Yesterday was just a teaser for views of the Pacific. Today was the real thing!

We started by driving highway 1 again, passing through Cambria. Quite the quaint town, must be nice to be retired and afford to live there. Couldn't see commuting to work from it though. We ended up passing on seeing Hearst castle because when were going past it the weather was getting pretty ugly and damp. We did stop at Pt. Piedras Blancas though, and saw many elephant seals! None of the males were there this time of year, but there were countless females and juveniles. Hundreds! They were something to see, though their place is hard to miss. There were a lot of people feeding the animals there (birds and squirrels) so they could then pose for pictures. I'm sure the damage was done long before they did it, but it was a little annoying. They're not pets! Though it was cool to see my first squirrel that was different from the ones back home. Not sure on the specifics, but they had much less bushy tails.

The Big Sur area is massive. Not for those who easily get carsick, either! Such a curvy, hilly road. Thankfully there were many spots to stop and take pictures, and we used many of them! The rain started a little bit in, so our going got a little bit slower. We stopped for some lunch at Julia Pfeiffer Burns state park, and despite the now much harder rain, I threw a baggie over my camera and took an umbrella to go get pictures. This was one place I didn't want to miss! The water in the small lagoon was so green!! The creek wasn't as full as I'd expected for spring time, but it was still an awesome place to see.

As we went further north we passed the Pebble Beach exit that Carolyn had recommended to us. We wanted to, but with so much rain it just didn't seem as inviting as before. Next time! Soon afterwards the rain lessened and then finally stopped after we got through Santa Cruz, on the north side of the bay. We made another stop at a random parking lot, which turned out to have beach access to a VERY beautiful location. Glad I pulled in there! After that spot my camera was full on it's card, something that's happened a few times on this trip.

The last portion coming into San Francisco was very pretty. The sky was deep blue and so was the ocean. San Francisco traffic wasn't even that bad. It seems like despite there being so many people, everything just kept moving. Thank goodness! We zoomed over the Golden Gate bridge, wowed by it's bigness, and then we were off to Novato, where our hotel was. Despite some difficulty in finding it, find it we did, and it was actually a pretty neat find! Good thing, since we'd be here for 3 nights. We get to see Meg tomorrow!

YAY! The drives along the coast is… worth it. The roads are wickedly crooked and slightly vertigo-ish if you notice how close to the edge you are, but very very worth it. The ocean is memorizing and relaxing. Just as the Grand Canyon was humbling, so are the waves that crash along the rocks.

During this drive we come along a really cool spot and see what seems to be hundreds of elephant seals. No males though, the females and babies were the only ones we saw. They were very loud and very stinky but very cool too. Mostly cool to see how many there were in one place! Just chillin', sleepin', and burpin'. The life of elephant seals.

We made a couple spots - one in which I refused to get out to get pictures, but Keith braved the rain and got a few nice pics. The water there was intensely green. Wish it hadn't been raining so hard. Guess I was worried I would melt? ;) Another random spot led us to this tiny lil trail and over some train tracks and down some rocks to a little "private" beach. It was a excellent location and I wished it had been warmer and we had more time. I wanted to go jump in the water badly! Too cold, too windy, not the right clothes and not the right time. Alas! We shall have to just go back sometime!

Back on the road we drive into San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bride: cue the Full House music. Seriously though - the bridge is massive and definitely something interesting to see. San Francisco has some amazing houses. If I had the money I would totally live there. Driving through the city we head up to Novato where our hotel is. What a needle in a haystack! And what a diamond in the rough! It was a very cool place to stay called Inn Marin. We lucked out to have a such a nice place for three nights. Oh, and the best thing? I get to see Meg tomorrow!!!