Day 88 - Pacific Coast Highway and Big Sur

In June 2017, we wrote about the mud slide on Highway 1 that had had closed the road until September 2018. We reluctantly changed our route coming off the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and onto the 101 heading inland to Pinnacles National Park.

When we were in San Diego, we heard that the road damaged by the mud slides had been opened earlier than expected. A quick check online and we found out that they were reopened it on the 18th July, just a couple of weeks before we were due to head up that way on our road trip.

We debated for a while about what to do. We really wanted to travel along the PCH to see the Elephant Seals and Big Sur but we'd already booked to stay in Pinnacles National Park which aligned with our replaned route along the 101.

We stopped off in San Luis Obispo (SLO) for lunch and to decide what to do. This was the town where the 101 and the PCH split and we needed to decide which one we were going to take. After a walk around town, a look at the disgusting bubble gum alley (we did not add to this 'art', it was too disgusting and I wanted to get away from it as quick as possible!) and lunch at the Tiki Bar, we both said "sod it, let's just do it". It was going to add a couple of hours onto our journey and probably meant that we'd turn up at Pinnacles just as it was getting dark but we had two nights in Pinnacles so we could afford the time.

I am so glad we made this decision as the PCH is an awesome road around the Big Sur area. Even with the fog and the smoke from wild fires, the views were stunning and the drive was a lot of fun.

It was mating season for the Elephant Seals so there was some fighting and frisky behaviour. We loved watching them come out of the water where they would flop along for a few feet and then have a little rest from all the effort before trying to flop a few more feet. They reminded me of how I feel after eating Christmas dinner or an all you can eat Chinese.

We have driven the PCH around Big Sur twice now and on both occasions drove North from LA to San Francisco. Each time we've done this trip, we have said that the best way to do this road is actually going South so that you're driving right next to the cliff edge and you have uninterrupted views out to sea without any other cars getting in the way. Next time we need to remember this!