Everything Will Flow

California Highway 1 is the iconic Pacific Ocean-hugging road that snakes down the west coast of America, passing endless beaches and expansive nature reserves and linking famous towns such as Monterey and Santa Cruz. It was our first time on Highway 1 and after leaving San Francisco it didn’t take too long for the city suburbs to peter out and open up to a welcoming ocean view.

 Pigeon Point Lighthouse, California

Our first stop was to be Point Montara Lighthouse but it was closed to the public, you couldn’t even wrangle a vantage point which was a disappointing start to our bagging.
Next up was the Half Moon Bay National Park that boasts one hell of a long beach!
The Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park is a fabulous lighthouse, a true USA thoroughbred in a wonderful setting. Close up it becomes apparent that it is in need of some work but it was good to see signs of the local community putting measures in place to restore the light to it’s former glory.

Lighthouse Point, Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz was our next port of call and as we headed to the first lighthouse on the ocean front we found West cliff Drive closed to traffic and the National Guard army deployed. The whole township seemed to be out, surveying the impact of the recent storm. The town had been hit hard with large sections of the promenade collapsed into the sea. We still managed to walk to Lighthouse Point and see the quaint light.

Santa Cruz beachfront

We drove through the main town of Santa Cruz and it’s beachfront is one long amusement park, reminiscent of an English seaside town. The second light at the other end of the town is Walton Lighthouse which is accessed from the beach. The beach looked like a scene from a disaster movie. There was flotsam and jetsam strewn everywhere as a result of the 5th January storms, and it made for a dramatic setting to the lighthouse itself, which despite the weather still attracted the Californian surfers.

Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz

We were staying a couple of night in the Pacific Grove area of Monterey at the wonderfully named Borgs Motel on seafront, which was an archetypal 60s motel. We had a room looking out directly onto the ocean, and could sit out on a couple of chairs on the open walkway and breathe in the fresh Pacific air, sometimes tinged with cannabis from the other elderly(!) residents. This is California!

Point Pinos Lighthouse, Monterey

Lighthouse Avenue is the main street of Pacific Grove and reminded me of New Hampton on Long Island. Here you’ll find small stores and restaurants to provide for all your needs. We opted for a full American carb-overload of a breakfast at Toasties Cafe which was excellent and set us up for a day of exploring.

It’s great headland to walk at Pacific Grove and set slightly inshore is the beautiful Point Pinos Lighthouse. There is a museum and gift shop set in lovely grounds, and it’s the perfect place to relax. The rooms wonderfully recreate scenes from a bygone era and lots of helpful volunteers are on hand to help you explore the lighthouse’s history. This is some drone footage I took of the lighthouse and the nearby seafront.

Downtown Monterey is a busy part of town and at it’s heart is the Alvarado Street Brewery. This huge brewery is made up of a large bustling hall and heated (and partially covered) outside garden area. The place was bouncing and offers a great selection of craft beers and excellent food. It was so much fun and had such a great atmosphere we found ourselves returning on a couple of occasions.

We walked along the oceanfront to Cannery Row made famous by the John Steinbeck novel of the same name. The gritty novel tell the story of the sardine industry during the Great Depression and is a million miles away from where Cannery Row finds itself now. The setting is superb but the shops that have replaced the industrial roots are similar to the trashiness of San Francisco's Pier 39 and this extends to Monterey’s Fisherman Wharf. So whilst we loved parts of Monterey some tourists areas were a little underwhelming.

Cannery Row, Monterey

Leaving Monterey we were headed south and bright sunshine greeted us as we drove the short distance to Carmel by the Sea. The small town was obviously a popular Sunday morning destination and the small boutique shops and cosy restaurant diners were very busy. The beautiful sandy beach went on forever. The surf was definitely up and there were folk out enjoying the waves. It was a nice place to start the day.

Our original plan was to cruise the famous Highway 1 and the Big Sur but large sections of that road had been closed due to substantial rock falls. These were a result of the recent freak wet weather (cyclone bombs anyone?) that had been the worse on record in California for over 100 years.

Pismo Beach, California

The alternative route to our next pit stop of Pismo Beach was a two and a half hour drive along Highway 101. With the third large storm of our trip imminent we took advantage of the remainder of the good weather to explore the surf town of Pismo Beach which is as it’s name suggests comprised of another endless white sand beach. The long pier is a nice focal point and there’s enough seaside themed stores and brew houses to keep you occupied, fed and watered.

Pismo Beach was meant to be a base where we could explore the coastline for the last few days of our trip but by now we were receiving text alerts from the National Weather Service letting us know a Flash Flood Warnings were coming into effect and issuing advice against all unnecessary travel.

Surfers, Pismo Beach, California

So we bunkered down for our last day in California and watched as the rains and wind battered Pismo Beach. Thankfully the next day the storm reseeded and the damage didn’t curtail our four hour journey back to San Fran Airport although it wasn’t without it’s moments - skidding on road slide debris and battling through torrential rain, but all in all it was OK and we were grateful to make it to the airport safely.

Pismo Beach, California

The fragile ecosystem of California will continue to be at odds with it’s own popularity and the draw and appeal it has to visitors such as ourselves. The weather certainly didn’t dampen our enthusiasm for the welcoming city of San Francisco and the Pacific Highway of America’s West Coast, and we would love to return to continue exploring. But the dramatic extremes of Californian weather seem exemplify the terrifying impact of climate change. We do consider our own lifestyle goes a long way to negating our personal carbon footprint, but we still we travel on planes. So it's important we stay aware of the acceleration of extreme climate conditions and continue to carefully weigh up our contribution. 

Pigeon Point Lighthouse, California