Day 10 of ALAA-Mon, May 23rd, 2011. San Simeon to Half Moon Bay, CA

My Campsite at San Simeon State Park

Headed Back to the PCH After the Detour!

You Can See the Magnificent PCH as it Curves Along the Coast

The PCH in Big Sur looks like a postcard, doesn't it?

Looking to the South Along the PCH in Big Sur, CA

Here are some pics of today. The first is my campsite in San Simeon State Park and the rest are of the beautiful Big Sur Coast. The most beautiful scenery imaginable!


Today began at the SP in San Simeon and is ending in Half Moon Bay State Beach. I'm not sure but I think I'm about 30 miles South of San Francisco.


This is my 4th straight night in CA state parks and I'm starting to judge them more accurately. 3 of the four have had beach views so I shouldn't complain. But as much as I pay for these, I have the right to complain, doncha think? The one last night had NO showers and pit toilets and there was no electricity in the whole camp-charging your phone is a necessity in today's world. There's another thing.....I know California has a $20-30 billion budget shortfall but I think they are trying to recover all that from me riding through this fair state! Like all states, CA has its problems but it remains the most beautiful of the 43 states I've visited.
When I finish this trip, I'll hit five of the remaining seven states! Today I saw the magnificent beauty of Big Sur. Scenery-wise, I'm not sure that there is anyplace in America that compares to the Big Sur coast-at least in the places I've been! EVERY roadside pullout looks like a postcard! Lake Tahoe has always been one of my favorites but TODAY I'd pick Big Sur as my all-time most beautiful place. You know that the next time we go to Lake Tahoe, I'll be convinced that IT'S the most beautiful . . . . . but that's a story for another time!


We're going to Maui for our 40th anniversary in July so then I'll be able to compare Maui to the Big Sur coast. We went to Honolulu and circled Oahu on our 35th anniversary and, while beautiful, I think I still have to put the Big Sur coast ahead of Oahu.


Riding the PCH is SO much slower than riding through the desert from Texas to San Diego. Crossing the desert, 350-400 miles a day was easy because the roads are flat and there is nothing to see along the way. Riding 60-70 mph was taking it easy across the desert but the standard up the PCH is 30-40 mph. I have a feeling from here the rest of the way up the West Coast and then East to about Montana will be much slower going.


Carmel is quaint beyond belief, as always, and I even saw an otter today at a turnout on the PCH! Monterrey and Pacific Grove are cities with draw-dropping beauty. I bought two oranges at a roadside stand near Watsonville today and they were red on the inside-not orange but RED! I ate one of them and it was delicious! Tomorrow is the mother lode of the cereal state-San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge is a given since it's the major route North up the coast. It probably will just be a quick stop at Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, a ride through Chinatown, and another In 'n Out Burger! Wahooooooo!