Pacific Coast

The plan was simple: start in Humboldt and end in San Diego, following Route 1 the whole way. In practice, it took twice as long as expected because every pullout revealed a reason to stop.

The redwoods near the northern coast were the most surprising part. Standing at the base of a tree older than the printing press has a way of recalibrating your sense of scale.

Big Sur remains unreasonably beautiful. The light in the late afternoon, fog burning off the water, the road curving ahead with no visible end — it is the kind of thing that makes you understand why people move their whole lives to California.