Monday, August 28th, 2017
Monterey, CA and Los Angeles, CA
It’s 7am and we are quickly packing up the house. Sarah’s flight
leaves at 10am and I have vowed to take her to the airport despite her insistence
on taking Lyft. By 7:30am I am all packed up with about 30 minutes to spare. I decide
to make a quick run to Bookworks for a cup of coffee. They do not disappoint.
Around 8:45am we are dropping Sarah off at the airport. We say
our goodbyes and then head back to Pacific Grove for breakfast. Laura and I
both loved Red House, so we return there for our final meal. We spend most of
our time searching for things to do our smart phones; we have about 6 hours to
kill before Laura’s flight. I was thinking about renting bikes, but the terrain
is pretty hilly and neither of us want to sweat. We eventually decide to drive down
the Pacific Coast highway until we hit the freeway closure in Big Sur. After
all, Big Sur is why we came.
The drive down the coast is beautiful. The fog is thick and the ocean-side
cliffs are dramatic. We pull over a few times to look at the view. Eventually
we hit the freeway closure and Andrew Molera state park. We pull over to take a
quick look around. Our only options are hiking. We’ve had 4 whole days to
recover from Half Dome and are ready to hit the trail! We opt for a short, flat
hike to the beach. The trail is beautiful. When we arrive at the beach we are surprised
to find about 20 or so huts made from driftwood. Some are large and complex and
others are teeny tiny. This is so bizarre.
We take a few pictures and then start our way back to Monterey.
Laura drives most of the way so that I can have a chance to take in the view.
We also make a quick stop at the Bixby Creek Bridge, which is incredibly
photogenic. Eventually we arrive at the airport about 30 minutes early. We say
our goodbyes and I am off to enjoy the gorgeous drive back to LA. Given the
distance that we need to travel, I estimate that all 3 of us will arrive home
around the same time.
As I drive down the 101 I already feel nostalgic. California is amazingly picturesque and am overwhelmed with gratitude.
