Big Sur, California: One of America's Best Scenic Drives
I was trying to fulfill a promise of a hiking trip long overdue, so I was not thinking about the drive. I just wanted to get to Big Sur, a place that offers a bounty of hiking trails, as quickly as possible. From Silicon Valley, I tried to avoid the winding Santa Cruz Mountains and decided to drive through US101 that connects to CA-156 to California Highway 1 to Monterey Peninsula. Little did I realize that the drive to Big Sur was to become a long and exciting drive, and one of the most memorable parts of our hiking trip. We drove up into the scenic California Highway 1 to Carmel in the dense fog. The fog was like a prelude to the drama to come. About half an hour from Carmel, a streak of sunlight passed through the fog. Occasional salmon-colored carvings (carved by nature) walled the highway, which followed the natural contours of the cliffs falling into the ocean. We rounded a corner and a mountain covered in fog towered above the cliffs that towered a ...