Scenic Route 1

This is part of a series of photoblogs on our recent trip along the California Coast..

The first part was Sisters at Play.

Route 1, is by far the most scenic highway I have driven on. The only thing that comes close is the Great Ocean Road Drive on the south Australian Coast (which we visited in 2004).

Just after Crossing Carmel, we came to Rocky Creek and Bixby Bridges.. They are truly spectacular. Would have got better shots of the bridge if we could make it down the mountainside.. but the wife was worried about safety, so we let that one pass..


The two bridges ..


The coast from Rocky creek..



The coast farther along in Big Sur..


The coast from a vista point along the Big Sur section..


It is always a pleasure to keep driving when the road keeps opening up and you dont see any car in sight.. just a windy highway that seems to lead straight into the ocean.. This photo was taken by San through the windshield..


Baby discovered what it means to jump into puddles at the Pfiffer Burns State park..


Watching the kids among the backdrop of the giant trees was a new experience. Somehow they seemed to brighten the hues from the colors of the falling leaves..


Jr. walking on a fallen log. She doesnt get to spend time in wooded areas as much as I did when I was growing up. We need to do these outdoor trips more often!


The amazing beauty of McWay falls where the creek goes straight into the ocean. Breathtaking!!


The view from the trailhead of McWay falls. The park bench was inviting, but there was a Poison Oak warning that scared me...


The sea gulls on the way to Pismo beach..


The view from "shitrock" as I call it.. the favorite vista point for the gulls..


Pismo beach! Next time, I am staying at the Best Western with the ocean view. You should see their lobby! They have a huge glass window overlooking the ocean.


The sunset, rather after the sunset.. Went to feed baby in the lobby for a minute and came out, only to find that the sun had just set! Well, better luck next time.


Next up will be Solvang in Pictures......

Christmas travels

As is customary when we do not have a few month old baby at home during Christmas, we went on a long trip.

In our hurry, forgot to wish one and all a very merry Christmas, happy Hannukah.. So, would like to wish you all a belated Christmas and Hannukah. Would also like to wish you all a happy holiday season and a great 2007!!

Our original plan was to go to a quiet place where there is not much to see except a quiet rustic life, not too far from home, without stressing out the kids..

As our partners in crime Cousin family put it, "Solvang" fits the bill on all counts!!

Except, there were two things that were overlooked. First, Guys by definition, just do not believe in this "lets have a quiet time in a hotel" kind of vacation.. They need to be moving, taking photographs in the middle of highways because they have a moral obligation to JPEG some scenery!! Second, Solvang pretty much shuts down at sunset, Christmas eve or otherwise. So you have extremely well decorated streets with closed shops and restaurants which leaves you scrambling for something to do or a place to eat on Christmas eve. Two years ago we were in a similar situation in Zion National park (we didn't even know a Tsunami had hit till we came back to civilization a day later!).

We had a wonderful trip as we(the men) changed the focus of the trip from the "quiet hotel stay" to the "great coastal ride" ! We practically stopped at every major state park on the scenic coastal highway #1, did some hiking, not to mention the photography..

So much was covered in the last three days that it would take a few posts to describe it..

I am going to split it up into a few posts.

1. Sisters at play: Jr. loves spending time with her cousin. This is her first road trip with her cousin and it was a treat to watch them together. I was secretly taking pictures of them (secret photos/videos are becoming my speciality now) and have a small collection..

2. Coastal highway from here to Pismo Beach (in pictures)

3. Solvang by night (replace "night" with Christmas eve at 11:00 PM with no one else on the street except me and Balaji standing in the middle of first street with a tripod!)

4. Things to see around Solvang (Cute places to spend a "quiet day" and take pictures)

5. Limekiln State Park and sunset in Big Sur(a place that deserves a post all by itself).

Stay tuned for the series of posts..