We left the house at 7.15am in overcast weather, not like the weather we have been used to over the past week! In fact in a few miles we encountered a steady drizzle from the low cloud and fog that is so common along the Californian coast.
The road approaching Santa Barbara with the morning rush hour traffic
The weather didn't clear until we headed inland at Santa Barbara crossing the mountains to Lake Cachuma, the site of the 1984 Olympic rowing competition.
We decided to stop for breakfast at the very quirky Madonna Inn outside San Louis Obispo.
The Inn is a favourite place for honeymoon couples and is garishly decorated and fitted out. Bob and I had a hilarious few minutes in the men's room. There was a gigantic urinal that looked like a shower. It had water running down from above over the stone wall behind. We joked if we should get in it, but decided not to! Bob wondered if the water running down to flush the toilet was from the men's room on the floor above!
Shortly after leaving the Inn we turned off Highway 101 onto Highway 1, that follows the Pacific Coast shoreline. It is one of the great drives in the United States. One hundred and fifty miles of stunning scenery with the road often running high above the ocean.
We passed the world famous Hearst Castle, built by the newspaper magnate William Randolf Hearst. Eighty miles further on is Big Sur a famous resort on the road, where we had stayed many years ago at the Ventana Inn.
Our drive then took us to Carmel, Monterey and then Santa Cruz, where we stopped for drink on the beach.
Bob and myself enjoying the sun at a beachside cafe in Santa Cruz.
The final 70 miles up the coast to San Francisco was an easy drive, and we arrived at a very foggy Golden gate Bridge at about 6pm.
Our hotel was just across the bridge in Sausalito a very pretty town overlooking the bay.
Looking across the bay towards The Bay Bridge, Alacatraz and downtown San Francisco.
In all we drove 420 miles, taking just under eleven hours. A great start to our North to Alaska trip.
Great to see you back into production! Sounds like a good day's eubnndeed. I always remember that the best Bloody Mary's in the world are in the bar on the Saulsalito ferry - sad you are driving.
ReplyDeleteStay safe and keep having a great time
PeterW
Bon Voyage
ReplyDeleteSorry to miss you in Malibu
Best Regards
Gary S
Seeing your comment about a possible shower in the Madonna Inn urinal reminds me of a prank we got up to when I was at Manchester University. We were at Chandos Hall, a 14-storey building housing a large number of high-spirited students.
ReplyDeleteThe hall was a 14-storey building, if memory serves me right, with every floor being identical to each other. This means that there were 14 toilets stacked one on top of each other.
A devilish plan was hatched for accomplices to be stationed in toilets from floors 2 to 14, with the cubical on floor 1 being the only one unoccupied.
The conspirators waited an unfortunate soul entered the toilet on floor 1. Time was allowed for nature to take its course. Then a signal was sent to the accomplice on floor 14 who flushed his toilet, then stamped on the floor. Upon hearing the thump from above, the accomplice on floor 13 flushed hid toilet and stamped on the floor.
This went on all the way to floor 2, so that there was, in effect, a 13-storey-high column of water hurtling down on to the toilet on floor 1.
The result was messy, to say the least.
It was a good thing the water at Madonna Inn didn't come from the floors above......
Anussorn