We left Monterey today to continue our drive along the Pacific Coast Highway 1 to our next stopover in Santa Barbara. This road was everything we expected, 250 miles of incredible, stunning coastline that's so picturesque with so much diversity in landscape as we started at Pacific Grove on to the famous 17 mile drive, before stopping at the famous Bixby bridge and then on in to Big Sur. We left the hotel just before 10 am and rolled into Santa Barbara at 7.30 pm after stopping in Morro Bay for lunch and countless other pull-ins to admire the view along the way.
The Big Sur section has to be one of the most wonderful roads and I have to say I would love to come back and do it again on my bike. Funnily enough, while at one of the visitor stops I met a German biker who had shipped his GSA over to Halifax, and had ridden down from Alaska (sorry Helen, just had s to stop for a chat).
The road around San Simmion near Hearst Castle high above the valley overlooking the bay was like a moonscape with deserted beaches. Pismo beach was huge, with no soul around either.
Late afternoon, we drove through the small town of Guadalupe, and right in front of us lay the incredible vista of the San Rafael Mountains. I had plotted a route to take us up and over the San Marcos pass - part of the old stagecoach route before dropping us down in to Santa Barbara with a quick visit to the famous Mission, before arriving at our one night stopover at the Best Western. Santa Barbara is a pretty place in the foothills of the mountains.
Pebble Beach and 17 mile drive - the toll road through upmarket golf courses and mansions. Motorcycles are banned!
Heading toward Big Sur.
The famous Bixby Bridge.
Point Sur.
Big Sur park.
German GSA rider down from Alaska.
Morro Bay and the volcanic rock.
Farmland - very rural near Guadalupe.
San Rafael mountains and San Raphael wilderness.
The famous Mission.
Hotel view.
