Road Trip: California Route 1

'Big Sur is the California that men dreamed of years ago ... this is the face of the earth as the Creator intended it to look'

-Henry Miller

It is very hard to resist the lure of open roads once you have tasted the joy in marveling at Nature's creation and felt like a child again- wanting to live only for the present- when no promise, no land, no reward seems more alluring than what you have right in your hand. What a beautiful state of mind!

I had fallen in love with the glorious Pacific coastline the first time I flew over California. I could see the blue ocean juxtaposed with mountains from my flight window and I heard myself think: Someday, I will see it up close.

We started around 9 am,May 1, 2010, Saturday, knowing it would take only 2 hours to reach our destination. This time we drove south. We saw several private airplanes docked at South County Airport and a couple in the air. SG revowed to get his flying license someday, teasing that I should insist upon it by saying: 'It is time you got one', strangely similar to something I had said before he got his driving license. When we saw fruit stalls selling farm-grown cherries and garlic along the highway, a sense of deja vu filled us.

We stopped at the city of Gilroy to get a SD card for my camera; crossed Marina and Carmel-by-the-Sea. SG said he was reminded of Europe. I haven't seen Europe yet, except for connecting flights and the insides of airports at Brussels and Heathrow, so our reference points differed. I imagined Europe in the likeness of what I was seeing.

Big Sur

The treacherous road to Yosemite had established my faith in SG as an able driver on a previous trip. Hence, the precariously-perched cliff-top roads with their several twists and turns did not intimidate me. Driving a convertible top-down at high elevation, holding onto my favorite hat felt like I was in a Hollywood movie from the 60s. The warmth of the young summer sun and the cool sea breeze titillating my skin made me more alive than I had felt in years. I am home.