PCH

So I landed in San Fran Saturday night and just started driving south on the Pacific Coast Highway. First stop was the Pacific Ocean. I basically just pointed my car west from the airport and just started driving until I hit an entrance ramp for Highway 1. Once I made it onto the Pacific Coast Highway, I drove until about 10pm and then decided to call it a night and find a place to stay. Unfortunately, the Laguna Moto Cross race was in town along with the Gilroy Garlic Festival. I swear every hotel along the coast between San Francisco and LA was booked. I ended up getting slammed for $259 at this crappy Best Western in Salinas. So far this trip, I've stayed in the Four Seasons in Chicago, the Four Seasons in San Francisco, mansions, cabins, motels, hotels, and holiday Inns from sea to shining sea and the most I've ever paid was $200 a night. Even the campgrounds were filled and the state parks had signs posted that they would fine you for sleeping in your car. If it wasn't for the fact that I had just walked off a 12 hour flight from Frankfurt I would have just pulled over somewhere and taken my chances with the fine. Nevertheless, I paid it. It was better than the alternatives. I swear there was a Comfort Inn charging $700 a night and some Rancho motel was charging $1,000 in Monterey.

Let's move on though.

The PCH...

The Pacific Coast Highway is probably one of the greatest driving experiences of my life. It is turn after turn of beautiful vistas and cliffs. I've never seen anything like it...this coming from the guy who just got back from driving along the Costa Del Sol! I must have spent 10 hours driving yesterday and I covered maybe 200 miles. Every 2 miles I'd stop to get out, take pictures and marvel at what was in front of me. I also stopped for like 3 hours in Pebble Beach.

The driving experience was so unique, that it made it onto my "Tankard List" of things to do before I die.

Item # 1 Drive the PCH in a Ferrari after playing a round of golf at Pebble Beach. (Rented Ferrari obviously. I have told all of my friends to shoot me if I ever try to buy one).

I cannot express how amazing this drive was. I kept trying to capture the moments with my camera and they really couldn't do it justice at all. Every turnoff there were people with $5,000 cameras and tripods and then there was me with a dinky iPhone camera. It was actually really frustrating because none of the pictures come even close to what I saw yesterday.

So far I've traveled 22,500 miles in the last 29 days--almost the entire distance around the world--and if there is anything you guys take away from my blog...go drive the PCH. You have to experience it first hand. These pictures below can't possibly do it justice.

A few other highlights....

I befriended a squirrel that I named "Bixby". He wanted to come home with me, but I was afraid he'd chew through the floorboards of my car. This little guy would eat anything and everything (See photo of him practically sitting on my foot).

I stopped a few times in and around Big Sur and got some trinkets.

I stayed at a pretty cool little Inn near Pismo beach last night in a room overlooking the ocean. It was much easier finding a room last night than on Saturday.

I shot some pretty amazing video. Once I get to Vegas and have some hi-speed WiFi I'll upload them to YouTube and post the links.

Stay thirsty my friends!

***Note the Blogger App is having some technical difficulties posting all the photos right now.*** I will check back in this afternoon and see if it posted everything correctly.