Day 9: Long Beach (The end)

Thanks to a noon check out I was able to take my time in the morning. I checked out at 11:30 a.m. and headed to the nearby mission called La Purísima Concepción, or The Pure Conception for you non-Spanish speakers. This mission was reconstructed in the 1930s.

Most of what I know about missions is what I learned in 4th grade history lessons, like most school kids from the State of California. The park ranger gave me a quick rundown of things to see here as I paid for parking. He ended the conversation by saying, "Once you cross one of the two wooden bridges, you'll be in 1821." I crossed a bridge to see sprinklers running in a pasture area. I doubt Franciscan missionaries or the Native Americans would have mastered water irrigation that well.

I thought I would spend at most an hour there, but I was there for more than two. There was much to see and much to think about. The first place I visited (I didn't have a map of the complex, I just went were I wanted) was the mission cemetery. There were no markers so I wondered about the people who were buried here and where they were from.

The church was also stirring. It was big and cool inside. I was in there by myself and could hear the echoes of my steps.

The mission also showed other types of working and living conditions from soldiers to the natives. There really was more than I expected to see and if I had more time, I probably would have seen it or gone down more trails.

I left here to go to Jamala Beach. It was 14 of the twistiest (if that is a word) miles away from PCH. It took about 20 minutes to get there when I realized you had to pay to get in. So I immediately drove back.

As I drove down PCH, I found out that California Highway 1 actually ends when it meets up with the U.S. Highway 101 south of Buellton. I found this weird because PCH in Long Beach is CA-1. A few miles later I saw a turnout for CA-1, which puzzled me even more.

Anyway, I kept on PCH through Oxnard to Point Magu where I made my last stop of this trip. I got out and looked at the beach and the waves crashing against the rocks. I could have also sworn to see dolphins, but it could've been seals, which I did see.

I got off of PCH at the California Incline in Santa Monica, had dinner with friends and then came home by way of the freeways. Then I decided to get on PCH on more time and got off the 110 onto PCH next to San Pedro and drove west. In little time, I was in Long Beach and turned for home.

Over the past couple of days I have been lucky enough to drive and spend the past week seeing family, friends and things I ordinarily wouldn't have seen. I estimate that I took more than 1,200 pictures.

I strongly recommend this drive to anyone who is thinking about it. I would do this drive again. The only thing I would change is to have company.

And finally, for those of you who have been reading these blogs, thanks. I hope it wasn't boring in any way.

Miles traveled today: 205

Miles traveled total: 1,278

Day 8: Lompoc

I backtracked a little today, 6 miles, to get to Hearst Castle. The media mogul William Randolph Hurst (who, a legend as it, told his photographers during the Spanish-American War: "You provide the pictures, I'll provide the war.") built the castle in the foothills overlooking the San Simeon Pier.

The castle is now owned by the State of California and the tour costs about $25, but I decided to pass. Besides, I had visions of me yelling out when I got up to the castle "Where's Patty, I am the rebirth of the Symbionese Liberation Army!" I don't think they would have found that funny as me.

I drove down the road a bit to Cambria to look around mostly. I did find the greatest title to a child's book and I want to know why I am just now finding out about this.

Driving into the Morro Bay area you can't help but notice Morro Rock. There are two different theories about how this rock came to be: It was either a volcano that petrified or liquid hot magma (said like Dr. Evil) pooled at that location and erosion formed the rock. Either way, the damn rock is huge.

I followed that by going to Morro Bay State Park. There is a museum there that costs $2. It's interactive and fun.

Less than 20 minutes away is another state park, Montaña del Oro. It's bigger and has access to the beach in a couple of places. You drive through a forest of dry trees and hope that a forest fire never finds this place. My second stop at this park was a beach were there where cliffs on the left and a rocky area on the right with a pebble beach in the middle. The rocks were like shingles that were part on land and part in the ocean. The rocks were also home to small water life including hermit crabs.

On my way to Lompoc – pronounced LOM-poke – I drove through San Luis Obispo and Guadalupe. I found Guadalupe more interesting since it was town that needed the highway more than SLO. Guadalupe had murals on building, one was a map showing you where you were on the coast and a chart showing you how far cities are away from there. I wish I had taken a picture of it.

I am sort of getting tired from the driving and checked in to my hotel early. The Quality Inn here is being renovated and I am experiencing high definition television for the first time and 25 inches of it. Everything else just looks like crap now.

I get a late checkout on my return to Long Beach. With the noon checkout time, I am going to make the most of it. After checkout, I am going to the local mission, La Purisima. I would have gone today, but I got there as they closed down. I am also going to go to a few beaches between here and Santa Monica where I am going to get dinner with a friend, and it will be the first time I talk to someone in person with a familiar face since Tuesday.

