Total Mileage: 3250
License Plate Total: 48
Our next stop in California was Los Angeles. And yes we
decided to get there in one day (you’re only young once right?). Looking back I
wish we had more time to see more along the way but we were on a tight schedule.
Also at this point in the trip we are so used to driving for 8 hours or more
that it was doable. One of the biggest recommendations about California that we
had gotten prior to arriving in the Golden State, was to drive Highway 1 along
the coast to LA. Well we were apprehensive to say the least after hearing about
there being many curves and spots without guardrails. As a person afraid of
heights and prone to motion sickness I was nervous. We also didn’t want me to
have to drive the whole thing because Rachel is still a novice driver. So we
decided that we would drive down Highway 1 to Monterey so that we could see
some of the coast and then drive over to Interstate 5. I’m really glad we did.
Even with it being overcast, the curves and changing scenery made the 4 hour
trip picturesque, but also short. In Monterey we stopped at their State Beach
to stick our toes in the Pacific Ocean (a first for both of us). The water was
COLD, and I’m used to swimming in the ocean in Maine. After seeing so many farm
stands along the way we had to stop at one and pick up some fresh California
produce. We got peaches, nectarines, avocados, and honeydew. They all tasted
AMAZING! Before getting back on the road we saw a sign for an estate sale that
we had to check out. It wasn’t the greatest sale. It seemed like they had
cleared out the entire house- even down to the salt packets and teabags- and
set it out in the yard. But it was still fun to dig around in.
We then headed back on the road and drove to LA without too
many other highlights besides the forest fire smoke. The air looked gray and
almost foggy, but as we drove through miles of it the smell of smoke told us it
wasn’t just smog. We weren’t anywhere near the fires, but it was amazing (and
slightly unsettling) to think that the smoke traveled so many miles. Besides
the smoke there wasn’t much else noteworthy about the drive although the
mountains past Bakersfield had such great colors with the sun beginning to set.
We finally made it to Los Angeles without much traffic to
our amazement. I guess it was because it was after rush hour and a Monday
night. After checking into our hotel we decided on the LA famous Pink's Hotdogs for dinner. Standing in a long line outside perusing the menu reminded us both
of waiting for cheesesteaks at Geno’s or Pat’s. The hot dogs were worth the
wait, and it was a great way to end a day California sightseeing.
-Cassie
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| (In case you can't see it, it's says Road Trip 2012) |
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