Today, we took a 3 hour road trip from San Francisco to Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur. The mountainous terrain of California offered non-stop scenic views from the car along the way. With the sun shining through the clouds, we were in for a day of spectacular scenery.

In Monterey, we stopped at the Old Fisherman's Wharf with a lovely bay area that housed a beach. The water was wavy but not choppy, giving off an eerie calmness. Boats lined the deck and sails were out in the sea. It was an absolutely picturesque sight.

Upon arriving at Carmel, we searched for the 17-mile Drive in Big Sur. My dad knew about its secrets but my mom and I were in for a surprise. We started off on the route.

The first stop was a place called Bird Rock, where large birds (what else?) crowded the surface of an enormous rock in the sea close to shore. It was magical to see them, but there was a certain familiar smell and sound that reminded me of SeaWorld (f*** SeaWorld)... upon looking closer, my dad realized that there were also seals and sea lions on the base of the rock! How exciting is that, live seals and sea lions! They smelled fishy and were rather noisy, but adorable and awesome. It was such a beautiful sight and I even took out my binoculars to view them more closely. What a treat that was. Within a short while though, the chilling sea air directed us back into the warmth of our car.

Driving further along, we continued our journey along the magnificent scenic route. Amidst mountains and mist lay cliffs towering over brilliantly two-toned seas, their pearly white waves crashing rhythmically upon the shore. My descriptions do not do the scenery justice, so I will allow the pictures below to do the rest. Along the route were many ancient arch bridges, an exciting thing for a civil engineer like me. This included the Bixby Bridge, built in 1932. There was also a little island off the main island with a farm and lighthouse which reminded me of classic Reader's Digest collection book stories that I used to read and still do. What a lovely place it must be to stay. Throughout the drive, the mist was so thick that the sea seemed to connect with the sky. It was a truly mystical view and one could not help but quote the coming-of-age novel, Perks of Being a Wallflower, "...and in that moment, I swear we were infinite". Simply breathtaking.

As it was getting dark and about to rain, we turned back around halfway through our drive. With absolutely no connection out there, we didn't want to risk getting lost at night. Goodness knows what we missed for the rest of the 17-Mile Drive. We stopped at Cannery Row on the way back to San Francisco, a cute little village that had eateries and trinkets, and ate some Indian Food. On the drive back to our hotel, my face was plastered to the window of the car as I was treated to a beautiful starry night... a sight that isn't found in my hometown of Orlando. I absolutely love stargazing and one day I will be camp out somewhere where they are endless, but for tonight, the Californian sky was mesmerizing enough. What a dazzling way to end the day.