The Pacific Coast Highway

The truth is that I got a little carsick on the Pacific Coast Highway.  Not puking on the side of the road carsick.  Just sitting as still as you can trying not to move your head or look around too much hoping it will go away carsick.  I think I have some inner ear issues.  I used to get seasick bobbing in the water at the edge of the ocean.  And I really can't do boats.  But it was totally worth it.  The Pacific Coast Highway that is.  It is as beautiful as everyone says it is.

We have been up and down this road four times in the last three years.  The first time was after Jason graduated from SciArc in 2012.  Gary, Jason and I took a road trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco.  Then we did the crazy fly to Los Angeles and buy a Jetta and drive it to San Bruno trip in the fall of 2014.  The third time was San Bruno to L.A. in February of this year.  And then this last time, going the opposite way, from L.A. to Napa.  It is starting to feel almost familiar, this winding road on the edge of the ocean.  And it is always stunning, even in the fog.

We seem to have always driven Highway 1 in the off season.  Which is probably good.  I imagine long lines of cars in the summer on the narrow twisty road.  I imagine tailgaters wanting to go fast, when you might want to go slow.  This last trip up the coast we did one night in Pismo Beach, where we practically had the whole town to ourselves.  We did some sleeping and some eating and some walking.  Nothing major to report.  The biggest news of the day was stopping in Cayucos to buy some brown butter cookies.  Brown butter cookies are cookies worth stopping for.

The second night on the road we stayed in a place we have wondered about every time we have driven by.  A place called Lucia Lodge.  The lodge is tiny and sits out on a cliff in Big Sur.  There are only 10 rooms.  Four of them are little cabins perched out there on the edge overlooking the ocean.

We reserved cabin #7 - the fourth one in from the end.  This was going to be our big splurge.  It was 'mid-season' according to their website, and they were charging $255 for one night.  We were hoping the experience would match the price.

Check-in was 3:00 and we wanted to take advantage of all the time we could on the edge of the cliff.  To enjoy the view.  And the peace and quiet.  The lodge has pictures online of people sitting in Adirondack chairs looking serenely out at the ocean.  We wanted to be those people.  We planned our arrival for right around 3 and went to get our key.  Sweet Avalon checked us in, and as we were heading out the door to find our cabin casually remarked, 'Oh, by the way, there is a little construction going on down there.  If you have any problems, please let me know.  I'll be here until 7.'

Now we are nice people, and don't like to make a fuss, but cabins nine and ten were being completely gutted.  There were power saws and hammers and construction guys walking past our door to the parking lot next to our cabin.  It soon became obvious that there would be no serene sitting.  We hiked back up the road and talked to sweet Avalon.  We were polite.  Just disappointed.  We almost packed up and drove on down the road.  But Avalon talked to her boss on the walkie talkie and they decided we could have dinner on the house and that they would comp half the price of the room.  We decided to stay.  We went back to our cabin and listened to the tile-cutting saw they had stationed outside.  We listened to the workmen spitting as they walked by on the way to their trucks.  We listened to all the sounds of a construction site for 3 hours.  And then we walked around the property and up the hill in the back to watch the sunset.  I tried to focus on all the good things around me.  I tried to let the rest go.

The noise stopped a little after 6.  And then we had a lovely dinner in the restaurant overlooking the ocean.  There were 2 other couples eating when we arrived, but after a few minutes they left, and we had the whole dining room to ourselves.  There was a fireplace and a friendly waitress.  After dinner we walked back to the cabin and had a little more wine.  It was quiet and dark and peaceful.  There was a coyote howling in the hills.  There was a flame in the gas fireplace.  We were glad we had stayed.

Next morning sweet Avalon's boss was at the checkout desk.  She was the one with all the power.  We shared our experience with her.  In a nice way of course.  And sweet Avalon's boss decided to comp our entire bill.  Except for the wine we had at dinner.  So the entire cost of our night on the cliff in Big Sur was equal to the cost of a few glasses of wine.  And a few days later, when Gary finally listened to his backlog of phone messages, we realized that the lodge had actually called to tell us about the construction, and ask if we wanted to reschedule our stay.  I felt bad.  But not that bad.

So, if you haven't driven the Pacific Coast Highway, it is definitely worth putting on the list.  Even if you get carsick.  And if you ever need to get hold of Gary, do not call and leave a message.  Text him.  And, most of all, remember to look for the good things in the middle of all the noise.

Big Sur selfie