Back on Track Day Three

The Beach Boys sing “I wish they all could be California girls”, so I should not have been too surprised to see such a heavenly body today. Actually it was not so much heavenly as celestial, but it was out of this world nevertheless, and as I felt it caress me with its warmth, I knew why I had embarked upon this journey. Yes, we finally found the sun and except for a few fog patches in the early morning, we were basking in its glow all day. Jackets came off, sun roof at first tentatively opened for more light, and then a crack for fresh air, car heater on very low, and then opened windows. We have found summer!
We travelled from Eureka to El Granada which is just south of San Francisco. It was quite the ride. We drove that road in 1983 and I did not remember it being so challenging. The views and scenery are at all times breathtaking, but so are the hairpin turns and the narrow steep inclines and declines. Not for the faint of heart. But I am a driver so it was OK. We stopped too many times to count, to get out and stretch our legs while taking in a vista or walking just out of reach of the pounding surf. My biggest frustration of the day was not being able to take advantage of all the photo opportunities. Unless we were in a designated parking area, there just was not a chance, ever, to stop along the road to capture all the amazing sights we encountered today. There is no shoulder on the road, and it would be sheer suicide to stop.
I was hoping to photograph the Golden Gate Bridge in the sunset , but we missed it by an hour. It was too dark. There is one more long coastal leg of the journey before we hit L.A. tomorrow. As I recall from 1983, it is my favourite, through Pebble Beach, Santa Barbara, and Carmel.
The downside to driving along the coast when the surf is up is that one gets very sticky with all the salt in the air. I have had to guard my camera against the salt and my glasses as well as the car gets very coated with the stuff. Not a big complaint, just an annoyance. Hope to get a place with internet tomorrow. A nice place here on the beach with all the amenities runs over $200 per night so tonight I forgo the WiFi.