As an east coast guy I've always dreamed of doing a west coast trip. I've just seen too many videos of the awesome roads that it's always been on my bucket list. We were supposed to do something in 2020 but then of course, the world shut down, so now 2 year later, we were finally able to make it happen. Since I couldn't bring my cars normally I'd have to resort to some boring rental or perhaps spending a lot of money on some kind of fun rental but I was so grateful that my friend, Kamil, was super generous and offered to let me use his 2004 S2000 for our road trip. It took the removal of the spare tire and foam for the jack and tools to get all our stuff to fit but we made it work with some serious Tetris.
Our noble steed - 6-8-2022
Tight Squeeze - 6-8-2022
We started off in LA then drove up the Pacific Coast Highway US-1, but before we got too far north, we took a short detour through the mountains of Malibu so I could get my first taste of what would be many incredible twisty roads on this journey. The roads were so twisty and so engaging that I frankly didn't care about going fast, I just wanted to savor every moment of it. This was a dream come true and I didn't want it going by too quickly.
Tuna Canyon Road - 6-9-2022
Tuna Canyon Road - 6-9-2022
The views on the PCH were breath taking. The vast Pacific Ocean to our left, the mountain to our right, and open road in front of us. We kept pulling over because there was one more interesting view to see.
Head north to Morro Bay - PCH - 6-9-2022
We eventually made it to Morro Bay before sunset. It was the perfect spot to end the first day of our road trip. It was such a chill beach town, pretty much everything I imagined California to be.
The next day we took off north to Monterey. I was most excited about this leg of the journey because I had heard and seen so many amazing photos of this section of the PCH. It did not disappoint! I was able to get my drone out for a few shots and while I enjoyed documenting the trip, I also enjoyed just tucking everything away and soaking it all in. I could've stayed on that road forever and been perfectly happy.
En route to Monterey - 6-10-2022
En route to Monterey - 6-10-2022
We continued our way towards Bixby Bridge by Big Sur and it just kept getting more and more spectacular. There's no wonder why this is named one of the best driving roads in the country.
En route to Monterey - 6-10-2022
Bixby Bridge - Big Sur - 6-10-2022
We spent the next two days at Monterey taking a break from driving but we did go whale watching and while I did get sea sick, I was so happy to have captured this breaching adult Humpback whale. It was my birthday and it really put an exclamation mark on that day.
Breaching humpback whale in Monterey Bay - 6-11-2022
The final half of our road trip took us inland into onto Yosemite National Park. The drive away from the shore was still nice but not as nice as our drive up to Monterey bay and I was wondering if we were missing out not continuing northward. Any and all doubt was gone when we got to the park and just before entering the tunnel going to the valley, the view of El Capitan and the Half Dome in the distance was one I'd never forget.
Yosemite National Park - 6-13-2022
What I wasn't expecting was the 6-7 hours of non-stop twisty road driving I'd be doing that first day at the park going from one jaw dropping spectacle to the next. Going to Yosemite was one the most rewarding and awe inspiring things I have ever done in my life. It was just pure, unadulterated beauty, mother nature at her finest.
Yosemite National Park - 6-13-2022
Yosemite National Park - 6-13-2022
Yosemite National Park - 6-13-2022
It's easy to take these places for granted or to defer a trip until "next time" but nothing in life is guaranteed. I probably couldn't have picked a worse time for a road trip with soaring record level gas prices. This trip cost a lot but I'll tell you one thing, if I had to do it all over again, I'd do in a heart beat. Money is best spent when building memories and experiences and this is up there among the best investments in my life.
Yosemite National Park - 6-13-2022
Yosemite National Park - 6-13-2022
Yosemite National Park - 6-13-2022
I was going for an epic adventure, what I got was so much more...
