Hey so it’s about time for a legitimate blog post. Recently my wife, daughter and I embarked on a crazy drive down the majority of the United States’ west coast. It is something that I have always wanted to do, and honestly I might do it again. We drove a rented minivan and left from Portland, after spending some time with friends and attending a family reunion. I had originally wanted to do the drive in an RV, so we could have total freedom to stop anywhere, but after checking into it, it was way too expensive, like 7k! There is something really peaceful to me about the coast on this side of the country, I think mostly the fact that it is far less populated than the east coast, but also just looking at the crazy rock formations, it is unlike anything I have ever seen. I have always loved the Oregon Coast, as I have been out there several times visiting family as well as touring, and the California coast is also amazing. I especially love the northern side of the state because I love the natural state of so many of the beaches, you don’t get the feeling that everything is just overcrowded and trashed.

We drove as close to the ocean as possible for most of the trip, which was really fun, but I had no idea how winding it would be. We took the 101 in Oregon, which turns into the famous HWY 1 (Pacific Coast) once you get into California. The views were amazing, and I wanted to be able to stop whenever we saw something interesting, so we never planned how far we would go each day. I loved the laid back nature of this trip. I was thinking that this was probably the first time in my life that I was not just trying to get somewhere as quickly as possible. Not only were we taking the scenic route, but it was more about the trip than the destination. the minivan was pretty comfortable and Stella watched movies on my computer. She did amazingly well on the trip…which was a pleasant suprise.

We also spent several hours at a different beach each day, which Stella loved (It makes more sense if you know her). There is so much sea life on the coast and it was amazing to find anemones, starfish, crabs, jellyfish, and clams. It also helped tire her out so we could get some driving done while she took a nap.

Late one night, we decided to veer off of the PCH to get on the 101 again heading inland, so we could go through the Redwoods National Park, and that spur of the moment decision was definitely a good one. The forests were so amazing, with trees that were over a thousand years old! There was a certain silence there, even near the road, like you were so far away from any other person, it is one of the only times in my life where I noticed the quiet. We stopped at a little touristy gift shop in the middle of nowhere that was actually in a hollowed out tree. It was pretty amazing, and the kid working there was wearing a Relient K shirt, what a small world…And Danielle loved it. She wants to move into this tree, and she says if she ever turns up missing, to look here first.

We followed the 101 straight through wine country, which was beautiful, and then right over the Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco is one of my favorite cities in the world, and we did a little bit of driving through the city. We stopped at Pier 39 to see the sea lions, and rode the carousel with Stella. But we decided to leave early to get to Big Sur. Neither Danielle or I had ever been there, but we really wanted to go check it out because what our friends had told us. And let me just say that it totally lived up to the talk. I have honestly never been to a more amazing place in the entire world. The cliffs, beaches, fog, trees, and flowers were incredible. We saw a waterfall dropping straight onto the sandy beach, and the cliffs were unbelievable. We even saw a few gigantic condors up close, just hovering right off of the side of the road, which was maybe my favorite part. There is a definite spiritual element to being there, and I felt close to God in a different way than before. It is hard to explain, but just being around the beauty and nature, ancient trees, and being in solitude, I felt a tangible connection to God. Big Sur was a home to several well known authors such as Hunter S. Thompson, Henry Miller, and Jack Kerouac. I think it is no coincidence that these guys occupied a space a little off the beaten path – in their writing, as well as their lives. I also read that Ben Gibbard wrote most of “Narrow Stairs” in Kerouac’s old house.

We stayed at the Big Sur Lodge, which was actually one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed at, despite not offering internet access or a tv in the room. But that was the beauty of the place for sure, the reason you go here is to get away from that stuff and all the distractions of life. But they did supply wood for the fireplace everyday, which I had a lot of fun burning through. That was something else that I didn’t expect, is that there is a surprising lack of cell phone coverage down the entirety of HWY 1 and Big Sur, but again, I saw it as a blessing, except when I was looking up directions…The whole time I was in Big Sur, I just kept forgetting that I was even in the United States, and to add to that confusion, we saw so many Europeans and people were speaking other languages all around us. On the night that we arrived I took this first picture, which is probably my favorite picture that I have ever taken. I love how creepy it looks with the fog, and I didn’t even think the pictures would turn out because it was almost dark outside. We stayed there for 3 days and then decided to just go the rest of the way to San Diego in one trip, partially because hanging out at another beach along the way would have just been a letdown. It was such a good trip for me and a cool bonding experience for our family and I already want to go back, or move there!

To see more pictures, check out my Flickr set – Big Sur

And listen to this song.

The Thrills “Big Sur”