Big Sur Coastal Highway: Rugged, Unstable, But Oh-So Beautiful

Continuing our way south from San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Highway, we were about to enjoy some of California's most iconic views. Big Sur is the name of the rugged, mountainous section of that highway that runs down the center of the state.

Along the way, travelers can enjoy ...

amazing rock formations,

secluded sandy beaches,

unique waterfalls,

and sweeping expanses of beauty along endless stretches of this dramatic coastline-hugging road.

The roughly 90 mile stretch that runs between Carmel and San Simeon, California is considered a "bucket list road trip" kind of highway.

But sometimes life throws in a few road blocks ...

Because of the active geological nature of the area, the Big Sur section is considered one of the most beautiful and also one of the most unstable sections of the famous coastal roadway. In recent years, various stretches of road have been closed as a result of rock slides and wildfires.

 

Currently, an approximately seven mile section between Slates Hot Springs and Lime Kiln State Park is closed. Knowing this, we decided to do a couple of  "out and back" trips in order to see what we could of this famous stretch of road.

Some highlights of our journey down the "Big Sur" section of the California Coast Highway included ...

Scenic Vistas and Coastal Hikes

Heading south out of San Francisco, the traffic decreased as the scenery increased. Doug found some scenic vistas and short hikes at Shark Fin Cove and Gray Whale Cove. Numerous California state parks line the coast, so since we had to pay the entrance fee to dump and fill our tanks, we decided to enjoy a luscious lunchtime view at Half Moon State Park.

Santa Cruz

Because of the popularity of this coastal region, there are not a lot of places where overnight boondocking is allowed. We found a convenient resting spot in Santa Cruz through our Harvest Host/Boondockers Welcome membership. The next morning we joined the throngs of people enjoying a beautiful Saturday on the famous Santa Cruz Boardwalk. 

My expert "coffee sleuth" found us a nearby parking spot and caffeine at Shrine Coffee, a super cute cafe located in the garden area next to the Shrine of St Joseph.

California's Agricultural Gems

The mountains disappear just south of Santa Cruz and fertile fields take their place.  Here we found the "artichoke capital of the world" in Castroville, California. Because we were still close to the coastline, we also found a good fish and chips restaurant for lunch. Our side dish, however, required some "Google" research in order to figure out the proper way to eat this monstrous vegetable.

Monterey, California

We found a nice boondocking spot for a couple of nights in the surprisingly quiet oceanside town of Monterey. This fishing village is the site of "Cannery Row" which was made famous by John Steinbeck's novel.  It has now been transformed into a lively shopping, dining, and entertainment destination.

 A very boisterous colony of sea lions had taken over a seaside park and didn't seem too willing to allow us to join in on their picnic.

Good thing we had already decided that the local taco truck and Dust Bowl Brewing were more to our liking.

The Northern Big Sur Stretch

The following day as we drove south on Highway 1, we officially entered the "Big Sur" section of the coastline. Our first stop was Carmel Beach which is touted by many to be one of the best beaches in the United States. While there were long stretches of  fine white sand, we felt that the amount of people and the "dog-friendliness" of the beach actually took away from the charm.

We exchanged sandy beaches for expansive views a few miles down the road at Garrapata State Park when we hiked the Bluff Trail. 

(For those who may be wondering, "Garrapata" means "tick" in Spanish, but thankfully we didn't find any.)

When Doug finds me a lunchtime view like this, he is cheerfully rewarded with "breakfast" ... that is, banana pancakes!

Our next hike was the Partington Cove Trail which gave us amazing views of the two quiet hidden coves below us.

Next up was McWay Falls which is located in Julie Pfeiffer Burns State Park. This unique beachside waterfall could be easily viewed from the roadway. It would have been fun to be able to walk down there, but the state park trail only takes you to a slightly closer viewpoint. So we admired the uniqueness from afar and continued down the road to Big Sur's northern closure. After traveling forty-five miles, it was "U-turn" time ... time to make our way back up the coast to Monterey.

Morro Bay

From Monterey, it's a 140 mile long "detour" inland in order to get back to the coastal highway. This detour route also led us to our original reason for being on the California coast ... a Hymer meet-up for van owners like us!

The five day event was a great time to meet and reconnect with friends who share a similar passion for travel.

It took place over Halloween weekend so we were able to enjoy the creative characters who showed up for the "Witches' Paddle" in the bay.

