For $10.00, one can drive through the world renowned Pebble Beach golf course and it’s prestigious 17 Mile Drive where rows of mansions peer onto a glorious bay. It might be one of the picturesque places on Earth.
Stop at the sweet and petite Parker-Lusseau Pastries & Café for the most unreal, delectable almond croissant. There is some seating indoor and on the patio.
The old wharf is a beautiful setting. A running and bike path stretches along the marinas. There are a few cafés, fish restaurants and a tasty brewery in this truly pleasant paradise.
The splendor of Big Sur is no secret. The steep climbs and overlooks in Big Sur are cinematic in their glory. It's easy to find resting seals along the shoreline.
After a 15-minute winding bus ride flirting with steep cliffs and Hearst’s narrow, winding driveway you reach the top where Hearst's own Mediterranean-inspired village sits above everything. With 250K acres, Hearst literally owned the view. It's also fascinating to learn more about Julia Morgan.
Ojai is a slightly mystical Spanish colonial revival town built into the mountains. Many consider it a spiritual center. I sat in Libbey Park for a road snack while a lone flautist played his tunes in the woods. The park sits in the center of the town, built in the early 1900s.
This is by far the best sunset in San Diego. Pack a blanket and sit on the edge of America watching the sun set into the ocean.
An amazing place to watch the surf, we watched boarders ride out the waves while folks men played acoustic guitars and steel drums on the sand.
A beautiful hotel and famous spa. After Thanksgiving we watched ice skaters enjoy the hotel's beachside winter rink with an ocean view and sweater weather.
Highway 1 / Pacific Coast Highway / PCH (adopt your preferred designation) is beautiful. The California coastline is protected by tall rugged mountains which sit right up against the crashing Pacific. The slender road that takes us North (the inside lane closer to the mountain than the cliffs) rises and falls — it rolls down by the sea where we were so close that a torrent wave rose up and crashed on the road and our car; then in a moment we’ve climbed up a cliff side and peer over the furthest edges of America.