We did the drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco over 3 days and 2 nights. Day 1: LA to Cambria; Day 2: Cambria to Monterey; Day 3: Monterey to San Francisco. This schedule was fairly comfortable. We arranged it so that we would have a full day for the famed Big Sur (Day 2). It was a wise decision as it was our favourite part of the whole drive.
Highlights
Zebras
Spotting zebras grazing by the road was quite a surprise. I later realised they must belong to Hearst Castle.
Elephant Seals Rookery
Located north of Cambria, just a little before Big Sur, is a boardwalk where one can observe elephant seals in their natural habitat. The majority of the pups were asleep but a couple were practising their fighting skills.
Big Sur
Big Sur blew all my expectations out of the water. The layers of blue with patches of turquoise, grand jagged coastlines and relentless thunderous waves were an arresting sight.
Ran into a number of squirrels along the way.
McWay Falls
Tiniest waterfall ever.
Nepenthe Restaurant
The clouds rolled in just as we reached Nepenthe, casting a grey shadow on the amazing view. A little disappointing but foggy Big Sur is still a sight to behold and the food was great (albeit pricey). We ordered their house favourites, Ambrosia Burger ($17.50) & Shrimp BLT ($23).
Bixby Bridge
Point Lobos State Reserve
Monterey
Monterey is a coastal city full of vintage charm. The walk from Fisherman’s Wharf to Cannery Row took us past a colony of sea lions and a small group of harbour seals. The adorable harbour seals stole our hearts. The way they heaved and bounced themselves onto rocks for a spot of sun-tanning was a marvel. (Fun fact: Sea lions have ear flaps but harbour seals do not.)
I’m glad we had time for a seafood lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf before leaving for San Francisco. Yummy!
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