california coast roadtrip pt 2

There were so many places we wish we could’ve stopped at but could only enjoy them as we drove through. The sun sets a lot earlier that time of the year from around 3:30PM and we wanted to be able to see the last attraction (Big Sur) while its still light… hence the rush 🙁

Pismo Beach

There were many amazing beaches along the way, but one of the popular recommendations is Pismo Beach, and we can see why. Mountain views on one side and the long pier on the other.

Hearst San Simeon State Park

This was not one of the stops planned but driving by we loved the look of the pier, sitting high above the water. We just had to stop to get a few photos of this picture perfect view.

A few min down the road we spotted groups of elephant seals, just lazing around in the sun. They were in a fenced off area but that did not stop tourists for leaning over for photos. I wonder if these seals knew how much audience they were gaining during their nap time.

Big Sur

We’re up to the most scenic part of the road trip! The infamous, Big Sur known for its jaw dropping views as you drive around the hills/cliffs. It was a good 2 hours or so of these views, no doubt would get tiring driving through especially with limited stopping areas, but seriously who would get sick of views like these?? This area could also be pretty dangerous too especially when it rains and chance of rocks tumbling down (though some parts are fenced off for safety).

Most of the trip is along the coast, the last leg drives through a more foresty part, by that point the sun was already quite low.

It is highly recommended to fill up on petrol before getting close to the Big Sur area, otherwise you have to drive the whole 2 hours before coming across another petrol station… which charges double the usual costs of petrol! Yup, that was us, we were wondering how far we can get with whatever is left in the tank and as a result paid the premium price.

Monterey

We made it to the accommodation after dark, we stayed at Super 8 Motel (didn’t get any photos of it, but it was pretty good for a motel!) for the night before another day of driving. We thought we would be limited with food choices being in a smallish town, but we were wrong – it wasn’t a small town. Across the road frm our motel was Del Monte Centre, which had plenty of shops such as Macys, H&M, Pottery Barn, Starbucks etc. as well as a selection of restaurants. We spotted Whole Foods and wandered in with the intention to buy snacks or stuff for a light breakfast the next day. Instead, we were excited by what we found in there – decent, inexpensive dinner options!

DIY Salad Bar – is amazing! They also had a large selection of soups (so perfect for the cold weather) and other hot foods to choose from – chicken, pasta, ready made salads, cooked vegetables.. and more. We need this kind of thing in Aussie supermarkets! or we just need Whole Foods here!