We are on our way home from caramel and if you're not familiar with caramel and it is near Monterey and we didn't know this, but there is a military base in Monterey.

So while we're in Carmel, a lot of people messaged us and was like, hey, I was stationed in Monterey.

I love that area caramel.

Anyways, that's something we learned while we were taking this road trip and we're gonna kind of go over what the road trip was like from L.

A.

To Carmel.

Um and we wanted to take the scenic route.

So we left L.

A.

Took the one on one and then went on the PCH or pacific Coast Highway and that's where you can get that beautiful coastal view.

Um all the way up into Carmel.

Yeah.

So yeah, there's several routes you can go, it's from L.

A.

To the north, but a lot of people choose to go to the pacific coast Highway because it's such a scenic highway and it's considered, you know, one of the world's best scenic views on the coast.

So yeah, I was like, I definitely want to go and I definitely wanted to check out big sur it's been on my bucket list forever.

So I was like, you know, let's just take the coast, I know it's gonna take a little bit longer but I definitely wanted to do that and see bixby Bridge, which is one of the most famous stops on that, was it?

The coast highway or one of the famous stuff.

Yes, a total drive time when we googled it from L.

A.

To Carmel was about six hours.

But it actually took us almost 8.5 hours and we're trying to figure out why did it take us so long?

We didn't really take long stops.

We took we stopped a few times for gas and water.

Um For the dogs who brought her pups with us.

And there was one stop that we took a little bit extra time because there was a great view.

And uh so yeah we're just gonna kind of go through the points on where we stopped but definitely calculate some more time than six hours because I was a little bit surprised that we're not slow drivers eight hours.

Yeah so when we left L.

A.

We took the 101 we did hit slight traffic.

So that kind of set us back a little bit.

Once we passed the traffic it was very smooth, very scenic.

The directions were very straightforward.

Now we will say that unfortunately California does not have great rest stops.

Um So when you see a rest stop you need to take it.

Especially when you take a D.

Ch.

Because they're very limited and like if you if you happen to miss a stop like us and then take a different stop that it's kind of like not one that was planned you might end up with a really really bad bathroom so and expensive gas and you don't want that.

So definitely kind of calculate where you want to stop to buy gas or take a restroom break because that was something that we were going to stop at my first stop.

Crystal had figured out which exit, but I was driving and somehow I missed the stop, so I think it was exit 91 or something like that, it was around exit 91 so there was four exits that had some gas stations and food exits um so I was like let's stop by one of these.

So there was one stop that had, you know, two gas stations I believe, still small towns, but at least they were like normal sized gas stations, but we passed those, so then we ended up at exit 91 Evans road and it was such a tiny town, it was called Summerland.

Oh yeah, Summerland, it's, my name is Barbara, remind us of Japan because we used to go to this water amusement park in Japan called Summerland.

Anyway, that's how I remember at Summerland, but I'm like, oh this is gonna be like great, it's summerland but no, ended up being like the worst gas station stop ever.

The worst restroom at the gas station was actually cute, it's really old school looking our first bathroom brick in the most interesting town.

This is the most interesting gas station, I stopped by, it's so tiny.

But yeah, so it's one of those bathrooms, we go outside and it's dirty, it's really dim.

It's, you know, both male and female can use it.

So you know how that is?

Usually when the males shared the females, they're just pee everywhere, so it's gross.

So the first stop was a big fail.

So after that we really made it a point to make sure we're paying more attention when we make the next stops and um the second step, What was the second step?

Is that it?

I'm trying to think that, I think it was ragged point.

So the next stop bragging point actually was beautiful and that is right when you get into the entrance of Big Sur and it's also there's an inn, there's a hotel there.

So it's like combined as like this rest stop with this pin and big grassy area, great for the dogs.

Good girl.

The property was amazing flowers and chairs and they're very, very beautiful viewpoints.

So we took a lot of photos there as well and actually take a hike down there to the trail.

They go down, there was plenty of parking when we went, it was a pretty like dreary days so there weren't a lot of people out and about and it was kind of chilly, so beautiful location.

There actually was places to eat there, but it was closed by the time we got there.

It was open to kind of places that the left side had a dining restaurant people, but on the right side is kind of like a take out food area that was closed.

Okay.

Yeah because I remember seeing that closed because we arrived there probably like six p.m. Which would make sense why it's closed.

Why there wasn't a lot of people there, right?

You will want to take this stop when you get there because after that it will be a very long windy slow ride because then you're in the mountains and for the next about almost two hours, a little over two hours will be just going through the mountains.

Although you will see you will pass by a little cafes.

There was one other gas station again tiny so it's not gonna be 24 hours.

Do we say that the ragged point did have a gas station.

It was super expensive.

Didn't say that.

Okay so yeah there is a gas station at ragged point.

However it's super super expensive.

It was like $4 or something and we're like no we're not going to say it was close to $5 a gallon.

And right now in California it's about, I would say 3 60 a gallon is the average right now.

It is.

So yeah it was over a dollar more.

So we're like nope not getting gas here.

Yeah so if you if you have um gas like left definitely skip that one and go to the next one because you will hit I think to other one there's one other one.

I know there's one for sure there's a tiny one yes in the big Sur area and then after that you won't hit another one until like caramel like a big one.

So yeah definitely keep in mind um of that when you're driving.

So yeah so we stopped right there and as candy said after that it's just all windy roads for about two hours.

Yeah we thought it would be less than that.

