Road trip report: Big Sur

If you read travel magazines (I do!) or watch travel shows, whenever they talk about the best road trips/drives in America it is likely that the Highway 1 route between Monterey and San Simeon is going to be towards the top of the list.

This gorgeous, completely unspoiled stretch of road running along the Pacific Ocean should be on everyone's bucket list. It is an amazing scenic drive with wonderful sites and stops on both ends of the road. I feel blessed to live so close to it.

In the middle of it, all is Big Sur which holds a special place in my heart. When my husband and I were dating we spent a lot of time here and I have wonderful memories. It had been a while since we had done this drive, the last time was a complete disaster.

Luckily our trip turned out beautifully! In fact, I wanted to share the itinerary with you. Granted, if you do this drive there are lots of things to see, and I have done just about everyone, but I want to share my latest trip as it is my favorite itinerary.

We left the San Francisco Bay Area at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning driving South on 101. There is absolutely nothing redeeming about that part of the drive. The intent is just to get to the approach of Monterey as quickly as possible! Once you arrive in the towns of Castroville (the artichoke capital of the world!) and Marina you start seeing (and smelling) the ocean and you can start to get excited.

We passed Monterey. You can spend the entire day just there, and if it's your first road trip to this area, I suggest you take a day to do just that.

At 9:15 we arrived at our first destination, Patisserie Bechler in Pacific Grove. There is only one exit from Highway 1 for Pacific Grove so you can't miss it. Believe me, you don't want to. Why? Because I think you will be missing out on the best croissant in America.

In fact, for me, the best croissant I have ever had does not come from Paris. Nor from France. But from this little shop with an Alsatian baker in the tiny town of Pacific Grove! Before my husband and I moved to France in 2003, we would drive the 90 minutes to two hours about once a month to have the croissants baked at Patisserie Bechler…worth every mile!

Take a look at these beauties! Oh did I mention it is impossible to eat just one?!

Croissant craving satisfied, we continued south meandering towards our ultimate destination, Big Sur. We passed Carmel, another place you can spend the day in, there are great shops and restaurants and a lovely beach. Once you pass the Carmel headlands the scenery gets dramatic the roads start to curve and every turn can catch your breath with its beauty.

You never can tell what the weather is going to be like fog or no fog, there is no guarantee. The colors that are displayed in the waters range from deep, gorgeous greens and turquoise to blues so dark they are almost black. The green or brown of the cliffs and fields are an amazing backdrop. The beaches, mostly unobtainable, are pristine white, undisturbed by humans (and their tendency to destroy).

You can take a million photos, Mr. Misadventures took 400! Here's one:

We spent nearly two hours slowly making our way south, stopping here, stopping there. Smelling the saltiness of the ocean, enjoying the amazing drops and curves. We rolled into Big Sur just before noon, in time to have lunch at our favorite location, the Big Sur River Inn. I have been here many, many times, although it had been two years since my last visit and even longer since I ate a meal here.

There is something for everyone on this property. They are famous for their wooden chairs that you can sit on right in the river. Their food is great and there is jazz and other concerts during the summer. The rooms in the hotel could use an update, but there is nothing better than a weekend here.

One of my favorite things on their menu was an ahi tuna salad, but as it had been years since we had eaten here, I had no hope that they would still serve it. Restaurants change their menus all the time. However, when my husband and I sat down at a table on their back terrace, I glanced at the menu and saw it was still there, like an old friend welcoming me back!

I had a lovely glass of pinot noir and the salad was as good as ever. They added mustard to the rub they put on the tuna, but it was still good. As usual, I nearly forgot to take a photo (I am a terrible food blogger!) but remembered before I ate the whole thing!

After a satisfying meal, we continued south to stop at Nepenthe Restaurant. My advice to you is to not have a coffee or dessert at the Big Sur River Inn and have it at Nepenthe at the Cafe Kevah. Skip eating in the main restaurant, it's got a classic menu that is decent, but nothing exceptional, the thing it has going for is its amazing view. But you can't beat a coffee at the cafe on the roof, it's got the same view, if not better!

From here you can continue down to Lucia which has another great cafe on the cliff (if you choose to skip coffee at Cafe Kevah). Then you can keep on going to San Simeon and Heart Castle, etc. There is so much to do. We wanted to take more pictures as some of the earlier fog was burning off, so we headed back north.

Having started out early we had beat the rush down, the rush for lunch, and the rush back as well. The early bird gets the worm! We took a few more photos including this one of what I think are some of the luckiest cows in the world!

We were back home at 5:00 P.M. happy with our excursion. No matter how many times I take that drive there is always something amazing to see and do. I have spent time on many trips in Monterey, Pacific Grove, Carmel, and Big Sur and never tire of it.

How about you? Have you done this trip? Have a favorite part? Haven't done it, do you think you might want to?

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