Drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco via Big Sur

Big Sur, a region in California which contains wilderness and the breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, is most definitely the most scenic drive I’ve ever taken. Each twists and turns on its road give you an incredible view of the ocean, it’s like watching a suspense film from your car waiting for the next best thing to happen right in front of you. It’s freaking fantastic! When my very hospitable Aunt told me that we’re passing by the Big Sur enroute to San Francisco, I think I almost peed my pants in excitement! I have heard a lot about the drive and have seen the views numerous times on post cards or travel magazines, needless to say – it automatically went into the bucket list: DRIVE THRU THE BIG SUR. I can’t, for the life of me, imagine that my aunt is actually going to be gracious enough to drive me thru it. Writing about it now makes my heart beat faster. 🙂

The Big Sur also known as Highway 1, will take about 2.5 hours to complete that is without stops. Only people who are miserable in their lives will do this drive without stops though. How can you drive thru this magnificent view without stopping for awhile and just let the beauty of this place sink in you?

If that won’t make you weep for a bit then I don’t know what will. That’s not even the best part yet but I was already too eager in taking photos of that place.

We left my Aunt’s house in LA at around 6am to start our journey towards Santa Barbara, yet another incredible place to visit. We arrived at 8am in the very lazy town of Santa Barbara, maybe it was still too early for the locals to get up from their slumber. It was a bit chilly when we arrived, which probably explains why they’re all still sleeping. 🙂

We had our breakfast by the Santa Barbara pier with the views of the coast and the sea. As some of you may already know, I love water! Any bodies of water. I think a place becomes even more beautiful if there’s a river, a lake or a sea running thru or by it. This drive including all the places that we’ve visited is like a drug for me as everything was by the water. It was amazing! I couldn’t have done a better itinerary myself.

We had breakfast at this restaurant called Moby Dick which gave us a spectacular view of the coastal line of Santa Barbara. There were a group of elderly ladies beside us and they said that they’ve been coming to this restaurant every Wednesday for the past 30 years which I think is the most awesome thing I’ve ever heard. They should have a statue or a plaque in this restaurant.

After breakfast, we went on our way towards Morro Bay to have our lunch. During this California trip, I think most of our time was spent eating and driving. Which is extremely fine by me since my Aunt is as adventurous as I am when it comes to food. :p

Morro Bay is another charming coastal town in San Luis Obispo famous for its landmark – the Morro Rock and the myriad of outdoor activities that you can do here.

We ate at Giovanni’s Fish Market and Galley which is right in front of the Morro Bay Rock. I had shrimp and chips and shared my Aunt’s huge blue crab. Being seaside, Morro Bay of course is famous for its fresh seafood which we did not take for granted. 🙂

After lunch, we started our Big Sur drive. Woot woot! There’s really nothing much to say other than IT WAS MAGNIFICENT! It certainly is the best drive I’ve ever taken. Here are some of the photos I’ve taken during our stops along the way.

After the magnificent drive, we stopped by Monterey to spend a night in. I hate to say this again but Monterey is another awesome place by the sea! I can easily live there. Seriously! We stayed at the marvelous Monterey Hotel and Spa, our room was located right above the water. We could hear the splash of it underneath the foundations of our hotel. A very relaxing sound which somehow makes you feel like you’re one with nature. If you’re weird like I am, it would make you want to pee. :p

The next day, before heading finally to San Francisco, we passed thru the famous 17-mile drive. As the name suggests, it is a 17-mile scenic drive thru the Pacific Coastline which of course offers fantastic views of the coast, golf courses and other scenic spots such as the lone cypress. The drive is inside a gated community so for those who are non-residents, a toll fee of USD10 per car is to be paid. Motorcycles are not allowed thru it, I know because there was a couple on their motorcycle in front of us who was not allowed to enter. Which absolutely makes sense as the disturbing sound of a motorcycle will ruin the relaxing ambiance of the place.

The whole drive itself took about an hour and a half for us including the stops. After the drive, we proceeded on our way to San Francisco which culminated our scenic Big Sur journey.

The Big Sur drive is really something that you have to do at least once in your life. I’m sure the husband who has not done it yet would do it with me again. I can’t wait for that day to happen! 🙂

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All photos are taken by iphone5. Explains why everything is crappy. Also, you can click thru the photos to make it bigger so you’d see how crappy it really is. None of it justifies the beauty of the place.