After Salvation Mountain, the next (and most gruelling) leg of our US road trip took us to Santa Barbara. I can’t remember how long we drove for, but I remember arriving at 9pm, in the dark. Driving across the top of LA took hours and we crawled along at a snail’s pace the whole way. We took rest in My Vegan Restaurant for some delicious orange “chicken” and re-fuelled on craft beer and fries when we arrived in one of the only places still serving food late.
Honestly, I had one of the strangest Airbnb experiences of my life in Santa Barbara. Accommodation is expensive but we found somewhere affordable – a shed that had been converted into a cosy, well decorated double room and bathroom. We shared the bathroom with the other guests on the property which gave James the giggles because the walls were thin and you could hear.. errr.. everything. Despite being home, the owner explicitly requested no contact with guests which was bizarre and made us feel unwelcome, like intruders into someone else’s space. When arriving I pulled into a drive at the wrong side of the house, and was verbally abused by a neighbour who was unsympathetic to my explanation that I had simply used the wrong drive by mistake. In my hurry to back out, I scratched up the rental car which made me feel anxious and frazzled for the rest of the night. This is the less glamorous side of a road trip, but all travel has its challenges! I was lucky to be with James, who is always able to lift my spirits.
My favourite part of Santa Barbara were the husky dogs that hung out on the patio (see photo above!) but we set off up the coast early in the morning, so I’m sure my experience has unfairly tarnished what could be a beautiful and welcoming town. The charmingly retro Pismo Beach was our next stop and my fretfulness washed away with the sea breeze. I was obsessed with the surfer dudes, long and wind-worn pier, pastel coloured wooden shop fronts and displays of old fashion candy. It is everything you could want from a sea side town.
Not wanting to miss Big Sur at sunset, we couldn’t linger at Pismo Beach. This highway – Route 101 – is not the quickest way to Northern California, but is by far the most beautiful. The single-lane road snakes around cliffs that tower above the Pacific Ocean. We took much advantage of the lookout spots and laybys, taking in the views and allowing the cars behind me to race on by whilst I took my sweet time. We meandered around each turn, James’ feet on the dashboard, listening to the Low Anthem as we peered down into the coves below. The sun takes hours to set, bathing the landscape with an increasing intensity of golden light. As the sun met the ocean, we found a secluded spot to savour a beer (a soda for me…) and watch the horizon set on fire. The coast at Big Sur is spectacular but I noticed, as a native Brit who grew up with the right to roam, how much of it is privately owned land. I relished the view from the car, but was itching to scramble down the cliffs and dip my toes in the water, put off by high fences and angry “private property” signs.
Our next destination was this beautiful cabin to just past the crest of Big Sur, close to Carmel and deep into the Redwood Forest. A lot of accommodation in America cautions that there are steps up to the house!! so I didn’t think much of the warnings of an uphill climb to the cabin. In fact, we had to fill a backpack with essentials, leave most of the luggage in the car and hike a long and steep trail to our little hut in the woods. Consequently, it felt incredibly secluded. If you sat out on the balcony at night, you could hear animals moving about the forest, rustling leaves and snapping twigs, without being able to see where they were! I was convinced I was going to be eaten by a bear. There was total darkness at night and we showered in the open air. We were woken by the sunshine streaming through the canopy at dawn and enjoyed our breakfast on the rocking chairs outside – a truly magical experience! I made friends, as usual, with the animals down the hill outside our Airbnb hosts’ cottage.
We spent a full day on the Carmel / Big Sur coast seeing all the sights. The waterfall above is McWay falls in Julia Pfeiffer State Burns National Park. The forest fires were still raging at the time we visited, so tourists were limited to the coastal area of the park. We chatted to a ranger who explained that the fire was set off by an illegal campfire and, tragically, a fireman had died fighting the flames. All the houses in the area had big “thank you firemen!” signs on the driveways. It must be terrifying knowing that your house is so vulnerable to the forces of nature. We also visited the Bixby Bridge and battled gale force winds at Pfeiffer Beach to see the purple sands, one of the few beaches in the area that the public are allowed to step foot on. James scrambled down the coast by the side of the Bixby Bridge and I heard a small child exclaim “look Mom, there’s an old man down there!” which made me chuckle. I felt like she had observed his soul, my old man of the sea.
