Big blue ocean as far as the eye can see! We started off the day on the 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach. We had no plans to do so, and had never even heard of it, but happened upon it spontaneously. So many awesome activities happen this way. The drive cost $10.50 per vehicle, and it was worth the fee. There are 17 vantage points along the drive where you can stop and get out and walk around if you choose. (And take oodles of photos.) The stops have names like Restless Sea, Seal Rock, and Fanshell Beach. Be prepared for gorgeous shorelines, famous golf clubs by the sea, zillion dollar homes, sandy beaches to dig your toes into, and seals sunning on rocks and frolicking in the ocean. We saw seals jump up full-body out of the water!

After the Pebble Beach drive we continued south on Highway 1 for 30 miles along the coast. We pulled over many times, it was just so beautiful. And we may never make it here again, so we took our time (our overriding philosophy on this adventure). Our drive was capped off by a visit to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, where we took a quarter-mile walk through woods and then a tunnel below Rte. 1 to McWay Falls. This steady stream of water pours out of a rock cliff and falls onto the sandy beach below. As the waves ebb and flow, the water falls directly into the surf at times. Simply gorgeous!