Monterey to LA

Today was going to be a great scenic tour, but also a long day in the car. We were driving from Monterey to LA

It was an early start to the day, and we were away by 7


The morning g sunrise had rewarded us for getting up early though



Only a small sample of the majestic scenery will be included. For now, sit back and get a small taste of our experience.







The girls always felt nervous when the saw signs like this. They knew that John read the sign as ‘great place to get some exciting photos’








Occasionally the sun broke through the tree cover to catch our attention.


But the 4 photographers were always keen to jump out of the car and take some photos for lasting memories.









Occasionay we had the chance to look back and see the road that was cut into the hill.


This flora looked very different depending on where the sun was coming from





We dropped into small places for the restroom and refreshments.


And special surprises, like being able to buy hard boiled eggs.


We encountered some roadworks at times


In this case they were building a brand new bridge next to the existing road


There was always the occasional sighting of some stunning models


Driving was rewarding but required intense concentration


The road was narrow at times with sheer cliff drop offs


It was tough sometimes to keep the eyes on the road with the scenery


There were some tight corners


Cyclists to be conscious of


And sometimes we had to stop for a while for roadworks.


The girls made the most of the stoppage to do productive things


People from other cars made the most of their time




And John, he just wanted to play



We encountered seals along the way. They’d obviously had a hard night the night before.









The other pressing problem was what to do with the ‘acquisitions’ that no longer fitted into suitcases



Find a post office!




Put on some charm to get good prices back to Australia


It seemed to work on this Postal employee


We then dropped into a bay previously owned/refurbished or something by William Randolph Hearst. There was sign with his name there anyway, and you could see the Hearst mansion up in the hills.


John asked one of the locals to show its best pose, and this is what he got.



As we drove there was a sudden call of ‘stop, photo opportunity’. Brakes screeched, and the paparazzi assumed positions without missing a beat.


What had they seen? Zebra. How random...





Then there was more scenic driving before we headed for Santa Barbara. There are stories we could tell about our time here, but they must remain on tour.


Went for a drive by the beach



And then headed for LA. Jen had the fun of driving through that world of hurt and Ange had the fun of navigating with peak hour traffic, and both did a stirling job.
Jen showed some previously unknown ‘frogger’ expertise when it came time to changing lanes.
We rocked into our hotel room for the night, repacked for the flight the next morning, and did not have many problems getting to sleep, as we were all pretty exhausted.