Going along with the theme of our weekend which was "The Wicked Witch Meets Santa Claus", our group also donned costumes during the pot luck luncheon.

Can you guess who is sometimes a little bit wicked, and who is always nice??!!

The "nice" one found us another beautiful hike near Morro Bay. There were more breath-taking views to enjoy as we hiked the Bluff Trail in Montana de Oro State Park.

The Southern Big Sur Stretch

From Morro Bay we made a day trip to check out the other end of the Big Sur Coastal Highway traveling 45 miles up to where we were once again greeted with a "road closed" sign. 

While we were anticipating this, I felt bad for the vehicle that pulled up behind us. Somehow, he missed the numerous warning signs along the way. He was a bit bummed to learn that he would have to back track almost 200 miles in order to get to his Monterey destination. That trip would "normally" have been only about 50 miles up the road ... if the road went through.

As we drove back towards Morro Bay, the scenery and pull-outs were then on our right side making it easier to make random stops. Pacific Valley Bluff Trail was our first hike and did not disappoint.

I had thought that we had left the Redwood groves in northern California, but we found a few more of these majestic giants during a short hike in Los Padres National Forest.

We would occasionally pass some construction areas where they are trying to find creative ways to prevent future road blocks on this stretch of highway.

Elephant Seals could be seen enjoying a late afternoon nap on a protected stretch of beach near San Simeon.

As we passed San Simeon, I could see the famous Hearst Castle on the distant hillside. While I originally thought about spending the day touring that extravagant mansion filled with priceless works of art, I think that I made the better choice.

 Nature's Big Sur "artwork", rugged and unstable at times, is still the most beautiful.

San Francisco's Uniqueness Will Steal Your Heart

Four years ago, we were driving towards San Francisco on a bright sunny day. We approached the Golden Gate Bridge with the hope of enjoying a clear view of the famous bridge, bay, and city.

Unfortunately, as we approached the iconic bridge, a huge cloud of fog engulfed it. After failing to find any parking on the other side, our "spur of the moment" plan to see a bit of San Francisco was a bust.

This time though, we actually developed a plan!

After finishing the northern portion of California's Pacific Coast Highway,  we had to decide whether to drive around San Francisco or through it. Doug found an "urban" campground on the northern side of the bay that was located just a short distance from the ferry. That ferry could quickly and easily take us right into the heart of downtown San Francisco. Although the RV park was a bit on the pricey side, it would be worth the cost to not have to drive the Baby Beest into downtown and try to find (and pay for) parking for the next two days. We could finally say ...

San Francisco, here we come! 

After getting parked in our campsite, we walked to the ferry on a sunny Sunday afternoon, excited to finally be able to visit "the City by the Bay". We soon found out that our "well thought out plan" had a slight flaw. Surrounded by a multitude of people also wanting to take the ferry downtown, we realized that the city was much busier than normal. Not only was it a long weekend commemorating Indigenous Peoples' Day, but the Navy's Blue Angels were performing over the San Francisco harbor that afternoon as well.

Live and learn ...

and just join in with the enthusiastic crowds on Pier 39!

 As anticipated, these skilled aerial acrobatics presented a very memorable "welcome to San Francisco" performance for us. After the air show, we walked further into town  in order to escape the crowds along the waterfront. We soon realized that ... 

... with its colorful and iconic architecture,

... its narrow and steep streets, 

... its vibrant neighborhoods,

... and its innovative forms of transportation,

San Francisco's uniqueness will steal your heart.

With that realization, our two day plan quickly turned into a five day visit. Using the iOverlander app, Doug found a marina parking area in Salsalito that allowed us to stay for three days after our "urban" campground stay. It, too, was just a short walk to the ferry, so we enjoyed five days of fun in the city followed by a ferry ride across the bay to our quiet resting place for the night.

Unique San Francisco Experiences

My preconceived notion that San Francisco would be just like any other large metropolitan area was happily proven wrong the minute we stepped off the ferry at the Port of San Francisco. Located on a peninsula, the actual city is only seven miles long and seven miles wide giving it a very "cozy" feel. Because of that, it is fairly easy to visit the many diverse neighborhoods in the city.  Some of our favorite unique experiences included ...

"Self-Driving" Waymo Cars

Doug was the first to notice these futuristic-looking cars on the street. Waymo (formally known as Google Self-Driving Car Project) offers its "robo-taxi" service in the downtown areas of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. It operates similarly to Uber ... minus the driver.

