NORTHERN BLT
Today was our last full day on trek. We had a long driving day but knew it would be filled with amazing views along the Pacific Coast Highway.
This was one of the days I had been most looking forward too, even though it was mostly gonna be spent in the van i couldn't wait to see the amazing views.
It was a pretty gloomy day in San Fran, we got some breakfast at the hostel and headed out for a quick walk around for the final time in the city before getting our stuff together. Jake brought the van around near to the front of the hostel and we packed all our luggage in for the penultimate time.
We headed out of the city, and whilst the beginning of the drive wasn't filled with amazing views as we headed nearer our first stop we got some amazing ocean views, seeing people on beaches, it felt like the holiday part of the trek trip. The sun was out giving some incredible views of Monterey Bay before we made a lunch stop in...
Monterey, California:
This was a great place for a lunch stop. Jake dropped us all off and went off to park the van. We split off into groups and wandered around, taking in the views at the marina. The water was incredible, so clear and we spotted starfish from the boardwalk.
Me and my trek buddy who id done most hikes with wandered around some shops and headed into a local sandwich shop for lunch.
After this we spent a bit longer wandering and it really felt like a different pace of life here to anywhere else we had been. Everything was more chilled and I was loving this Cali beach life already.
We went back to the meeting point and Jake brought the van back which we all climbed into to make our way further down the coast.
It was a shame we didn't have a bit longer here as I would have liked to go into the sea life centre as the marine life is what Monterey is known for but there wasn't a lot else to do.
The next part of our drive, whilst long, was amazing and are some of my favourite views of the trip. The roads were very windey and hugged the coastline, very close to the edge but it made for the most amazing views and driving / passenger experience ever.
You could see for miles down the coastline and see and the shapes of the land. As well as seeing far out into the ocean, the ocean went out and faded into the distance. The colours of the sky, sea and coastline were incredible and changed throughout the day from bright blues to dusky pastel blues, pinks and purples.
It made me appreciate nature a lot more and made me wonder why I hadn't travelled like this before, you could not get a more beautiful long drive. You won't regret picking a trek with the cali coast drive included.
About mid afternoon we made a stop at...
Big Sur, California:
We pulled over on the side of the road. You would see small stopping areas all the way along the coast for cars and bigger areas and see people looking out at different points.
We made our way along the road then took a path closer to the coast. This was some of the best views I have ever seen. we were looking down onto a black and waterfall out to sea, the pacific ocean.
It was a really sunny day and the clouds of the sky into the distance were incredible. The colours of the water were green and blue and so clear.
It was a very peaceful stop where you felt very tranquil.
After spending time enjoying the scenery and taking some peaceful time out we headed back to the van and carried on down the coast.
We made another stop further along for a bathroom break and to get a drink. There was some more great scenery here. We then headed back on the road to...
San Simeon, California:
This was another impressive nature / wildlife stop today. We pulled into a parking area and took a short walk to the nearby beach and Piedras Blancas Rookery.
The weather had turned cloudy but the view was still impressive, although this visit was more about the sights and sounds of the animals. It was a spectacular sight of Elephant seals for as far as you could see along the huge stretch of sandy beach. They were rolling around on the sand, hopping into the sea and playing around. They were so loud, calling to each other but despite this it was a pretty tranquil chilled experience just watching seals in their natural habitat. The most impressive thing about this stop was the amount of seals, there were hundreds for miles and made you appreciate nature again on a day filled with some amazing views.
After a while taking it all in we went back to the van to make it to our dinner stop for the evening to have a big group meal with a sea view at...
Pismo Beach, California:
We got out the van for our final evening stop before our motel and headed into a beautiful restaurant the Spyglass Inn in the Pismo Beach area of San Luis Obispo, overlooking the bay. It had an outside dining area and we arrived as the sun was setting. It was right on the water and we had an amazing view out to sea for our final meal together. We ate, drank and chatted for a couple of hours and it was a perfect way to spend our final night on trek.
It felt really blissful, relaxing and was one of the best dining views I've ever had. As the sun went down and it got dark, it was very atmospheric with the outside fire lamps keeping us warm as it got cold by the sea. This evening topped off a very chilled out day, perfect Cali memories!
We finished up dinner and headed out onto our motel. We got checked in in our usual pairs and by this point it was pretty late. My roommate headed out to spend some time with a few of the group. I got myself organised, showered, settled into the big comfy room and watched a bit of tv to relax before our final day.
ITINERARY (LISTED): Beautiful Drive Day - Live Life SLO
DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): 300
ACCOMMODATION: Lexington Inn - SLO County, California
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