road trip: the PCH

most of the time i was in the states this summer i was visiting people, and seeing a new place only when it worked out...after scott and clair's wedding i opted to do one of the only real road trips i've ever done in the states...(in my life, for that matter)...i drove up the west coast from occidental, CA to astoria, OR, then over to a friend's house a bit inland...it was a gorgeous drive, and not at all boring...
i had no map, and no set itinerary...i only knew the date i wanted to arrive at maria's house, the rest of the days were totally open...

i'd heard over the years that there is beautiful scenery along the west coast, i decided i wanted to see what i could...so i drove...
i followed the highway along the coast as much as i could, only going away from the water when it was absolutely necessary (ie, the road didnt give me a way to stay close to the water)...i pulled off the road to take beautiful photos or sit on a beach or hike a little every time i felt like doing so...this usually meant i stopped a lot earlier in the day, then drove for longer periods of time in the afternoons...

everything i'd ever heard about this drive/road told me it is gorgeous...quite right...
some of the towns in which i stopped were small, and quite picturesque, some were not much more than a petrol station...
if i ever get time to do something like this again, i want to drive south from san francisco, and go as far as i can that way...it must be easier to pull off the road to take photos when driving south...
unfortunately, petrol is quite expensive in california...the price dropped almost drastically as soon as i crossed the border into oregon...since i don't normally have a car, i never remember to put petrol in my budget....ooops

i could write the names of the towns where i stayed, but that isn't the point of this post...i just want to show the pretty photos:)