Day 52
Location: Santa Rosa, CA
Miles Driven: 525
Total Miles: 13,151
Taylor had to head out to work early, and my plan was to be a bum for the better part of the morning. I took advantage of the continental breakfast, relaxed for a bit, and then got some exercise before getting ready. I made it a point to shave the beard that had been growing on me for about two weeks, and man, that took a long time. Thanks again to Taylor for letting me treat his hotel like my own.
Around 1PM I was on the road and making my way north along Highways 101/1 along the coast. It was a beautiful drive, and I had good views of the blue Pacific.
Farmland near Hearst Castle
Big elephant seals on the beach
The only bad thing was I got hit with some overcast skies as the drive went on.
One of my last glimpses of the sun
Winding turns along Hwy 1
Looking back along the coast
I had underestimated how long it would take to get north via Hwy 1, as at some points you need to travel fairly slow going around the turns. Before I knew it, it was dark, and I wasn’t even close to San Francisco (and the heavy clouds didn’t help). I eventually veered off of Hwy 1 around Monterey, and made a beeline towards Santa Rosa.
In Santa Rosa lives my buddy Kevin, a guy I knew back in college and became friends with thanks to us being assigned to the same project team in a class. Haven’t seen the guy since a reunion with that professor several years ago. So I’ll hang with him for a while, check out San Fran, and enjoy the nice company in Northern CA.
joe
Leave a reply to Mara Cancel reply
Trip route – Summer 2010
Recent Comments
 | bali villa sale semi… on Days 67 and 68: Driving along… |
 | Steliana on One year later… |
 | Joseph on Day 76: Forecast calls for… |
 | Annette on Day 76: Forecast calls for… |
 | schmellymelly on Day 44 |
Joe's Roadtrip 
i’m impressed you knew those were elephant seals. did they run away from seaworld?
Ha, I only knew because there were big displays right by the beach explaining everything about these animals. They’re big, but somewhat boring.
Looks like tomorrow is our day, I can’t wait to see you.
Likewise! Looking forward to making it up to Redding
I’m with MLee. You get the Big Pickle. These pics are beautiful too!
Thanks, ND. I never won a pickle before
leadership pickles?
If you liked the California coast on highway 101, promise me you’ll plan (if you haven’t already) to travel up 101 in Oregon. The views are absolutely breathtaking.
You know I didn’t even think of the Oregon coast. I may try that. Thanks for the suggestion, Matt
When looking in my quotation book regarding BEARDS, it led me to HIPPIE (my era) and I like what this said and thinks it fits you well, my Jip!
“The word “hip” translates roughly as “wise” or “tuned-in.” A hippy is somebody who “knows” what is really happening, and who adjusts or grooves with it. ”
——Hunter S. Thompson