Cruising the Coast on the 1

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After a nice time home in Southern California, it was finally time to head up north. While the quickest way is to head through the center of the state, it is quite possibly the most boring drive. After passing through Los Angeles, it is mainly agriculture farms. So I decided to take the famous California 1 right up the coast. Living in the golden state all of my life, I had never taken the famous route before and was excited for the opportunity.

Portillos!

So I jumped on the road and started the 10 hour drive and was ready to take on the day. My first stop was at one of my favorite restaurants, which has only just recently spread to the west coast after getting its start in Chicago. That restaurant, is Portillos. Famous for their Chicago Style Hot Dogs (don't even think of asking for ketchup!) and Italian Beef, it was surely a spot I couldn't afford to miss. I get the Italian Beef sandwich dipped (they dip the sandwich in the gravy), and man was it good. The bread was the perfect amount of soggy and the meat had so much flavor.

After lunch I found myself in the heart of the never ending Los Angeles traffic jam. For those of you in disbelief, and don't think it could be that bad.... come give it a try. At most daylight hours you can be guaranteed to run into the traffic, which is usually at a dead stop. The only time you can potentially avoid it is after about 9PM.

Looking out over the Ocean

Once outside of downtown, I headed towards the coast and hit the beautiful Pacific Ocean. It was
very fortunate that it was a clear day, as you could see for miles out over the ocean. The road mostly follows the shoreline, and every now and again it slips slightly inland.

Andersen's Pea Soup

There are many unique places to stop along the way, one of the first being "Andersen's, home of the World Famous Split Pea Soup!". And its a big deal. The restaurant has a museum and gift shop inside all to support the towns pea soup craze. Some of my favorite parts of the place were multiple murals and signs talking about their history. Regrettably I didn't have any of the soup as I wanted to stay on time, but its definitely a place that I would like to return to.

About another hour up the road is a small beach town called Pismo Beach that I had vacationed to
many times before. It's beautiful beaches and quaint little town serves up a wonderful summer getaway for families from all around. If you ever have the chance to visit, be sure to visit the many restaurants serving up fresh caught Fish n Chips.

Pismo Beach

Entrance to Hearst Castle

Next up was the beautiful mansion grounds of Hearts Castle. Located in the beautiful sprawling hillsides of San Simeon, it is one of true gems of the California coast. Built in 1919 by media giant William Randolf Hearst, the combined 90,000sq. ft. Castle is quite a site to see. A extended history can be found on the Wikipedia page, but in short he left the estate in 1947, it was turned over as a national landmark and soon thereafter a museum. Tours are offered multiple times a day, and are worth taking if you have the time. If you are short on time, you can view the mansion at a distance from the visitors center and tour the free museum.

Elephant Seals

Just past the castle, before you head into picturesque cliff side part of the journey, you can stop off to
see giant elephant seals on the beach. These seemingly peaceful mammoths, can get quite loud when they start to bark at each other.

Sunset Over the Pacific

The final leg of the journey (which is about 2-3 hours in length) is up towards Big Sur, on the famous cliff side route on the 1. I was lucky enough to hit the mountainside just before sunset, which made for some absolutely incredible views. If you ever have the opportunity to pass through here, I would highly recommend sunset. It was a sight that I will

Me watching the Sunset

never forget.

My journey came to a close in Santa Cruz where I gathered some much needed sleep. The next day I would be heading just over the mountains into San Jose/Santa Clara where I would be getting back to work.

Didn't get enough Photos? Check out the #LyfInFocus-Cruisin' the Coast Album.

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