Candy actually was like wait is this Gps right does it still say like hour and a half because they kept on looking at when we were driving you know the time had passed by super fast but once we got into the mountains it kind of like slow down because we have to go so slow and on top of that it was getting dark and um it should have been more a lot more light at that time but it was foggy and it was like really cloudy, gloomy weather so we had to be more careful driving through these mountains.

Oh also you will lose reception.

Sure is.

Yeah, basically no reception.

So if you need directions because I mean it's just one way but if you are adamant about having you know reception you're not going to get it there unfortunately there's no reception there and we wanted to make it to bixby bridge so busy bridges about 20 minutes before Carmel and I wanted to get there by Sunset which we did but it was dark because it was so cloudy and foggy.

I mean I still think, you know, we got some great pictures even in like foggy weather, 60 bridges that very scenic stop.

Look at the view.

This gorgeous guys.

Isn't this gorgeous?

Right, right, Isn't it worth it worth it.

So yeah, they have two parking spots, one is the main one to the left and then there's like another one to the right, like uphill a little bit so you just have to cross the street.

But for the most part, I mean everybody was parked on that one side.

Yeah, I mean people take their picture and leave pretty fast.

So it wasn't like it wasn't congested or anything, but I was so glad because it's such a tiny area and just, you know, one ways and I'm just like there's no park, you don't know how, how are we going to turn around?

Like it's kind of like tough to turn around this area but they gave me plenty of space and it was a lot easier than I thought.

So, overall, yes, the view was amazing.

Beautiful.

I wish we would have left a little bit sooner.

Um that way we could have enjoyed the, you know, the daylight all the way through the mountains which we weren't able to do since we didn't think it was gonna take that long so give yourself plenty of time.

Um even if it says, I don't know if it says three hours to get there maybe put in an extra hour or two.

On the other hand, on the way back it's a little bit different story.

We did not take the scenic routes And we did leave, we left at a different time and the weather was different, it was sunny and bright, we left around 11 when we got to the foot or the start of big sur, that was so beautiful.

So yeah, we did take some of the scenic, yeah, not all the way, we didn't think we didn't take all of PCH Yeah, so going back is a little bit different because the part of the same as Big Sur, the Big Sur part is exactly the same.

The only difference was the weather was way better for us and we had complete, we had daylight the entire way, but once we left the Big Sur area, we didn't take all of PCH we decided to take go inland and when you go inland there are more rest areas, there are more gas stations so you don't have to be, you don't have to calculate as much I want to say.

Yeah, you can relax a little bit more on the dry.

So on the way back we stopped by moore vista points and look out like I wanted to do it on the way up but we just had no time, there's no time for us to stop anywhere except for six ft bridge because that's what I wanted dark.

So we're like, we can't we can't keep stopping.

So I really wanted to make it a big speed bridge.

So I was like, you know what, we'll just have to skip all this and make sure we get to bixby bridge, which we did.

So I was like, you know what, On the way back, let's make all those stops that we saw like, oh, that's beautiful, That's beautiful.

So we did.

And I think we made about, I don't know, 3-4 stops in the big sur area.

So beautiful.

It's just so gorgeous.

You have to make stops there.

You're missing out if you don't.

Yeah, for sure.

And like, it was such a perfect day for it too.

I mean it's such a stark difference from when we came in and leaving because we came in, it was so dark and gloomy and cloudy and misty.

And then when we came back it was all sunny, bright blue skies.

Yeah, they had some clouds but some cool clouds that made it even more scenic like over the mountains and the water color there was like separate, like, someone was like blue, someone aqua blue.

It was like a mixture of colors in the water that was really pretty too.

And the waves crashing against the rocks and it was just like, it was so dreamy.

And then we wait, we saw the elephant seals and san simeon is where they're located at.

And I didn't even know they had a point where you could look at seals here, but apparently seeing elephant seals in its natural habitat is pretty rare.

So it's special to see it in that area.

So we definitely do that.

So we felt special.

Yeah.

If you actually want to see seals up close and doing more than lounging, definitely go to La hoya California.

Yes, because that is an amazing spot to see seals up close and in their natural habitat as well.

So, as candy mentioned, we're not, we didn't totally take the scenic route that we took some of it because you have to Anyway, so we went through Big Sur san Simeon and then we made a left into believe it was 47 46 we ended up in 46.

So on that road was the highway, we saw this gas station that had this huge James Dean cardboard.

Um, so we're like, let's just stop here for guys.

So James Dean.

Yeah.

Shell gas station.

I wonder if there's like James Dean stuff you can buy in there.

So I looked it up later and it's called Blackwells Corner, James Dean's last stop and when I went to the bathroom in there, um, and I came out that there's a wall plaster with like all these like James Dean, like newspaper articles and magazine clippings.

And I wanted to kind of get the history and I'm like, oh, this is probably why there's a big James Dean outside.

But the thing was not even like a chronological order.

So I'm like, I'm just reading different articles and I'm like, you know what?

I intend to look this up later because the dogs are in the car and it's 100 and one degrees outside.

Well, crystal was there.

So they're not like, you know, dying in the car.

But I was like, I better get back to the car.

So yeah, it was a great road trip.

We learned some lessons, find some gas stations early and don't go to Evans road or Summerland.

Um, calculate more time, calculate more time to go to because the Big Sur area takes a while to go through.

Yes.

It took us a little over two hours to get through Big Sur.

Oh, go look at the elephant seals because they're rare to see in their natural habitat.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's a great scenic road to take.