The Chassis Ghost ~1~

 

We drove to Monterey, and then further south, stopping briefly at Carmel Plaza in Carmel-By-The-Sea for coffee and facilities. I’d become aware of this part of the Californian coast through YouTube. It is much loved by surfers, and from what I’d seen, it really is quite spectacular. I’d been bummed when I realized I’d have to drop this from the plan (I’ll explain this in the next paragraph), but luckily, Erin suggested we try to make it, and I was easily persuaded. The paradise that is Big Sur reminded me so much of the beautiful Western Cape in South Africa. I felt at home here, drawn to it as if from the depths of my soul and psyche. I am SSOOO glad we came here!

In my very early plans, I had intended to drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles along the coast. I discovered, though, that the coastal road was closed due to a landslide, and the latest information, right up until departure, was that it had not yet been cleared. This meant that I’d have to go inland a little before heading south. I became interested in visiting Columbia State Historic Park smack in the middle of California and later in the trip going as far east as Taos Pueblo in New Mexico. Once we settled on seeing Big Sur, the historic park had to be excluded, and New Mexico, similarly, could not be reached in the time I had. Meeting Erin today, she mentioned that the coastal road had in fact opened. Still, we’d already booked and paid for our inland accommodation, so we went around the Santa Lucia Range as planned. Only 60 miles lay between today's destination and tomorrow's first port of call; our plans saw us drive 186 miles to avoid the (now-cleared!!!) obstruction.

From Carmel-By-The-Sea, we continued south along California State Route 1, better known as Pacific Coast Highway. We traveled through Carmel, Notleys Landing, Rocky Creek, Little Sur and Loma Vista. Our destination was the restaurant Nepenthe, where we’d sup this evening. The name comes from Greek mythology, specifically Homer’s “Odyssey”. It means “no grief”, or “that which chases away sorrow”. This eatery has welcomed guests to Big Sur since 1949. We started with a glass of wine at the bar. Then we were led to our table. If memory serves, we shared a smoked salmon starter, a scrumptious steak (I forget which one) and a salad. I think we were also convinced by the server to finish with a dessert. The food, the ambience, the location, the company; it was all so intoxicating.

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Sobering, however, was the need to return as far north as Monterey, near which we’d booked an Airbnb in the town of Salinas. En route, a woman in a passing pickup truck yelled at us to turn on the lights. From inside the car, the dashboard implied that the lights were on. Neither of us had ever driven a Hyundai Sonata. Erin didn’t like it for its length. It was especially annoying when we parked in diagonal spaces – the valance panel was very low and prone to connecting with the curb. It didn’t happen, though; the bulky vehicle was expertly piloted by my savior-driver.

In my opinion, the best accommodation on the trip was this place in Salinas. Our host and I have a similar decorative palate. Sadly, we didn’t have the time to chill in her lovely home. We arrived after 9pm and had to leave at 6am. Oh, lord!

And that was the first day.