Save the best for last right? The final stretch of the roadtrip, up the California coast along the Pacific Coast highway route 1 certainly qualifies for that statement. The drive was beautiful!
After climbing at Joshua Tree I cut west and drove to the Pacific. My first view of the open ocean was so exciting, reaching the coast meant that I had finally driven from coast to coast. That day I followed CA route 1 north about 120 miles up to the town of Monterey where I stayed the night. The coastal highway had a ton of viewpoints to stop at and a few places where you could get out and walk down to the beach.
The following day I spent exploring Monterey. I went for a beach walk and found a ton of sea glass (score!), I browsed through a strip of touristy and boutiquey shops on the pier, and I sadly passed on the delicious looking but $9 ghirardelli ice cream sundae. The most exciting thing I did however, was visit the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. Several friends had recommended it to me so despite the steep $35 entrance fee, I went and was not disapointed. I haven’t been to too many aquariums in my life but this one was definitely the best! I learned a ton about the local marine and coastal ecosystems, especially the giant kelp forest. Marine creatures are just amazing when you stop to think about it and the aquarium does a great job of exhibiting different species. The visit made me want to go scuba diving immediately!
From Monterey I drove north through San Francisco (experiencing the first traffic since leaving boston) and spontaneously stopped in Gilroy, CA, the garlic capital of the world. I tasted several pickled garlics and tried garlic ice cream – which I actually enjoyed! Before leaving California I needed to stop at the legendary In n Out burger. Normally I don’t eat fast food but I’ve heard so many people rave about In n Out that I had to try it, even though as a vegetarian the menu was limited and all I could eat were fries and a shake. I can’t comment on the burger but the fries were not good and the shake was okay, all in all a disappointing visit.
The WORLD discovered 