The Scenic Route

It is often said that the Grand Canyon is one of the few things that, when you see it with your own eyes, it doesn't disappoint. Having seen the Grand Canyon, I must agree with that assessment. However, on our recent trip to California, I found myself with that same feeling as Kristen and I drove down California Highway 1, otherwise known as the Pacific Coast Highway. Beginning in Los Angeles and extending North to Olympia, Washington, the PCH merges with several other highways on its scenic journey northward. We knew it was going to mean a longer trip, but we figured it would be worth it. We were right.

Leaving LA, we came upon the scrubby hills as valleys of southern California. I was reminded of the geography described by the incomparable John Steinbeck in books like The Pastures of Heaven and East of Eden. In fact, the whole trip showed me the California that's beautiful, the California that Steinbeck loved.

I thought these mountains were beautiful, not realizing the stunning views that were to come.

After driving through the scrubby foothills for a while, we emerged along the coast near Santa Barbara.

We stopped at this spot to take a few pictures. It was postcard material for sure!

Next we entered the more wooded and rocky section of the highway. The road was one lane each way, and some of the curves were very sharp. Nevertheless, the view was unbelievable.

This section brought us through the Los Padres National Forest and the Big Sur area. We passed Redwoods and perched high along ocean cliffs. The view was stunning.

My parents were gracious enough to allow us to use their rental car for the trip to San Francisco and to find our way around the town. While it was a great vehicle for moving 6-7 people around, the heavy, wide GMC Yukon was a chore to drive on the narrow mountain roads. It made the trip all the more interesting!

Our last stop before heading inland at Monterey was at the Bixby Bridge near Carmel, California. When I was researching the PCH to determine if it would indeed be worth driving, I came across a picture of this bridge, and was convinced by that photograph that the scenery of the drive was worth the extra time.

This is probably my favorite picture from the drive. Views like this made the 10 hours completely worth it.

This was only the beginning of this section of our trip. I'll post pictures from San Francisco and Los Angeles sometime soon. When I think back on this trip, I can't help but be reminded of the importance of taking the scenic route. Most of the time we move to fast and bury our free time with a barrage of electronic messages...it's worth it to take the time to get away from it all and see the beauty of the Creation of God.

To all my faithful readers...sorry for the long absence in posting. I will be posting more this summer, and hopefully I'll finally get this blog template put together.