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