On the Pacific Coast Highway on our way to San Francisco

I didn't pay any attention to the fact that highway 1, the pacific coast highway, was right on the coast.  The highway rambles along the coastline, sometimes there are mountains on one side and water on the other.  The terrain and the weather change often. The fog gives an eerie backdrop to the drought stricken hills and the bright sunshine brings out a turquoise hue in many of the inlets and bays.

If I were planning another trip along the coast, I would drive from the North to the South. The roads had so many curves that Mark had little time to look left and right.  If we were headed south, Georgy and I could hang our heads out the window and take in the ocean breezes and vistas.

In a small town called Cayucos, we stopped for lunch and enjoyed the tourists.  We caught a glimpse of a whale that breached (although never a full breach.)  We're told it was likely a gray or blue whale.  What a treat!

Georgy was planning her part of the trip. We had the best brown butter and seasalt cookies.  

The elephant seals were nice to visit but I wouldn't want them as neighbors!  Noisy buggers whose affinity for fish seems to foul the air in their vicinity.  

They hang out on the rocks, eat, swim and sun themselves.  Sounds like retirement to me!

Fog, not smoke, covered the mountain tops and was constantly moving.  

My captain completing one of many pre-flight checks.  (or it could just be Mark trying to save presets on the radio!)

It seems we have President Roosevelt and the WPA to thank for some of these bridges and roadways.  Many of them date back to the 30's.

It felt as though we were in the wilderness and then suddenly, there was a sprawling metropolis that awaited us over the last hill.