After an epic pancake breakfast, it was time to leave San Francisco and hit the road in our hired car. The Kia Soul we were given looked like a large bread-van until we left the parking lot and noticed how small it was compared to the other big American cars on the road. It was time to start our HWY1 roadtrip.

Our first stop was the quirky seaside resort of Santa Cruz. We parked next to a hippie van and wandered off along the promenade. The beach-front funfair provided a soundtrack of screams and giggles as we tasted a corn dog and slurped on slush puppies. I braved dipping my toes in the ocean but not even the brain-freeze-inducing slushy was as cold as the pacific this far North.

Back on the road we ambled down HWY1 to Monterey. We followed the sound of barking sea lions along the peer and found a few happily napping in the sun. There’s not much to ‘do’ in Monterey, but we weren’t looking for any tourist attractions anyway. A few photos later we decided to check into our hotel and find a place for dinner.

The Sunset Inn was a little further along the coast in Pacific Grove. Ana-Paula found a deal on trip-advisor that gave us an amazing room at a reduced rate. After a great seafood dinner we went in search of a photo opportunity with the lighthouse. Instead we found ourselves back in Monterey on Cannery Row. The Lonely Planet warned us that the old canning district is a bit tacky, but it made for some pretty good night-time photos.

Pacific Grove is best known for the 17 Mile Drive; a scenic loop that winds along the coast and through a redwood forest. As history has it, the drive was so valued that all the land was bought up by rich folk building mansions. The area now has an entrance fee, which seems a bit odd, but paints a picture that this is the most beautiful way to start your adventure into Big Sur. It certainly is pretty, but I wouldn’t consider it any more beautiful than any other parts of Big Sur. The 17 Mile Drive includes the Lone Cypress, a 200 year old tree that sits all alone on an outcrop of rocks.

From the 17 Mile Drive we continued to Carmel, a really quirky and beautiful town. All the houses, letterboxes, bus stops and even rubbish bins have a unique style. Carmel is an arty town and it shows.