Driving up Highway 1

We started our day by waking up with an oceanic view. Apparently California just gives off some type of beach vibe because this day was yet another hunt for the perfect spot. Mind you this was May 25th, so still not the best weather to be a beach bum although it was a lot nicer than our previous attempts. Our first stop was at Portuguese Beach, but we didn’t spend much time there before we were off to the next.

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Wright’s beach is in Sonoma Coast State Park. Once we got here, we made our coffee and got real stoked when we saw the sun coming out. After showing a passing lady our bananas and filling up our water supply, we headed down to the beach. Visiting the pebbled beaches along the northwest coast made me miss the nice sandy beaches that the Midwest has to offer. Nonetheless it was quite a fun afternoon of laying along the shore. There were signs everywhere about the strong rip currents so needless to say we didn’t spend much time in the water – that along with the “freezing” ocean temps. Michael and I had a few races on the beach, struck up a conversation with the lifeguard, and we were off again.

Continuing our journey up Highway 1, we had no plans or expectations. We took in the views as we drove and turned on roads that sounded/looked interesting. The sun had come out again and of course we pulled off at a place called Pebble Beach. Although the sun was shining the area was very windy. It was a brief walk from the parking area and as much as we tried making it work out we didn’t stay too long there either.

Our next stop came when we saw a sign with an arrow pointing toward the ocean that read ‘Point Arena Lighthouse.’ I’m pretty sure we actually passed the road initially but we spontaneously turned the van around because..why not? Looking back on the trip now, this is probably one of my favorite spots we stumbled across. Although cold, cloudy, and windy at this point, the landscape was amazing. The rocky shoreline was getting pummeled with waves as we stood up on the cliffs. We spent quite awhile there just wandering around and taking many, many photos. The whole area definitely gave off a mini Ireland vibe.

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Eventually we ended up in Fort Bragg, grabbed some food, and made our way to another vista point turn out. Our eventful night from there included having a few drinks, playing cards, and almost losing my phone. Even though we tore the van down to its bare bones when we first got it and built it back up ourselves, there’s still some hiding spots like below the speaker on the back door under the panel where you can lose things apparently. And that concluded our night! The next post coming up will be about our adventures through the infamous Redwoods! Stay tuned.