Day 2 saw us leaving Monterey heading to Cambria. This stretch is renowned for its beauty - ocean views, cliffs, mountains and National Parks. The name Big Sur alone evokes images of grandeur and majesty. It didn't disappoint.

The morning started with our near-compulsory early morning run for whenever were staying somewhere that has running spaces.

Once on the road, we stopped almost immediately; a couple of miles out at Point Lobos NP we went for a hike and loved the sea lion point. If you look closely at the photos you'll see the rocks crawling with them!

Moving on to Rocky Creek bridge we stopped for a picnic with a view (why not?!), and again at Bixby Bridge - a spectacular view where man-made beauty and natural magnificence meet.

We also couldnt help but stop a dozen times through the Big Sur region. Every vista was different and captivating. We made seriously slow progress as we reveled in this natural coastal beauty. Eventually made it to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park where we marvelled at the redwoods and laughed at a couple of girls who thought it'd be a good idea to climb down a cliff face that was obviously and necessarily closed for revegetation. They got pulled up by rangers and charged. Haha. Jerks.

At this point we had covered around 40 miles in 7 hours of travel so we needed to get a move on. Being on the west coast we knew there'd be a sunset to watch as well, so when the time was right we pulled up and watched the sun, sea and clouds put on a show.

Arrived at Bridge St Inn at Cambria 30 min later and were greeted like old friends to Jan's hostel. Another night spent in great company and interesting conversation.