Birthday in Northern California, Day 6: Highway 1

Although I didn't get to sleep in, I was extremely invigorated from the rest I got at the Jabberwock Inn. Those sleep number beds are great! The fog in Monterey was very thick today, despite news that a heat wave was supposed to come through and burn it away. I am not as depressed as I thought I'd be now that the celebrations are over because in a sense, I have one more day to explore then back to the comfort of home! Sitting on the window bench, enjoying the sounds of seagulls and smells of coffee brewing in the kitchen below, I witnessed the city come alive. I heard the bells ring at the school down the street and faintly a kid leading the Pledge of Allegiance over an intercom. Talk about nostalgia...

Breakfast was phenomenal! We started off with some wonderful coffee, an apple danish, an quiche-like egg dish with peppers and beans and lots of greens (served with salsa and sour cream), a side of fruit, and AMAZING orange juice smoothie. I will have to get the recipe for that. An elderly lady helped serve the guests, making sure everyone's coffee was always full and by the end I was wired on caffeine. I realized now it had been a few days of not having any coffee or caffeine due to the flu. Now it was hitting!

This morning I walked down to Cannery Row for one last view of the coast, dropped off the postcards at the post office, then headed up Highway One back towards San Francisco.

There is only one word to describe the drive - FOG. I was insistent that if I couldn't see the beautiful sights due to this thick mass of water vapor, I was going to stop at every little stop along the way. I visited some Artichoke and Strawberry farms, a creepy little pumpkin patch, and spent some time at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and Surfing Museum. The Boardwalk, though deserted and under much construction, made me excited for the up and coming Texas State Fair. I'm not quite sure why I love amusement parks and fair grounds so much. The Santa Cruz Boardwalk (being one of the few beach-side amusement parks left in California and being 100 years old at that), was definitely worth the stop.

(Views from the Santa Cruz Boardwalk)

At one point I stopped on the side of the road because I saw a discernible sign that had a hiking symbol near Half Moon Bay. After the rich breakfast and driving all day, I decided to pull over and go for a stroll. It was one of the more surreal experiences of the trip... walking on these huge cliffs with nothing but the sound of cars and waves crashing on the supposed beach, none of which you could see. The path had no signs and visibility was limited. I decided to take off my shirt as I had complete privacy. It was like my own little playground!

The day winded down with a drive back to San Mateo. I didn't quite want to leave nature, and even started to grow fond of the fog. In perspective I only left the city for less than two days but it felt like a week's escape. I spent the rest of the evening packing up and preparing for my flight the next day, watching classic movies on the television.



As a summary, my vacation was amazing. Though short and becoming infected with the flu, I proved to myself that I could push through it and see and experience some amazing things. I wouldn't make a single change, except to share it it someone else of course :-(. That will definitely be taken into consideration for my next travels. Until then, it's blogging and dreaming...