You Can Take the Island Girl Out of the Island

Harry and I bid so long to San Francisco the next morning. We were on our way to famous Big Sur. This part of California 1 was elevated. The drop from the highway to the ocean below averages 50 feet. At times it looked as if we were as high as 100 feet. We crossed Bixby Creek Bridge before noon. We stopped on the side of the road before we crossed the bridge to take in the view. It is a Big Sur landmark definitely worth taking in its full splendor.

We made it to Big Sur Bakery & Restaurant for lunch as we had planned. This little restaurant along the road had so much charm. The staff had flair. The food was excellent as well. We shared an open-faced pulled pork sandwich that had the perfect mix of flavors and spices that even my imaginative palate couldn't decipher. If you are ever in the area, definitely worth a too long lingering lunch.

It could have been the salt-water air, the clear skies or the blindingly bright sunlight. I couldn't tell for sure. But California invites you to take your time, makes you forget that you have miles and miles to go before the day is over.

Between Big Sur and Santa Barbara, we saw elephant seals lounging on the beach. Going nowhere. Cooling off on the sand. We watched black condors soaring the blue skies above.

If you look closely, you can see the Piedras Blancas Light Station, another historic lighthouse, in the photo below. We didn't get close to it because it was a few miles away from California State Route 1.

We saw the Hearst Castle from the road but weren't able to see it either because the grounds had limited viewing schedules during off season. So we found ourselves entering the William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach where we got lost in time.

The giddiness I felt after getting sand in between my toes and getting them wet on the ice cold water stayed with me long after we left NorCal. After that, we drove straight to San Diego to my childhood best friend's home. We had finally reached the part of our trip when we would be spending time with family and friends who are like family. We stayed for three nights and three days with Cris's family in San Diego. For our last two nights, I watched Harry shine with contentment as he bonded with his sister, Chrissie, her hubby, Sam, and his nephew, Ian, in LA. On our last full day, we saw three more beaches, namely Redondo Beach, Venice Beach and Santa Monica Beach, in California.

One truth I learned from this trip -- there is no such thing as too many beaches, too much sunshine nor too much happiness.

Memories fade. Photos and timelines get confused. But one thing remains. Love, baby, love.

California 1: The Pacific Coast Highway

We snuck out of North Bend while it was still dark out. As we watched the sun rise on the road, I thought to myself that this is the stuff that dreams are made of. Being in the middle of nowhere, with a view that refreshed to something more magnificent than the one we just passed, with my most favorite person in the world, and with the rising and setting of the sun as our only time constraints.

How do you commit to memory those images that a camera couldn't even capture? That moment when I looked at him and noticed beyond his shoulder an egret skimming the surface of the river running parallel to the road. That moment when I saw an old man on his bicycle riding at 10 kph, hauling a cart behind him full of goodies and his dog trailing right behind him. Was he making a delivery? That moment when we stopped at a view deck and I saw a pod of seal lions swimming a few meters off the shore. That moment when I saw a solitary fawn standing across the road, in between a rock wall and the cars that zoomed past. It was Bambi in the flesh, just standing there looking lost and scared that I was afraid it would get run over. Or the curious case of rows of mailboxes on the side of the road with no homes in sight. But what about the moment we saw dinosaurs along the road?

I swear, as soon as we crossed the borderline between Oregon and California, the sky cleared and the sun kept us company all the way to San Francisco that day.

We stopped at Battery Point Light. This lighthouse is historically significant because it was one of the first lighthouses in the California coast. It stands atop a tiny islet that is only accessed on foot at low tide. It is a bit of a walk down from the parking lot, across the beach on sand and loose rocks and up the steep hill to the lighthouse. 

"Your Chucks aren't the best shoes for hiking, are they?" he said smiling as he extended his hand to me. 

"These look better on pictures," I admitted as I took his hand.

After we took pictures and played around with the video mode on his iPhone, we continued to drive on to San Francisco.

We drove thru a giant Sequioa at Drive-Thru Tree Park. To get in the park, we had to pay a minimal fee to the park keeper. You wouldn't believe it but the keeper was this adorable little old lady who wanted us to stay and chat about her flower box full of Violets in bloom. If I didn't know any better I would think she was one of the faeries living in the forest.

We took a detour through a portion of Redwood Forest.  Can you find me in the photo below?

We were still over 200 miles away from San Francisco. But we carried on, literally chasing the

sunset. Because we extended for a day in Portland and didn't plan for how much distance we could cover by driving in twelve-hour of sunshine kind of day, we agreed to skip sightseeing in San Francisco so we could head out to Southern California early the next day. Harry and I have both visited San Francisco separately in the past. So it was a great surprise that Route 101, known as California 1 in this part of the coast, and our rented GPS led us to the Golden Gate Bridge on our way to the place where we were staying for the night. There are no words to describe the feeling of crossing the longest, most recognizable suspension bridge in the world at 60 mph or 100 kph. It was a welcome that was uniquely San Francisco, the city that was named after St. Francis of Assisi.

Be praised, my Lord, through all Your creatures,

especially through my lord Brother Sun,

who brings the day; and You give light through him.

And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor!

Of You, Most High, he bears the likeness.

- St. Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Sun