Last week I had a couple of days off in the middle of the week and we were itching to get out of the house so we decided to go on a road trip. I’ve always enjoyed driving along the coast down Highway 1 and I was anxious to have Rotchana experience it for the first time so we packed up our bags and headed out.
We left late in the morning on Wednesday and made our way to Monterey. We stopped at Fisherman’s Wharf to walk around and have some lunch after the long drive. It was a nice day, but very windy so I think the crowds were not as big as they normally would be. We ate lunch at one of the restaurants overlooking the marina and watched a group of sea lions play in the water below.
After we finished our lunch we started our drive down Highway 1 through Carmel toward Big Sir. About 1 hour later we arrived at McWay Falls. We bundled Victoria up and walked along a path leading to an observation area for a better view of the falls. After taking a bunch of photos we then walked back to the car to continue our drive.
We drove a few hours more before arriving in Cambria. We’d left on our trip without a reservation to stay somewhere for the night, but I was able to find a nice place that didn’t break the bank. It’d been a long day so a comfortable bed was welcoming.
The next morning we drove back up the highway to San Simeon to get some breakfast. We then headed to the Hearst Castle Visitor Center to walk around and show Rotchana the castle. Strollers aren’t allowed on the tours so we didn’t go up the hill, but I’m sure we’ll be back some day.
We then drove a few miles up the highway to a vista point that overlooks an area where Elephant Seals take refuge on the sandy beach. There were hundreds, if not thousands covering the entire beach. We would have stayed longer, but the wind was still pretty fierce, and we had a long drive home still ahead of us.
For time’s sake we took Highway 101 back home and then cut over Pacheco Pass to Interstate 5. About halfway between the two highways we stopped at a place called Casa de Fruta. It was a good spot to get out and stretch, as well as grab some fresh fruit. A few photos later and we were back on the highway.
It was a long couple of days in the car, but Rotchana enjoyed seeing the coast and seeing a bit of California she’d only seen in photos. Victoria did great and seemed to enjoy being in the car. She won’t remember any of it, but she’ll have a lot of opportunities to see it all again when she’s older.
