridge, also known as Bixby Creek bridge, is located at the Big Sur, which is a very well known stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway.
The bridge is located 190 km (120 miles) south of San Francisco and 21 km (13 miles) south of Carmel.
A panoramic view not so close to the edge.
There are no railings or barriers along the coast so one has to be careful not to go too near the edge, especially with the kids.
The wind was incredible! Meg's hair was all over the place.
The kids were almost blown away! :o)
Big sister holding on to little sister...just in case.
Our rented car, the new Toyota Rav 4, which had done less than 1000 miles (1609.34 km) when we got it. It's a great car, a pleasure to drive.
The vistas are expanded dirt patches off the main two-lane highway.
One of the rare photos I will ever post of myself.
Photographers will go crazy here.
Everywhere you turn is a scene waiting to be captured.
This shot where the sea is on the left is a north view. We'd missed stopping after passing Bixby bridge and wanted to go back to get a shot from the other end of the bridge too. This is the view one would get if driving from LA to SF.
The posers.
A thick fog rolled in suddenly.
It made for dramatic pictures too but obscured the vast scenery.
We got silhouettes instead.
Luckily we experienced fog for only a short stretch of the way. It cleared after we drove through it.
Before our road trip, I'd read about Pfeiffer beach, and that it's a must see. Finding the road that leads to it was challenging. There were some instructions online but they ended up being highly inaccurate! And that added to our delay. The effort to get off the main road and navigate a very narrow lane leading to the beach though, was well worth it. Pfeiffer beach is like a hidden gem. We would not have known it's there if I hadn't googled to find out which beaches are worth visiting near the Big Sur. Just for the record, the entrance to the road that leads to the beach is just before the strip of restaurants where the Big Sur bakery is located. If travelling South (SF to LA), it's on your right. There is a yellow sign "Narrow Road" at the start of the road. I believe it's the only such sign along that stretch so you won't miss it if you look out for it. One unique characteristic of Pfeiffer Beach is its purplish-reddish fine sand. We enjoyed the cooling, strong wind and made some nice pictures before heading back onto Highway 1 to continue our journey.
We initially stopped at almost every vista because every view was just so incredible and we were compelled to take some pictures at every new turn. I would recommend a drive along the PCH at least once in your lifetime. After a while, we realised we couldn't stop at every point or we'd never get to our destination. I hope to make another trip back to the PCH and really take my time to discover it next time. We were travelling during winter, so the sun set at around 4.30pm and after that, it was impossible to see anything.
Even after parking the car, one can't see the beach until you pass a row of shady trees.
A stylo pose.
A big standalone puddle (is it called a puddle?) on the beach, one definitely can't jump over it!
Another lovely spot for photographers.
A seagull more than half Emma's height. She stayed well clear of them!
A lovely place for couples.
Some locals enjoying themselves with food and wine...ah the good life.
Postcard picture.
This is a pretty hard to find beach so it was rather deserted.
Craggy rocks and crashing waves made for a dramatic scene.
The three beautiful people in my life.
This beach is rather secluded. You must know it's there and be able to find it. Otherwise, if you are travelling on Highway 1, you won't see it at all.
Long shadows meant that the sun was on its way down.
A family portrait. No prizes for guessing which is me.
You can see the red sand quite clearly in this shot.
After Pfieffer beach, we continued on our way to another spot recommended by my friend Claudine, the elephant seal beach. We got there as the sun was about to set so it was quite lovely, seeing a beach full of huge, fat seals basking in the soft evening light. It was like a scene out of a movie, only that it was real and we were standing right there, soaking in the light, the mammals, the moment...and the smell!
We couldn't stay too long as I was a little nervous about driving in the dark, and besides, Claudine was waiting for us to arrive. She had kindly offered to put us up for the night. We had to skip San Luis Obispo, which I'd read is also a lovely place. Along the way there's also Hearst castle, built for William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper magnate. He died in 1951 and his family then donated the castle to the state of California. The castle is now a historical landmark and a tourist attraction. It's a pity we didn't make it there. It was about 8pm by the time we got to Claudine's place at Santa Maria, About 1.5hrs from the elephant seal beach. It was great to see her and her family again. Her teenaged daughter Kimberly and husband Derrick were very kind to have a hoarde of five suddenly come trudging in and creating a racket. Claud has a german shepherd whom Emma was initially afraid of because he was as tall as she but after awhile, they were best friends. Claud lives in a big house in Santa Maria, having moved there a couple of years ago from Honolulu. We showered and got ready to call it a night. I managed to catch up with Claud a little over dinner and before bed and I've always wondered if I would be as brave as she, to leave Singapore to be with her husband wherever that might be. I guess there's no point thinking about that because it will probably never happen in my case. After a very therapeutic day with nature, I was contented.
The sun was going down and we still had a lot of ground to cover, but we couldn't help ourselves from stopping every once in awhile.
How not to photograph scenes like this? Especially for two photographers in the family?
This is a movie still...not!
We were fortunate to experience it in real life.
Is that a sign or a person in the middle?
Beauty in its full glory.
On our way to the beach populated with elephant seals.
The elephant seals at San Simeon. Quite a sight...certainly one I've never seen before.
There were so many!!! The smell was bearable, depending on the wind direction.
All sprawled on the sand, sleeping and basking under the setting sun.
Some were playing with each other.
Sunset and seals. Not sure if that was a good combination.
But we had little choice. There were many others who, like us, were there at sunset.
The scenery in the other direction from the beach.
Panoramic views of the orangey-yellow sky on one side...
...and purplish-pink on the other. Groovy!
The mission is worth a visit, especially if you are a Catholic, but do some reading up before you arrive to make the most out of your visit.
Always make time for prayer. The chapel is still in use. There are daily morning masses celebrated there.
