On the road again (11 April)

After a few days of city living, it was time to pick up another hire car and hit the road again.  Unlike our travels around Arizona and Utah, the journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles is more relaxed, with shorter drives.  Before heading south on Route 1, however, we briefly headed north - over the Golden Gate Bridge.

This picture was from the car, but we stopped off at the viewing point for some better views.

Not the greatest of pictures, but at it wasn't foggy and the top was visible.  A friend from work visited last autumn and never saw the whole bridge in five days.

We also had out last view of the San Francisco skyline from here - rather grey compared to the last couple of days.

Once we cleared the last of San Francisco we picked up Route 1 - the coast road.  The first thing that struck was how much greener everything was compared to our previous driving.  The roadsides here were full of flowers: some I could identify as garden plants in the UK, but others I didn't have the foggiest about.  The trees, too, were magnificent - great pines and eucalyptus were the order of the day.  At times, the scent was even discernable inside the car.  Some stretches of the road were right by the ocean.  As this picture shows, it was pretty breezy outside.

We stopped off en route to visit Pigeon Point Lighthouse.  Not for any special reason, but we needed to stretch our legs, and there was free parking and toilets. 

The guide based there was the most fantastic storyteller, keeping us entertained with tales of a former lighthouse-keeper's pet pig (called Lester) that climbed the stairs right to the top, as well as how the light operated before electricity reached this part of California.  The lens structure from the lighthouse has been reconstructed in another building for public viewing.  Originally installed in 1872, it was lit by a large candle - yet still visible for 22 miles out to sea.

We also learned about the migration of grey whales that happens each spring, from the coast of Mexico up the California coast to Alaska.  While there had been several sightings over the past week, sadly we didn't see any.  Once again, I enjoyed the plantlife - Hottentot Figs were everywhere, both yellow and magenta.  The coastal weather may have been windy but I doubt it ever got frosty, so this geranium plant (usually grown in pots on the patio back home) was as high as a hedge.