Damkier's Travels: Pacific Coast Highway & Monterey

Bixby Bridge along Highway 1

It was always a dream of mine to drive California Highway 1 between San Simeon and Monterey. The Pacific Coast Highway hugs the California coastline across most of the state, but this section is the most remote and most harrowing part of the journey. Most of the route are winding switchbacks perched precariously above the roaring surf below with sheer cliffs on both sides of your vehicle.

Highway Bridge

The entire highway seems an affront to Mother Nature cutting through landscape like it does not belong. It is a constant battle with landslides often shutting down the road and causing lots of maintenance. There are a few small towns along this route, but most of it is rural and unspoiled. This makes it truly spectacular and unusually serene. I was able to stop often along the route to enjoy the scenery.

Elephant Seals along the Route

All said, it takes about 3 hours to drive the route straight. I highly recommend taking all day with lots of stops. The drive is rather intense with a lot of effort and nerve required to survive the curves and traffic. My day began overcast and ended with beautiful sun near Big Sur. Driving northbound allows you to hug the inland side of the road instead of the ocean side, although the road is relatively safe in most areas. Make sure to gas up before hand as the limited stations charge a lot!

Cannery Row in Monterey

I ended my drive in Monterey. That meant I was able to brave the Monterey Bay Aquarium and its steep admission fees. What do you expect when all the animals eat gourmet seafood? The aquarium is truly world class attracting visitors from around the globe. Even on a weekday, the place was packed with visitors of all ages. Make sure to enjoy every exhibit and eat beforehand since the on site cafeteria is pricy and not that good. The aquatic exhibits are very good and helped calm my nerves after tackling the PCH. Unfortunately, they were all sold out of the cool T-Shirts.

Sunset near Fort Ord

The end of my day and trip was sunset at the beach. My hotel was within walking distance of the beach, and I arrived just in time to see the last minutes of the day and several whales in Monterey Bay. We all watched the day end in awesome glory. Please enjoy the rest of my photos below.