Miles: 350
Route: San Francisco, CA - Santa Barbara, CA
Sarah and I drove up the California coast during our trip out here in 2012 so we were pretty excited to do the drive again this morning. That said, when we did it in 2012 we were driving a rented convertible...which isn't quite the same as our trusty Avalon. Regardless, the drive south was just as beautiful as we remembered and we pulled off frequently to take some pictures.
I was warned that the south-bound route would be more difficult than the north-bound one since we'd be on the outside of the roadway, closer to the edge of the cliffs that make the drive so memorable, but I didn't notice a big difference. In fact, it was incrementally more convenient to pull off to see the sights since the parking areas are all off the south-bound side of the road.
Anyway, not much more to say about the drive...I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!
Our first stop - going to be a good day of driving.
Taking in the sights.
Classic Big Sur.
The view for another vista further south.
Instagram post done, Sarah could pose for a picture too.
Elephant Seals near San Simeon.
Once we arrived in Santa Barbara we headed down to the water to find some good seafood for dinner. Brophy Bros. did not disappoint - we'd highly recommend a stop here if you're ever passing through Santa Barbara! Despite how much Sarah loves to share food, we both ended up ordering the same thing: Cajun spiced sea bass with vegetables on the side and clam chowder to start. It's a good thing we each got our own because it was so good I don't think either of us would've been willing to share a bite!
Santa Barbara Harbor.
Tomorrow we'll linger in Santa Barbara for a few hours then make the short drive to LA for a few days - I've never spent any time in LA and Sarah was little when she was here last so we're excited to explore the city!