Miles traveled today: 131

Miles traveled total: 1,073

Day 7: San Simeon

It had been 18 years since I had been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was the end of school year field trip in the fifth grade, so I didn't remember much. What I do know now is that this aquarium is far better than the one in Long Beach.

There is so much to see, the exhibits are bigger, and they have penguins – my favorite. The first thing I did was watch the staff feed the penguins.

I walked around the aquarium for the next couple of hours. They have exhibits featuring fish from the deep, sea otters, shore animals and jelly fish.

As I left the Monterey Bay area, I stopped off and got gas. In hindsight, it was the smartest thing I did. One of the next signs I saw was a curves ahead warning sign that said they were for the next 70 miles.

I was never happier that I had a manual transmission because for the next couple of hours it was some of the most intense driving I've ever done. Mountain drives are usually the best and I thought my drive up to Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear on California Highway 18 would never be topped. But driving from Carmel to the Monterey-San Luis Obispo county line was exhilarating.

Danger and beauty was around every corner and driving with a manual only added to it since I was shifting constantly. Those of you lucky to ride with me while I am driving know there is only one way I take turns: aggressive. This drive kept me on edge.

The sights are just as amazing. The Bixby Creek Bridge shows the beauty of Depression Era architecture.

There are many turnouts so you can take pictures, too many to choose from to be exact. One of the best stops was at the Los Padres National Forest picnic area located at Willow Creek. There is a drive down to a pebble beach, which is secluded. It was a nice break from the driving.

But the drive is not all on the coast; it turns inland at Big Sur where the trees and mountain range give you the feel that the beach is miles away. And just as you think you are, the coast reappears.

Then the road straightened out as San Simeon was about 6 miles away. By the way, Los Angeles is 256 miles away from that same post.

The hotel I stayed at was just off the highway and the beach was a short walk away.

And again, another great sunset.

I've decided to make one more stop on this trip and it will be in Lompoc. I am also planning on visiting a state park called Montaña del Oro.

Miles traveled today: 102

Miles traveled total: 942

Day 6: Monterey Bay

When I began planning my vacation, I knew this day would be the longest and I had wondered if I packed in way too much. Well I am tired.

I left my sister's house before 9:30 a.m. and almost a half an hour later I reached the Bay Bridge and paid the $4 toll. Traffic was going to be a problem since the Major League Baseball All-Star game was in San Francisco. Before I got on Highway 1, I had to take my beloved car on Lombard Street, the most twisted road in the world.

After that, I went back on U.S. Highway 101 to get on the Golden Gate Bridge. I made a stop at the vista point and remembered there is no summer like a summer in San Francisco and Marin Counties. As soon as I looked up at the flagpole, I knew how cold it was.

I walked around and decided to do something a little bold. I don't like being up high so walking on the Golden Gate Bridge was bold. Making things worse, there were holes every 100 feet in the concrete in the bridge. But it was worth it.

I called friend and co-worker James Melroy to let him know that if he heard a story about me jumping off the bridge today, to let the world know it was foul play because there was no way I would get close to the edge. As I walked back, I saw emergency phones that I first thought were call boxes you see on the freeway. But as I got close, I saw that they were also suicide help lines.

I got back in the car and began my journey home on Highway 1. There was really nothing much I wanted to do in San Francisco except to get a photo of a street named Cardenas.

It didn't take long to feel you were out of the city. Unlike the Los Angeles area, it is not hard to escape the city in Northern California. Within minutes, I was in Pacifica and it was easy to forget I was in San Francisco.

I learned my first lesson of PCH: You don't need to stop at the first beach you see. There are so many state beaches you will come across that are not as busy.

I also stopped off at Pigeon Point Light Station. The lighthouse is no longer in service but you get great views of the ocean.

I then realized I was running behind. I had to make it to the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz before it closed. Unluckily for me, Santa Cruz traffic is horrible, there was street construction and, for some reason, two streets near each other have the same name. For a while, I thought the mystery was getting there. But once there, it was really fun. While I don't drink, walking in that shed made me feel drunk. So for those of you that want me to let loose and drink, that is as close as I am going to get.

I was going to go down to the boardwalk in Santa Cruz, but that city does not like to let you know how to get place so I gave up and worked my way South.

I was struggling around the Monterey Bay looking for my hotel, but I finally found it. I was tired and just wanted to stop driving. 20 minutes later, I was hungry. The first place I found was a Round Table Pizza so I got that.

When I got back I remembered I wanted to take a photo of the sunset. Then for all the problems I had towards the end of my day, walking on the beach and seeing the sun go down made up for everything. The beach was beautiful. I have never seen white sand; it is so fine, soft and clean. The sunset was striking with the red color in the sky.

Tomorrow, I'm going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and, by the end of the day, I should be in San Simeon.

Miles traveled today: 183

Miles traveled total: 840