Earth, Space and Beyond - The Pacific Coast

The Pacific Coast - San Francisco to Los Angeles

The last leg of our trip took us from San Francisco to Los Angeles following Highway 1 along the coast, with an over night stay at Monterey and Morro Bay.

Stretching 656 miles and connecting the coastal redwoods of Northern California to the sandy beaches of Southern California, is State Route 1, otherwise known as The California Pacific Coast Highway, Highway One or simply just “The One.” Portions of the route are also known as, the Redwood Highway, the Cabrillo Highway, and the Shoreline Highway.

This amazing stretch of road is what dreams are made of, offering endless vistas overlooking the Pacific, with plenty of redwood trees and wildlife sightings along the way. The most well-known stretch runs along California’s Central Coast from Monterey to Santa Barbara to, passing by the unspoiled coastline of Big Sur.

Having left San Francisco we headed west. Our first stop along the coast was to pull off the highway to view Gray Whale Cove and Montara State Beach.

Gray Whale Cove State Beach, the view from Highway 1.

The beach (also known as Devil’s Slide) features a sheltered cove surrounded by cliffs that drop abruptly into the Pacific Ocean.

In the image, just in from the headland can be seen an old observation post known as the Devil's Bunker.

Montara State Beach, the view from Highway 1.

Heading on southwards along the highway our next stop was at Pigeon Point Lighthouse. On the night of June 6, 1853, the clipper ship Carrier Pigeon ran aground 500 feet off shore here. The area is now called Pigeon Point in her honour.

The rocky island in the middle of the cove is called "Prisoner Rock" because fishermen were often stranded on it when high tides cut off their return to shore