29.08.2013Scenic Highway 1 to Los Angeles

Leaving San Francisco behind we drove down the scenic highway 1 towards Los Angeles. Although the weather was cloudy when we arrived at the 17-Mile Drive, we made our way through the majestic Del Monte Forest and along the dramatic Pacific Coast to Pebble Beach.

Strolling around the shoreline at Spanish Bay we got some seabird close-ups.

Bird Rock is home to countless shorebirds, harbor seals and sea lions.

At this granite rock we watched seabirds diving for fish and sealions bellowing and barking from the rock. Lucky for YOU, this post can not yet transmit smell, which was incredibly gross 🙁

But the most famous landmark of Pebble Beach is undoubtedly the Lone Cypress, which has endured on this rock for more than 250 years:

We spent the night in Monterey and the next morning a blue sky was awaiting us.

Driving along the coast of Big Sur we crossed the famous Bixby Bridge, built 1932.

It was fascinating to see, how within minutes the scenery changed, because of the clouds and fog moving so fast.

The coast around Big Sur is famous for its stunning views and the Santa Lucia Mountains rising abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. Some more shots from along the way:

Further south we saw a herd of elephant seals sunbathing on the beach. Once in a while they would throw suntan-sand on their backs and move around a little bit. But most of the time they were just lazily lying around…

The closer we got to Los Angeles the warmer it got.

In the evening we finally arrived in L.A. where we met Mark, a god friend of Sharon. Although we just got to know him, he invited us to the “Chaya” sushi restaurant in downtown L.A. We really enjoyed that evening with great company and food!

After spending the night in a hotel at Hermosa Beach,

we took the plane to Miami, to finally do as the elephant seals and relax in the sun 🙂