Driving down the 101....Califooornniiiaaa! Part One.

This trip happened in December but I guess I'm terrible at blogging during the school year.  As soon as summer comes around I need this creative outlet again!

Nate and I subscribe to Sunset magazine and we read it cover to cover!  It's that one about the "best in the west." I had always thought Sunset was meant for gardeners, or people who wanted to spend a lot of money redecorating their back porch or living areas.  Instead, we discovered a whole wealth of information on the ultimate road trips and weekends away.  It has hundreds of ideas on food, drink and sights in cities up and down the West Coast.  So perfect for our life right now!  We have so many pages that are turned down on corners marking places we hope to get to someday.  

It was Sunset that inspired us to do the stunning Highway 101 road trip.  We drove from SanFrancisco to Santa Monica and were met with such a beautiful assortment of coastal views.  This area of California can be a bit of a gamble weather-wise in December but it was sunny and 70s for us! 

 We mostly just stopped in SanFran so we could go to the two restaurants we LOVED the last time we were there.  Zunis, which cooks up a whole chicken with a grease-soaked bread salad stuffing, and Kate's kitchen which makes "french toast orgy": a huge platter of french toast with yogurt, granola and fruit. 

We went on to Santa Cruz and walked the boardwalk, full of people, carnival games, rides, mini-golf and beach volleyball. 

We stayed near Carmel. It was easy to forget it was Christmas-time except for the subtle reminders such as the one in the tree...

                                         Carmel's Mission

Big Sur was GORGEOUS!  It winds its way past breathtaking cliffs, rock formations, and twisting trees.

                                               My favorite.

Sunset shadow pictures inspired by our good friends, Brandon and Lesley White.