This is Part Two of our California coastal road trip diary. Here is the link to Part One, if you missed it:
https://thetravelingdelanys.com/the-call-of-the-road-part-1/
We woke to a misty Monterey Bay morning with a little headache reminder of our indulgence the night before. No matter, some breakfast and the anticipation of our day trip to Pebble Beach energized us for the day ahead.
Day 3
Delany Road Diary
09:30 am (PDT)
Destination: 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach, CA
Initially, we weren’t enthused about paying $11.25 to drive down some rich peoples’ privately managed roadway, but 17 Mile Drive is the only way to see the Lone Cypress, so we ponied up the cash and we were so glad we did. The toll is reimbursable with a minimum purchase of $35.00 at Pebble Beach establishments. I am hoping that the money contributes to keeping the area beautiful and safe for the marine life at Pebble Beach.
There are four entry gates into the 17 Mile Drive. We were coming from Monterey so we entered at the Pacific Grove gate where we paid admission and got our map.
Despite our initial reluctance to pay the toll, we did love the drive. We passed through some of the most beautiful California coastal scenery we’ve ever seen. The serene, unspoiled natural environment draws nature lovers and photography enthusiasts alike. These are our favorite stops on the map of 17 Mile Drive:
Stop Number 7 on the map – Point Joe
Point Joe – famous for its many shipwrecks. Point Joe’s extensive reef system and rocky shores are a delight for divers but were disastrous for sailing ships scudding North that turned in too early, mistaking the point for the entry to Monterey Bay.
Stop Number 13 and 14 on the map – Fanshell Beach Outlook and Cypress Point Lookout.
The ancestral nurseries for mother harbor seals and their babies.
We were visiting during pupping season (April 1 to June 1), so this portion of the beach access on the 17 Mile Drive was cordoned off with green-tarped, chain link construction fencing providing the little ones and their mothers some protective peace. It was disappointing that we couldn’t see the seal pups but we were glad they were sheltered from prying eyes and camera phones. We could hear them from our side of the fence. The babies’ squawking sounded like a cross between a sheep bleat and a crow caw – so incredibly cute! In my mind’s eye, I imagined the baby seals sunning themselves on the beach and snuggling with their mamas, scratching, napping and bumping along the sand. Ah, the life!
Stop Number 16 on the map – The famous Lone Cypress.
The rare Monterey Cypress is found only in this part of California. The Lone Cypress is one of the most photographed trees in North America and is estimated to be over 200 years old. Defying the elements and clinging to its rocky pedestal, it is a metaphor for rugged, self-reliant individualism.
Stop Number 17 on the map – Ghost Trees at Pescadero Point.
These sun-bleached and windswept Monterey cypresses are known locally as the ghost trees. Long dead, these craggy conifers still stand tall, their gnarled arms outstretched toward the waves, as if calling them in. It is a hauntingly beautiful sight. Legend has it that a spirit known as the “Lady in Lace” roams this section of the highway. On foggy mornings, she has been sighted between Pescadero Point and the nearby 18th hole of the Pebble Beach Golf Course. We did feel a lingering presence there, as we stood above the rocky shore, watching the powerfully surging, yet strangely quiet sea.
This iconic drive is an Instagramable wonderland. While we have listed only a few stops along the 17 miles, every stop on this drive is a photo opportunity worthy of your story or your reels.
The best times to visit are during spring and fall. Winter can be windy and rainy and summer brings major crowds. We took our drive in the late spring and had perfect weather and encountered very few tourists. In fact, we kept crossing paths with the few other visitors at various stops along the 17 miles. We took group photos for each other and waved them off, saying “see you at the next stop!”
Know before you go
When planning a visit to the 17-mile drive, check the Pebble Beach Golf Club calendar for any large tournaments or the Concours d’Elegance, a competition considered to be the world’s premier celebration of the automobile, attracting car enthusiasts from all over the world and periodically closing the drive to outside traffic, In 2023, the Concours d’Elegance runs from August 4 to August 28.