After downloading the app, Doug talked me into taking a ride to a brewery/restaurant across town ... promise me lunch and I'll try just about anything once. We found our car on the designated corner with Doug's initials flashing on its roof controls. Doug unlocked the car through the app on his phone, and as we climbed in, a calm voice greeted us with a "Welcome, Doug". 

Soothing music played on the stereo as we buckled our seat belts, and our Waymo car took off. We could watch our progress on the GPS screen as well as see any cars or pedestrians who might be near us on the roadways. There were no fast accelerations, crazy lane changes, or sudden stops ... just a calm, smooth ride.

 After dropping us off, it proceeded to join its "buddies" as they waited for their next run. The fare ended up being about $13 ... with no need to tip the driver. All in all a very fun way to travel short distances around the city. 

Free City Tour

This popular tour company offers tours in many cities around the world. With wonderful experiences while in Medellin and Cartagena, Colombia, I decided to try the San Francisco tour. Once again, our guide, who relies on tips, was knowledgeable and personable. His stories educated us on the city's colorful history as we walked around the shopping, financial, and international neighborhoods. 

Our visit to Chinatown gave us a better appreciation of the struggles and accomplishments of Asian immigrants. And our tour guide's "special connections" got us into the Chinese Fortune Cookie Factory where we were able to try some cookies fresh off the assembly line. Fun fact ... the "Chinese" Fortune Cookie was actually invented in San Francisco in the 1890s!

As we walked through the downtown area, he showed us one of San Francisco's best kept secrets ... its "Privately Owned Public Open Spaces". These tranquil plazas, terraces, atriums, and small parks are developed and maintained by private companies but can be accessed and used by the general public. They're a great place to escape the busy city and enjoy some quiet nature for a bit.

Fisherman's Wharf

Every visit to San Francisco has to include a stroll along Fisherman's Wharf. Shops of all sorts line the waterfront and offer souvenirs of all kinds.

Of course, our favorite type of souvenir is the edible type

... so Boudin's Sourdough bread, clam chowder,

... and Ghirardelli's chocolates found their way back to our van.

Chinatown

San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest and largest community of Chinese outside of Asia. As we walked through The Dragon's Gate, a colorful and active neighborhood greeted us.

Everywhere we looked, the artistic details delighted the senses.

Colorful flags, banners, and lanterns decorated the streets as shopkeepers invited visitors to check out their wares.

From freshly made Chinese Fortune Cookies

... to tasty Asian food of all types, it's easy to see why Chinatown is one of San Francisco's most popular tourist destinations.

Walk Across the Golden Gate Bridge

Parked on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge, we donned our down jackets and took a stroll across the famous 1.5 mile long bridge one afternoon. While it was sunny and mild at our parking spot, the winds and fog over the bridge can quickly drop the temps. 

That's a long way down ...

 The bridge that finally connected San Francisco with the northern part of the state was constructed during the Great Depression and completed in just four years in 1937. Originally, the Navy decided that it should be painted black and gold, but one of the architects convinced the "powers that be" that the bright "International Orange" color would be more impressive during the frequent gray foggy days,

 ... and we would have to agree!

A Visit to Alcatraz

The most infamous tourist attraction still stands tall in the San Francisco harbor. Alcatraz served as a maximum security prison from 1934 to 1963.

It was briefly occupied by Native Americans before the National Park Service took operation of the site in 1972. 

After arriving on the island by ferry, a self-guided audio tour narrated the history of the prison and its inmates as we walked past cells that housed some of the nation's most troublesome and disobedient criminals. 

City and Neighborhood Walks

Fisherman's Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz may be San Francisco's most popular tourist attractions, but we found that just walking around the city and through its unique neighborhoods was the most enjoyable. With the highest ratio of coffee shops to people in the United States, Doug found it relatively easy to get caffeinated up in preparation for our five+ miles of daily walking.

The unique architecture, from neighborhood churches

... to small but oh-so-cute multi-million dollar homes, made for interesting walks. Venturing to the top of one of the city's 48 hills provided breath-taking views of the city and waterfront.

During our five day visit, we began to understand how the uniqueness of San Francisco can (almost) steal one's heart ... if one can afford the city's higher prices. As for us, it was time to continue our southern journey down the "Big Sur" section of the Pacific Coast Highway.

This time as we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, we were grateful for the clear blue skies,

... and for being able to experience all that makes San Francisco unique.