Californian Coast

A couple of weeks ago we took the opportunity to have a week off and go on a road trip from Orange County to San Fransisco and back. Daniel was in the middle of a 21 day Wilderness trip with his school so Ali and I took our time seeing the sights of the Californian countryside. We set off with no particular schedule but to drive up Pacific Coast Highway (1) and enjoy the sights.

What an awesome trip! The natural landscape is spectacular - from jagged rocks and ranges to wide plains, from beautiful white sandy bays to sheer cliffs, from rolling hills to sand dunes to towering peaks, from boring dry brown desert to brightest blue skies and seas, fields of green crops and kaleidoscopic fields of flowers. Everything in America is big and on a big scale, and I wonder if that bigness is just a reflection of the amazing land that is USA.

I've gathered a few photo's from the trip here. Of course I took many more but this may give you just a taste.

Just outside the town of Solvang which is a town that was settled by the Danish. You'd swear you were in Denmark as you walk around this town. Anyway, you come around a corner and see this sight and just go WOW!

A couple of miles further on we had this striking contrast.

We stayed a night in Seaside, just outside Monteray. The next morning we went back in to Monteray and saw these seals basking on the rocks. Basking is probably the wrong word as it was very misty, almost raining.

Further up the coast we saw the Elephant Seal colony. These guys were basking, although the effort it takes them to haul themselves this far up the beach seems to make them pretty sleepy.

I can't remember the name of this place but this old lighthouse has been there many years. It no longer operates.

The actual road itself is pretty awe-inspiring. There are some amazing feats of engineering just in the road - this bridge included.

Of course, you can't go to San Fransisco and not see the Golden Gate Bridge. And what a beautiful day we had for it. You can drive (way) up the side of a hill to get views like this (well almost, the girl was a bonus! I ended up taking her home.)

My own Golden Gate Bridge postcard shot!