Let’s get my car
It was finally time to get the car and set off on a journey. I had my breakfast and set off to the Airport, as this is where my car was waiting for me. I booked it a few months in advance, for £405 through Avis. As mentioned before, insurance was purchased separately (and you definitely need insurance). I got to the airport car rental centre at about 11:30. Getting around San Francisco Airport is very straightforward, they have a train that goes in circles, stopping at all the important places. My booking was for a Toyota Rav 4, as I wanted something reliable, comfortable, and kind of fuel efficient. It turned out they were out, so I got offered a Chrysler Trailblazer instead. It was brand new, with only 700 miles on it. I did not complain at all. The lady that works for Avis has been amazing, very friendly service, answered all of my questions. Overall – great experience, can highly recommend. After I got the paperwork sorted (which took about 20 min), I went to the parking garage and searched for my car. It was waiting for me, freshly cleaned, fully fuelled, and ready to be my companion on this trip.
Let’s Go
My day one route was very easy, as I needed some time to adjust. I don’t drive in UK, so taking it easy on day one was key. The plan was simple – drive along the coast to Monterey, check in, and go on a 17 mile drive. I have booked a motel in the morning in Monterey, called The Stevenson Monterey, for only £100 per night. It looked like a proper motel, just like in the movies. I was hyped. Since I have all the navigation apps – I decided to start with Apple Map, I was in USA after all. Car was brand new, so connecting my phone to the car was easy. I have chosen the end destination and set off, ready for the California Highway.
Drive itself felt unbelievable, I could not wait to get off the highway and drive along the coast. The difference is massive. The feeling of freedom you get when you drive on smaller, less busy road is incredible. Throughout my whole drive I had ocean on my right and foggy hills on my left. Felt like a dream. It did not take long before I have reached my destination. No issues on the road – overall a pleasant first driving experience.
17 Mile Drive
After arriving to my motel, I have checked in and set out to do the 17 mile drive. The entrance was only a 5 minute drive away. There are two entrances, I have used the Highway 1 gate. You pay $12.25 per vehicle and Apple Pay / Credit cards are accepted. It was quite busy, as many people prefer not only the drive, but also enjoy the entertainment, lodging, and local scenery. I only wanted to do the drive. Coastal drive is spectacular. They offer a map once you enter, so you can just hit all the scenic points. I did not spend too much time at teach location, so i would say that the whole thing took about 2-3 hours.
Monterey and Driving further South
I was done by approximately 5PM, so drove back into town, parked my car and went exploring in Monterey. Town is very quaint and picturesque. It had a gorgeous looking pier, dotted with little shops and restaurants. I even spotted a sea lion just playing in the water, it was great. Right next to the pier is a great little road that if you follow it along the bay you will enter the old town, where Monterey Canning Company used to be located. Overall 10/10 – great first day on the road. I was tired but excited to see what else this trip is going to bring.
This motel did not offer breakfast, but it had plenty of suitable locations near by. You could go to Denny’s or you could do what I did for breakfast and go to the Wild Plum Cafe. I had the best omelette and black coffee. I was ready to continue, as the plan for the day was to continue along the coast all the way to Oceano, where I booked another motel called Dune Surfer inn (for £88! Bargain!). It was going to be a long drive, but I was not in a hurry. I woke up at 6 am, so had plenty of day light to drive. The trouble was that the direct route along the coast was not possible, due to road closure, but I knew that I wanted to see as much of the coast as possible, so so my route ended up looking a little like this:
I drove from Monterey to where the road is closed in Big Sur, turned back to Highway 101, went a long the boring road up to King City, where I turned towards the coast across the park, fields, hills, and narrow roads. It was great – best decision ever. Interestingly enough, I did not plan to take this route, I just happened to notice the turn and went along. Spirit of adventure and all. I also had to refuel my car for the first time. It was bad, but not as bad as I imagined, I paid $40 for 8.5 gallons, which is a lot for USA, but compared to Europe it was fine.
The drive through this “shortcut” was very picturesque. Road took me from scorching fields with signs of a recent fire. Into hot foothills with loads of old trees and into the hills overlooking the Coast. I did not see much of the coast to be honest, as everything was covered by a thick layer of fog and clouds. The sight was unreal. Oh, and there was no cell reception, so pre-downloading the offline maps was worth it. The road took me very high into the hills and once I descended I continued to drive north, turned around and started driving as if I did not just make a massive detour, all as I was hoping. The drive along the California Highway was very impressive. Honestly, if you ever get a change – do it! You get a lot of scenic Vista Points along the way, where you can stop, stretch, take a few pictures, take in the scenery. I continued driving all the way to my motel, where I checked in and went in search of food, as I was pretty hungry by that point (it was about 5 PM). Google maps recommendation was to go to Pier 101 Seafood Restaurant. I was blown away by the freshness of the food and the the taste explosion. It could have been the hunger, but I believe it was simply the ingredients and the food. I believe I had the day special, which was mahi mahi and fish tacos. Full of delicious food and with a full head of beautiful sights I went to my motel and got to sleep.
Last Leg on the Pacific Coast
As always, I was up nice and early, eager to continue. Today was the final leg of the scenic California Highway. The goal was to go along the coast all the way to Los Angeles, where I had a hotel booked for the next four days, Royal Palace Westwood Hotel. As always, I was deliberately choosing to avoid Freeways and stick to smaller roads with more scenery and less traffic (it did not matter the closer I got to LA).
I had a quick breakfast burrito and black coffee and set off. The roads felt a lot busier the closer I got to Santa Barbara, which was my first stop on the way. I heard that it is very pretty, so had to check it out. I parked near the sea in the marina and went to explore and grab a coffee. Funny enough, while I was in line to get the coffee, I overheard a girl in front of me chatting. She was telling another lady in line that she is from Lithuania and that there are not that many of us, about 3 millions in the world. And there I was, also from Lithuania, standing right behind. Small world. Anyway, I got my coffee, explored a little bit more. Overall I would say that Santa Barbara looked pretty, I was not blown away, but I did find it interesting. I am sure that I would enjoy it more if I had spent more than 2 hours there.
After Santa Barbara it was pretty much a straight line to Los Angeles. I went through Malibu, took a few pictures, tried to imagine Charlie Sheen living there (2 and Half Men reference). It was great and it was getting warm. All the time I spent driving from San Francisco I was wearing Jeans and a long sleeve shirt (and a hoodie in the mornings). It was quite cold. But now, approaching LA, I could feel the heat and the sun, it was great. The road was under construction a lot, so the driving speed limit was very low, I believe I was going something like 25 miles an hour, which was a blessing in disguise, as I have heard about how relentless LA traffic can be. having encountered no issues, my trusty Apple Maps navigator shown me the way to my new home for the next few days. I arrive, parked, and checked in. Ready to see what LA has in store for me.
