US Highway 1, also known as Big Sur
March 25
This is the absolute must on this trip: driving the 17 Mile Drive. There is an entry fee for the road, and it is truly stunning and absolutely worth seeing!!! We start the drive at Pacific Grove Gate. A definite highlight is Cypress Point and the Ghost Tree, but the beaches are simply beautiful too. There are plenty of pullouts and signs, so you are guaranteed not to miss a single viewing point. We end the drive at Carmel Gate, as we still need to continue heading south.
At the end of the 17 Mile Drive, Carmel awaits — a typical small Californian town. Worth seeing in Carmel is the Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo (a complex dating from 1770 with lovely gardens).
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
We continue along the breathtaking coastline with fantastic scenery heading south on Highway 1. Beautiful pullouts can be found all along the route. Make sure to stop at the pullout before the Bixby Creek Bridge and take some photos. Those who scan the horizon carefully — like us — might even spot whales! We continue along the Big Sur: we make a brief stop at the Nepenthe Restaurant. A little further on comes Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. We stretch our legs here for a while. It is a beautifully landscaped park. We spent a really long time at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery near San Simeon. We have seen quite a lot already, but never so many elephant seals all in one place!
Continuing on Highway 1 to Pismo Beach
Due to time constraints we unfortunately could not visit the famous Hearst Castle near San Simeon (a newspaper magnate's home with 160 rooms — guided tours available), and our coffee break before Pismo Beach at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo (perched on a hill — every room is decorated in the style of a different era or nationality, and there is a waterfall in the cave room) was rather brief. We also could not fit in the detour to Salinas (a small Californian town and birthplace of John Steinbeck).
We arrive quite late in Pismo Beach, checking in at the truly recommendable Seacrest Oceanfront.