I’ve been thinking of my US friends recently, given the terrible things happening in American politics. I find it difficult to read the news because everything seems to be going wrong, but the women’s marches over the world have given me hope for the future. I know America wasn’t a perfect place under Obama, but Trump is the worst downgrade possible. I am thinking of you.
This post makes me want to shoot on film again. And to listen to Death Cab’s “Bixby Canyon Bridge”.
Both great things that you should do asap!!
Sorry I haven’t visited your blog in quite a while! What an amazing, wonderful trip that must have been. Although the fires and possibility of bears being closeby sound very scary. I agree about the politics thing. I am afraid of what will happen over here at the next elections. The ones in the United States show that really everything is possible.
It was amazing! The rest of my everyday life seems so boring in comparison, haha. I didn’t realise you had elections coming up. Good luck – the world is a scary place at the moment.
Oh what a lovely post! What type of camera do you use? Your photos from this entire trip have been stunning! Un-welcoming hosts are kind of the worst.
We’ve had mixed airbnb experiences for sure! All the pets are sweet, and I am glad that you were able to enjoy the rest of your trip and the lovely views! I loved the beach so much. We sat there for quite a bit and even saw whales from the coast. The drive was lovely, I was glad to have taken a bit of motion medicine though! KC was not so lucky. He ended up sleeping most of the way. Poor guy, but you know, he should have taken something! hehehe – which he admits. How sweet about the “old man” comment. I like old souls and fee like one frequently. Thank you for the nod to American friends. I’ve been so disheartened since November. Which many conservative FB folks like to call, Millennial whining… get over it! Things don’t always go your way! Ugh. They don’t even begin to understand. After a week or so the pit in my stomach lessened. But it’s been back in full-force since inauguration. The marches gave me so much hope too. It was inspiring, It was my first happy day since Inaug. but then conservative FB friends at it again… so KC has taken to taking my phone away in the evenings. It’s really helping actually. Always looking out for me!
XO – Alexandra
Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things
I have a Canon 650D but the film photos are taken on a Boots own brand disposable camera. There are a couple of iPhone snaps mixed in there too – I probably took way too much camera equipment with me but I love photography so I hate being without it! This is actually the first negative Airbnb experience I’ve ever had – usually the places are overwhelmingly nice / beautiful compared to the photos! Did you get carsick just from the windy roads or from being on the sea?
Commenting on politics most definitely isn’t millenial whining! Democracy doesn’t mean that once you elect someone they are above criticism. They are still required to represent the people of that country. I hate it when people treat elections as like a race that you just win / lose and then are required to accept the outcome, it doesn’t work like that! Phone free evenings sound like a great idea I hope it’s helping you get by xx
I love all your photos. I wish I could take more every day snapshots. I used to all the time but now that I have a DSLR I think too much.
Don’t mind that person yelling at you. Although, it’s not a good way at all to deal with it it probably happens a lot and he’s just tired of people going in his driveway. On another note, that’s super weird that your host said no contact.
Yeah I want to do more of this too, I have one of my Grandpa’s old film cameras and i need to learn how to use it, there’s something nicer about using film for everyday shots!
I think I was upset because it was obvious we’d just made a mistake and she didn’t stop yelling even when we started to leave! Just not the nicest way of dealing with a situation and I’m easily flustered like that. Also, people are much more protective over their “private property” in the US which is just one of those cultural differences that took me aback. I think because we share a language you assume the US will be like the UK, just with different scenery but actually the culture is quite different!
that airbnb sounds a bit dodgy! but other than that (and the yelling) all the places look and sound gorgeous. the coast, the beaches, the forests. and it all looks very you in the pictures as well. xx
The actual accommodation was lovely it was just the host that was off-putting! There’s so much beautiful wilderness in that part of the world xx