By Morgan
Ever since COVID, my family trips have been relatively limited. We did a three day trip to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park last summer and have done a few day trips to Joshua Tree National Park. Other than that though, we’ve really just been staying local. While I love the natural areas Los Angeles (where I reside) has to offer, it’s also nice to get out and see more of California. That’s why this summer, my family and I are exploring the California coastline! We’re starting off in Big Sur and Monterey, and will then gradually work our way up to San Francisco. We’ll end the trip for a night of camping in Pinnacles National Park before heading home. It’s a total of eight days on vacation. Honestly after so long of working hard with school, extra curriculars, volunteering, and such, I am so excited to finally be taking some time for myself to be with nature and my family. I’ll be documenting the highlights with y’all, so stay tuned!
By 8am, my family and I had hit the road. We drove on the 101 Highway as we embarked on our adventure towards Big Sur in Central California. We sang along to songs from our newest road trip playlist: classics like “Stay with Me” by Chaka Khan and “Let it Be” by The Beetles and especially songs from Lizzo’s recently released album “Special”.
Soon enough, we had reached territory we had not yet charted in previous road trips. Looking out the car windows, we saw grassy hills and huge waves creeping up the beach. We saw Turkey Vultures soaring in the sky with not a care in the world. Gulls flew above us, drifting from sea to road. We were now driving directly parallel to the coastline. The cloudy day and low light conditions made the ocean blend in with the sky, making it seem like the waves went on forever. It was beautiful.
Not wanting to rush through the five hours up to Big Sur, we decided to soak up the picturesque scenery by making small stops along the way. A road sign indicating Morro Bay as only a few miles away marked our first destination along the coast. We searched for a place to lunch, which conveniently led us through Morro Bay State Park. The space was covered in pines and eucalyptus trees, complete with an estuary that surely funneled into the ocean somewhere.