Ocean coast

We left the Redwood City, CA and drove in the direction of Los Angeles on Tuesday, September 23, 2014.
It was the last part of the 17-day trip by car on the US west.
We had planned to fly to Boston from Los Angeles September 25, 2014.

Theoretically, you can drive distance from San Francisco to Los Angeles for about 7 hours.
But in practice...
We're tourists, travelers, so the main thing is a rest and a desire to see new interesting places.

There are many beautiful places on the coast.
HWY 1 goes from San Francisco to Los Angeles near the ocean.
This is a tourist area, with excellent beaches, lookout points and small towns.
These towns all know: Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, San Simeon, Santa Maria.
And of course: Santa Barbara, Ventura and Malibu, the names of which are known from the movies.

After reading reviews, we wanted to drive the coast for two days, and we had to be in Los Angeles in the evening on September 24.
And where we spent the night on the coast?
We have not booked a motel, the ocean so mesmerizing that you do not know where you will spend the night.

So, we drove to the coast through the hills, fields and forests, by HWY 101 and 84.

The ocean!

There are many beaches here.
One beach ends and the other begins...
Some beaches are free, some are paid.
We pass next to San Gregorio Beach, Pompano Beach, Pescadero Beach, Peable Beach.

The road winds near the ocean...
We rested very often.

I already wrote that the wife loves to swim.
But we can not swim yet.
Because, the strong wind and turbid water were.

But even without a swimming, the ocean we liked.
Waves breaking on the cliffs.

But if you are looking for, you will always find.
We went down to the ocean from the rest area...

We found quiet bay near the stones, where we swam with pleasure.

The lighthouse was ahead.
It is Pigeon Point Lighthouse.
*Pigeon Point Lighthouse*
37°10'57.7"N, 122°23'36.9"W

Pigeon Point Lighthouse was built in 1871.
It is the tallest lighthouse on the coast, its height - 35 meters...
Pigeon Point Lighthouse, got its name from the name of the ship that crashed here in 1853.

This is one of the best-known lighthouses on the Pacific coast.
Beacon Tower is located on the cliff, and is a landmark for ships that close to San Francisco.

The lighthouse is located in the park, and the coast is very beautiful.
There is an observation deck from which visitors are looking at the ocean.

The lighthouse has this name because a lot of sea birds live in the Bay.

Pacific Ocean!

Well, we drove near beaches, near the ocean.

The road goes up and to the side from the ocean.

Вокруг холмы, поля и деревья...

City of Santa Cruz.
*Santa Cruz*

Santa Cruz, CA is located on the north shore of Monterey Bay, 115 km south of San Francisco.
The town is known for its beautiful coastline and groves of redwood.
California State University is located here.

The name "Santa Cruz" has been known since 1791, when the mission was established here.
Well, Santa Cruz became a city in 1876.
The coastal town with beautiful houses...

A Catholic Church...

And the city pier - Santa Cruz Wharf.

Santa Cruz is a popular surfing center.

There is a museum even - Santa Cruz Surfing Museum.
*Santa Cruz Surfing Museum*

Surfing - a very dangerous sport - the sportsmen ride on the boards near the cliffs.

But the cliffs and the ocean do not like to joke.
There are victims...
This monument is dedicated to all surfers - Surfing Sculpture.

Very beautiful coastline is here - cliffs, rocks, stones...

You can enjoy the ocean views from the lookouts points...

Or you can go down the stairs directly to the water...

And seals are here...

By the narrow streets we entered to HWY 1 and drove to south.

Then, we moved down to the ocean again...

Let's go forward, to the town of Monterey.

Monterey is located on the shores of Monterey Bay, near the Pacific Ocean.
The city was founded in 1770.
The city was the first capital of California in 1775-1849 years.
*Monterey*

There are many attractions in Monterey: one of the best aquariums in the United States, old buildings near port, theater, library, and others.

A lot of fishermen and many canneries factories were in the city previously.
The sculpture - "The Cannery Row Monument" has been established in memory of this.

The town is very interesting, so many tourists here.
People walking by the streets ...

People look at old buildings...

People admire by the ocean...

And they make pictures of sea lions.

First we walked by the streets, and then we looked Monterey Bay Aquarium.
It's fantastic!
*Monterey Bay Aquarium*
*Monterey Bay Aquarium - Wiki*

A lot of different fish live in aquarium...

"Flowers bloom"...

Penguins dive...

The beautiful and winding road "17-Mile Drive" passes near the city
This privately owned toll road runs along the Monterey peninsula, between the towns of Monterey and Carmel.
The road runs along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, between the beaches and the cliffs.
*17-Mile Drive*
GPS-coordinates: 36°36'33.8"N, 121°56'53.7"W

The road passes through groves of the peninsula, where there are some of the most expensive mansions in California.

