Day 2

We woke up early to start our trip down the Cali Coast on Route 1. After a nice breakfast provided by Uncle Paul we were on our way. The drive from Redwood City to Route 1 on the coast was a gorgeous drive through groves of Redwoods, hairpin turns, and dramatic elevation changes. The girls were a little nauseous because of the constant turns. Once we made it to the coast, we stopped at Bean Hollow State Park and dipped our feet in the Pacific Ocean (felt like Maine water!). Southward we meandered, driving through Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Carmel before entering the famous Big Sur area. Considered one of the gorgeous coastal drives in the world, it did not dissapoint!! Breathtaking views of a rugged coastline, dramatic hills, and treacherous curves made it a unique experience. Recent wildfires showed their punch by huge areas of burnt forest as well as a smoky smell in the air. We enjoyed a lunch of PBJ sandwiches at Phiffer Beach which had some cool natural arches, big waves, and unique rock formations. We then made our way down the coast and stopped at SLO (San Luis Obispo) which is a very cool California coastal town. They close down their main street for a Farmer's market/live music/vendor event every Thursday evening which coincidentally was when we were rolling through! Indulgence was my crime here as I stuffed myself with BBQ ribs, beans, garlic bread and then some Frozen Yogurt with a plethora of candy toppings! The frozen yogurt place was called Yogurt Creations and I will be starting my own when I get back to Cambridge. You can take as much yogurt as you like and add any combination of toppings/sauce as you would like and you pay by the weight. Nonfat yogurt and the self-service touch would make this place a hotspot in Cambridge! After dinner we drove down the coast a bit further searching for a motel for the night. We ended up staying at Shell Beach Motel in Pismo Beach. This room was a little tight for 4 of us but adequate for these tired road trippers! There was a little sign on the door that said “Siren information: If you hear a siren sounding for 3-5 solid minutes than tune to the radio to 900 or 1500AM. The funny thing is that at 11pm what should we hear blaring outside but some kind of siren/alarm. We had NO idea what that sound meant but it definitely perked our interest! Dan and Emily threw on some clothes and headed out to the car to investiage via the radio. Of course all they heard was Opera/ Talk radio and the alarm stopped after 5 minutes so it remains a mystery the purpose of the noise! Dan and I think that the liquor store next door was just getting robbed or something.