This was the dream: heading across to get to Highway 1 and driving that all the way down the coast to Santa Barbara.
We had to stop for breakfast quite early on, in a quaint little place named Carmel, near where Highway 1 begins. Here we went to a fantastic little English style coffee shop / bakery located in a rather posh plaza. We had a ham and cheese croissant each with a coffee and tea then briefly wandered the plaza looking at some very nice boutiques and galleries.
- - - - - -
Well, highway 1 was a serious treat. The vistas: amazing; it was a drive of dreams. The windy black tarmac road is forged through the jagged and rocky cliff edges, which descend to meet sandy beaches. The azure blue ocean was crashing and foaming around shoals and rocks by the beach and lapping the shores. The sky was crisp blue and set off against the hills above us.
The highway continually snakes around the cliff edge and there are some serious corners which tested all the horses. In the words of Blue, it was 'system up with the top down'. I don't think the m3 will quite live up to it when we get back to Blighty.
- - - - - -
As it was the final big drive of our honeymoon, hundreds of well wishers had gathered along Highway 1. They cheered us on and took photos as we passed. I don't think it was anything to do with the classic car in front of us, or indeed the hundreds of classic cars that were driving Highway 1 that day (including old Ferraris and so many other classics)...
Yes, what a day to be driving down Highway 1. The air was crisp and cool, the sun was out, and the jet black tarmac warmed while the roar of mighty engines passed. The classic cars only added to the atmosphere and it was a real treat.
For a portion of the drive we were joined by three other Mustangs and drove in a Mustang convoy down the coast. This was only marred when some audacious son of a gun overtook us in some kind of car which I can only describe as Ford's answer to the Megane. The convoy broken, the dream in tatters, we left the road for lunch.
Here, roughly half way between San Fran and Hell-A we visited a little Mexican restaurant and had a good bite to eat. The cherry on the top of the day though was discovering an artisan who made the most spectacular wooden furniture I've ever seen: Brook Lawrence (Design). If only we'd had a spare $3000 we could have bought the most expertly crafted walnut table we've ever seen. Magical stuff. Try looking him up online, although I expect the photos on the website will pale grossly in comparison to the products in his gallery. The woods used included Cedar, Cypress, Walnut and Redwood. It was like nothing I've ever seen in England. Anyway, we chewed the cud for a while with him, mostly with me asking lots of questions about various pieces. Then we hit the road again for the two hours more drive to Santa Barbara.
- - - - - -
We arrived in SB and our motel was pleasant being only one block from the beach. Not wanting to waste the last of a nice day, we dropped our stuff in the room and made a beeline for the pool. Cool refreshing water and the last of the direct sun made it blissful. We used the motel WiFi to research our evening eatery.
- - - - - -
After a shower and change we route marched along the sea front heading into a glowing orange sunset. Palm trees lined up & down the sides of the road offered mighty silhouettes against the stunning backdrop.
After our quick step we arrived at the restaurant 'Emilios', only to find that it was closed for a kitchen refit. We had to settle in the end for a less good local restaurant and bar with reasonable food & cocktails, but the slowest service known to America.
We wandered back to the motel and crashed into bed again, to be ready for another early ish drive from here to Hell-A for the final night's stay.
It was a day of marked atmosphere.
No comments:
Post a Comment