We also decided to ride on this road, to see what Wikipedia says.
We drove by Ocean View Blvd., Sunset Dr. and entered to the "17-Mile Drive".

The ocean was on one side of the road...

Wealthy homes, golf courses and green groves were on the other side of the road.

The beach was rocky, chaos and a heaps of stones.
It's a real wild beauty!

We were lucky, was low tide the ocean.
The bottom and the rocks were visible on many meters.

A seagull sitting on a rock and waiting for the tide with us.

WOW! The tide came.
The water comes and fills quickly stones.

The steep coast is very picturesque, a lot of stones, but many greens too.

The evening was soon and we must hurry.
We were looking for a place to sleep.
We decided to spend the night in "Motel 6", in the city of San Simeon.
This was two and a half hour drive...
GPS-coordinates: 35°36'40.8"N, 121°08'29.7"W

The road ran along the shore, gradually climbing the cliffs.
A fog and a darkness has covered the shore.

There was a section of road of unearthly beauty here.

The bridge thrown over the abyss...

We stopped to make some pictures.

The bridge looked very colorful in the twilight.

Unfortunately, we drove to the motel in the dark in such beautiful places.
If you will here, you can pay more attention to the road between the towns of Carmel and San Simeon.

The last stop...

Let's go to the motel.

A wednesday, September 24, 2014 - this is our last day in California and in the western United States.
But this day was very interesting.
We met the sun in the town of San Simeon, on the Pacific coast.
But in the evening, we were going to get to Los Angeles, enjoying by the ocean.
Along the way, we were going to see the towns of Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Maliby...

At first we headed to the town of Santa Maria.

The town located a little away from the coast.
His story is like the story of many other small towns of California.
First there was a Spanish mission, and the city received the name of Santa Maria in 1885.
*Santa Maria*

We dropped the car in the center, visited the stores and the local market and just walked by the streets.

Then we drove by HWY 101, through the hills and fields, back to the coast, to the city of Santa Barbara.

Do you remember the famous TV series "Santa Barbara"?
The names of the characters knew the whole world.
Their way of life was of interest to all.
And many ladies dreamed to wake up in the town of Santa Barbara.
*Santa Barbara - TV series*

But the film is not always similar to real life.
So, the town was similar to other towns near the ocean, no better and no worse...
*Santa Barbara City*

Santa Barbara, CA is located 140 kilometers north-west of Los Angeles, on the Pacific coast.
The area got its name in 1602.
The Spanish mission with the same name - Santa Barbara was founded in 1786.
This is the date of foundation of the city.

We drove through the streets of the city...

Among the palm trees, we had driven to the ocean, to the beach.

Parking (fee required)...
But the beach and the ocean were next!

The beach was normal, like the other beaches, where we visited.
But it's the beach in Santa Barbara!

We rested on the bench and then we paid for a parking.
In exchange, we received a coin of one dollar - a very rare coin in the United States.
It was our souvenir from the city by the ocean - Santa Barbara, CA.

Well, our path lay through Santa Barbara, on the coast farther to south, to Los Angeles.

And the ocean again!

There is an interesting camping between the cities of Santa Barbara and Ventura.
This camp on wheels along the highway - Rincon Parkway Campground.
*Rincon Parkway Campground*
GPS-coordinates: 34°19'18.9"N, 119°23'35.7"W

Very calm ocean attracts travelers where you can swim...

The sandy beaches on which you can walk...

And beautiful houses right by the ocean, which you can watch.

A little further on, the beach becomes rocky again...

These beaches are located in the Ventura area.
The district capital - the city of Ventura, which got its name in 1891.
The city is approximately equal to Santa Barbara by the number of residents.
*Ventura*

We stopped at the observation deck near the stone.

And we looked down...
Endless ocean lay before us, and the wind tore the leaves of palm trees on the shore...

You will not be able to go down to the ocean here.
There are many private areas, a lot of buildings on the shore.
Because only one hour drive to Los Angeles.

The moon appeared in the sky, we had to hurry.

A little further on, the highway goes away from the ocean...

And then, the road returns to the shore.
But you will not see the ocean.
The buildings closed visibility.

The road ran between the houses.

Once again we saw the ocean only in Malibu.
*Malibu*

The city of Malibu is a part of the Pacific coast of 43 kilometers in length and is home to many Hollywood stars.
The city's name comes from the Indian word and this place was discovered by the Spanish in 1542.

We know this town by movies, the most famous of which is "Baywatch."
*Baywatch - TV series*

Santa Monica (Los Angeles area) was already visible ahead...

The travel by car on the US West has been completed.
We have closed a large circle in 17 days.
The night in Los Angeles and tomorrow by plane to Boston...