Summer Vacation - Day Two

Day Two had us waking up in San Luis Obispo with San Jose being our destination and a whole lot of US Hwy 1 to get us there. We packed up camp under clear skies that morning and headed west to Morrow Bay. Unfortunately the coast was socked in fog, so the cameras sat idle for a couple of hours.

just rolling in to the coastal fog

Allie grabbed a mocha at a local coffee shop in the sleepy town and we hit another great stretch of 1. North of Morro Bay lies San Simeon and Hearst Castle. Just as the clouds started to break, we noticed a number of minivans and RVs pulled along side the road with families gawking at.......holy crap - zebras(?!?!).

I threw the telephoto lens on and snagged a few shots. Apparently they're just some of the many exotic animals from the legacy of William Randolph Hearst. We didn't have time or budget to tour the castle this time, maybe the next time we head north.

putting the binoculars to good use

Miles and miles later we all needed a bathroom break and came across Ragged Point Inn at the perfect time. Situated on a, yes, ragged point jutting out high above the Pacific, this also proved to be the most-photogenic stop on the entire trip. The magnificent twisted trees also satiated Celeste during her summer of climbing.

Rocky Point even has a nature trail that takes you down to the water's edge. See it below? No?It's a long way down and an even-longer way back up. Legs already comfortably stretched from wandering the grounds for about an hour, we wisely stayed up top as I was itching to get back on the road.
At this point Hwy 1 becomes extremely winding. Fun in the van, likely not-too fun for those piloting lumbering RVs along the coast.

mandatory thru-the-windshield shots

For the second day in a row we managed to find another nice, wide spot in the road and pulled over for lunch.

rest for Klaus

sadly I can't find the third shot of this series - the one from Celeste's card

Of course a few turns up the road we found an even-better turnout with a fantastic view, barking sea lions and beggar squirrels.

"nom nom nom" -squirrel

The journey continued...
...we did quick detours through downtown Monterey and Santa Cruz and then met with friend Don at his office in Scotts Valley. Got stuck behind a car crash on CA State Route 17 (one of the most dangerous highways in the state), then soldiered on to Don and Stacey's place in San Jose.

And to satisfy someone who says I never post any pix of me, here goes:

dork with camera