We drove the entire 17 mile drive loop and returned to our hotel for dinner and our last night in Monterey.
The next morning welcomed us with sunny skies and the realization that today’s leg of our journey would turn us back toward home.
Day 4
Delany Road Diary
09:30 am (PDT)
Destination: Pismo Beach, CA
Our last stop on the Delany road trip: Pismo Beach, my sister’s happy place. She and her husband were engaged there and they make it a point to visit several times every year. This laid-back beach town, located on the lovely Central Coast of California, was once known as The Clam Capital of the World.
Sandcastle Hotel on the Beach
100 Stimson Ave, Pismo Beach, CA 93449
(805) 773-2422
https://www.sandcastlehotelonthebeach.com/
We stayed at the Sandcastle hotel, situated right on the beach and close to everything. After unpacking our suitcases in our ocean view room, we strolled along the oceanfront boardwalk, the wooden slats raising a satisfying, resounding clomp beneath our sandals. The calming sound of waves muffling the far-off sound of seagulls instantly relaxed us and the stress of the drive fell away to the shore.
The end of the boardwalk dumped us into the busy, buzzy pier plaza, full of shops, restaurants and a perfect Instagram selfie backdrop.
There are so many outdoor activities to be had in Pismo beach: surfing, birdwatching, hiking, walking on the beach, digging clams, exploring Dinosaur Cave Park, wine tasting just a few miles away, and viewing the monarch butterflies that migrate here every year in the late fall.
But we didn’t do any of those things. Our plans included nothing but beach bumming and serious napping, spending our last day on this trip relaxed and unhurried.
However, there was one exception. I was particularly interested in checking out a funky-looking store we passed as we got off of the freeway in Pismo. The Pismo Beach Surf Shop.
Pismo Beach Surf Shop
470 Price St, Pismo Beach, CA 93449
(805) 773-2089
I love finding unique local attractions, like this one with an extremely funky collection of all kinds of bits and bobs and other miscellany.
Unfortunately, the Surf Shop was closed when we arrived. Another consequence of the non-plan plan that we were following on this trip. We peered through the fence like a couple of burglars, craning to see all that we could see. I wonder if they’d even notice something missing in that maze of messy inventory?
That night, after an afternoon snooze, we closed the last evening of our road trip with a fireside charcuterie and a sunset.
Day 5
Delany Road Diary
10:00 am (PDT)
Destination: Home
Morning came early, and even as we tried to squeeze the last bit of laziness out of this trip, time refused to stand still. Abandoning our usual meticulous packing protocol, we pitched all our stuff into the back of the car and slammed the trunk. I nestled into my seat as we eased onto the 101 freeway and thought, We’re getting good at this. I began to appreciate having time to think and to talk about ideas and daydream about the future together. Husband and I were certainly challenged with spells of boredom on this drive, especially at the beginning. But we stuck with it and we came away closer to one another.
This was different than a fancy trip to another country where the majority of our time is scheduled before we even arrive. On those trips, our energy and thoughts are generally consumed with executing the plan, perhaps dealing with a language we’ve only recently learned, or navigating an unfamiliar city and needing to find our way back to a hotel at the end of the day. Those activities, while exciting and fun, don’t leave much brain bandwidth for quiet connection.
A road trip seemed ho-hum to me on the face of it, like watching the world go by from a car window. The reality turned out to be so much more. On the drive home, I began feeling like I would like to do it again. About an hour away from home, I started to feel a cold coming on. I was irritated that just as I was starting to be comfortable with being on the road, I suddenly wanted to be back home, huddling in my own bed.
Life passes very much like a road-trip.
You may not know your destination until you get there, you never know when there will be traffic, if there is a forced detour in your path or if there’s going to be a crash or a smooth road. I’m still not sure I am ready to embrace the philosophy that the journey is as good as than the destination, but I am on the road to getting there.
