Route 1 is a tourist route which takes you along the coast of Northern California. i wanted to spend the day moving under my own steam and so I rented a car. That in itself was very difficult because I don’t own a credit card. So I had to get my American friend to use her card. Then I got handed the keys to a large black Chrysler. The lady at Enterprise said I could have a truck in stead but the Chrysler was already twice the size of any other car I had even driven.
Big Sur hugs the coast so tightly that it is often blocked by landslides. And so it was when I headed south in my big black beauty. But even with the road closed, there was still an hour and a half of very careful driving to be had.
It soon became clear that the road is actually only used by tourists – not locals heading south – they take the fast road. And so the state of California keeps this road maintained just so that people like me can enjoy the cliffs and rugged coast. all along the road there are plenty of pull-ins with tourists (not many speaking English) taking selfies and videos.
I stopped for a drink in Big Sur itself which is just a collection of buildings, not exactly a village even. Then had lunch near the end of the road. I paid $35 for a Caesar salad and a bottle of water – it was the cheapest thing on the menu. God this place is seriously expensive – it is impossible to live cheaply and still eat.
Having spent about 4 hours driving slowly along Big Sur and stopping to take pictures and having lunch and ice-cream, I headed back in the direction of Monterey. I decided to take another look at Carmel which I had seen a few days earlier and been very impressed with. That’s another crazy expensive place.
I got tempted by a 50% off hoodie which is handy here as the mornings are a bit brisk and you need to wrap up for a walk on the beach. Driving on the right of the road needs a lot of concentration as does driving an automatic car and having a start buttong instead of keys and using a foot brake instead of a handbrake.
I bashed my hand numerous times on the door as my reflexes reached for the handbrake at traffic lights. But it was worth it. Big Sur is a worthwhile day trip as long as he state keep maintaining the road for the millions of tourists who want to marvel at the cliffs while dodging landslides.