Uncle Eric showed up at our hotel bright and early with iPad in hand (actually, I don't think I saw him without it the entire trip). We climbed in the rickety old van that belonged to grandpa, God rest him, and headed to Big Sur. Hooray for checking not one but TWO things off my bucket list during this trip! The iPad acted as our GPS, weatherman, traffic adviser, and yours truly acted as the navigator. Mostly I just recited what the iPad said to do. Those little boogers are pretty handy!
Anyway we headed south and enjoyed some of the most incredible scenery I've ever experienced. In the spirit of Independence Day, I'd just like to reiterate the fact that part of what I adore about this country is her majestic beauty. Americans truly are so blessed to have access to all the State and National Park systems that exist across the country in addition to roads and highways that are postcard perfect.
I do have to warn you, however, that if you plan on heading to Big Sur, be warned that highway 1 is a super winding road. I typically don't get carsick, but I got a little woozy as our mini van hugged those curves. But oh, how it was worth the nausea! These were taken from inside the van, so please excuse the window glare...
We stopped at a rooftop restaurant called Nepenthe, which is ancient Greek for "medicine for sorrow." I like to think of most of the traveling I do as Nepenthe. The view was stunning, the service spectacular, and the veggie burger was the best I've ever tasted. We all shared a slice of wild berry pie for dessert and I've never had a better piece of pie in my life (except Mom's apple pie, but that goes without saying). We took a ridiculous amount of pictures and meandered through the gift shops where I had to refrain from buying loads of gorgeous imported fabrics and home decor. Wall art, lanterns, and linens were never going to fit in my carry on and I don't believe in checking baggage.
We also poked around at an art gallery across the street because apparently Uncle Eric was a friend of a friend of one of the artists. Pretty amazing spot for a gallery...
We headed North back toward the Bay, but this time we took our time and made several stops for photo ops and whatnot. The weather was a little bit chilly but it was a beautiful day.
On our way back, we stopped off at Carmel, whose claim to fame is having Clint Eastwood serve as Mayor in the 80s. My impression of this quaint little city by the sea was that although it's origins were bohemian, the streets were lined with luxury cars parked in front of high end retail. We basically just stopped long enough to meander along the beach, and I certainly wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to stick my toes in the frigid waters of the Pacific.
Great food, amazing company, gorgeous views... overall it was a pretty fantastic day.
