California Road Trip: Big Sur, the Central Coast and Solvang |

Our first few days in San Francisco, Point Lobos and Monterey were amazing and as our evening ended in Monterey on Monday, we grew more excited for the rest of our trip.

We woke up early on Tuesday and were greeted with cloudy skies and light rain. On our day to drive through Big Sur and down the coast. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I stood in front of the window of our hotel room in Monterey, stamped my feet and pouted like a baby for 5 minutes. I then pulled myself together and set my mind to making the best of the day, regardless of the weather. After all, we had raincoats!

We grabbed breakfast from the hotel and hit the road. Big Sur was about 45 minutes away but the views started immediately and we couldn’t help but stop for photos – especially since the rain hadn’t appeared yet.

Bixby Bridge appeared before us like a gateway to Big Sur and we were in awe. What a sight.

We soon entered the stunning green and temperate forests of Big Sur. I had been expecting a quaint and walkable town, but it still felt like more of an outpost – a gas station here, a motel further down, restaurants scattered along Highway 1.

Our first stop was Pfeiffer Beach. I’d done my research and knew that we’d have no cell service so I wrote down directions to the places we wanted to see. The vast majority were right off of the highway, but Pfeiffer Beach required a bit more attention. The infamous “narrow road” sign is about 1/2 mile south the Pfeiffer State Park sign/entrance. Because it was the off season the bumpy road was simply slow, but not overly annoying with traffic. We got to the park right at 9am when it opened. The beach was pretty empty, which was amazing. We were here for a long time watching and listening to the strong waves of the Pacific beat against these beautiful rocks. The sun peaked out once or twice as well, bringing some sparkle to the scene. We loved it.

It was drizzling as we left Pfeiffer Beach. We had a thought to stop for a late breakfast/early lunch and try to let some of the weather pass so we went to the cafe at Nepenthe. The restaurant didn’t open for another hour and the cafe was outside so we admired the view but did not stay. We went to another cafe further down the road that was inside, had a lovely ham and cheese croissant and then continued on to McWay Falls.

McWay Falls was the first place that I’d seen come up when I began researching things to see along this drive. I was bummed by the rain, but it’s such an incredible sight that even the rain and gloom couldn’t hide it’s beauty. Sean and I had somehow managed to get about 15 minutes ahead of the rain so the first 15 minutes here were dry. However, we were here for much longer so we were quite thankful we were wearing our raincoats.

I had read of McWay Falls as the cove with the waterfall spilling onto the beach, which you can see below. It’s beautiful and romantic beyond words. However, as we learned at the end of the trail, the beach hasn’t always been there. In 1983 there was a landslide on Highway 1 that closed the road for over a year. The dirt was pushed over the cliff into the Pacific Ocean. The waves moved the silt and deposited it into this cove, which until then had no beach – the waterfall you see poured straight into the sea! It’s completely unknown if the beach will remain indefinitely. What a unique and wonderful thing to see! This was my favorite sight of our drive along the Pacific Coast Highway.

The sights changed after Big Sur and went back to the more sparse and rugged coastline. We still loved each and every view – and pulled over frequently for photos or to simply take it in.

We stopped at every place that I had mapped out, including Ragged Point which turned out to be a sort of “end point” to much of the rugged coastline and high cliffs. Our next stop was Piedras Blancas Beach which was filled with elephant seals. The seals had once been almost extinct but thanks to this beach and several others, they were thriving again. We had fun watching them. Many were sleeping, but a few played, frolicked in the water and sang for us.

Our last stop along the coast for the day was Morro Bay. We didn’t go into town, but stopped on the outskirts to admire the massive rock that defined the bay. Photos really couldn’t do it justice. From here, we cut inland towards Santa Barbara County and Solvang.

It just so happened that Firestone Walker and Barrelworks were on our way to our hotel in Solvang. Naturally, we had to stop. Naturally, we went straight to the Barrelworks tasting room for the sour and wild ales. Naturally, we got some tasty brews to bring home and some swag. 😉 Sean was very happy.

Solvang was absolutely adorable. The Dutch-style town was clean, quaint and walkable, although everything closed early – most things by 7pm! We checked into our hotel and then ventured out to see if we could get to a few places that were still open at 6pm. We found a tasting room that was open and the bartender shared with us several places that stayed open until 9pm or later. Sante Wine Bar and Lounge was a trendy spot with a wine list of local and regional wines and we enjoyed chatting with the owner and another couple at the bar before heading over to The Good Life Craft Beer and Wine Cellar. We really loved this place – cozy, romantic and run by a husband-and-wife team, it felt like a place we’d be regulars at if we lived here.

We ended up eating at Solvang Brewing Company – it was open late and had a diverse menu. I swear all the food in California is so much better than everywhere else. We got nachos and had low expectations but were blown away to have freshly-made tortilla chips and a pile of fresh salsa, lettuce, jalapeños and other fixins. Yum!

We didn’t stay out late because we knew we had a big next day – our private wine tour!

We walked to Paula’s Pancake House for breakfast on Wednesday morning. The town was even cuter in the daylight!

Our wine tour began at 11am. Nikki from Solvang Taxi and Wine Tours picked us up from our hotel in a very nice van. The company had great reviews on Trip Advisor and as soon as we met Nikki we knew were in for a great day. She was knowledgeable of the area, vineyards and wines, and was very friendly.

When I’d spoken to her on the phone I’d told her the kind of wines we like and so the first place she took us was to Foxen’s original location that specialized in European varietals (my favorite!). The tasting room was an oversized shed on the side of the road towards the end of Foxen Canyon Trail and was filled with rustic charm. I liked the Pajarito and Guillermo Grosso the best and ended up purchasing a bottle of the latter.

Zaca Mesa was our second stop and the largest winery of our tour producing about 100,000 cases per year. Sean and I purposefully chose to explore Santa Barbara county wines instead of Napa and Sonoma because the area is still fairly new, small and not as commercialized. We liked the Viognier and Chardonnay, and Sean loved the Syrah. We got a bottle of each.

Demetria was our third stop of the day and by far the most picturesque. Rather than being in the valley, this vineyard and tasting room was up in the hills, making for beautiful views. The rustic European charm of the tasting room and outdoor patio was incredible. The weather was chilly but we enjoyed our lunch of cheeses, baguette, grapes and chocolate while sipping wine.

As we were discussing the wineries and things we liked and disliked about each, Nikki improvised and suggested we go to Andrew Murray instead of Koehler. She really was a great guide – helpful in every way, but she still left us to enjoy each place on our own. We took her advice and were so happy we did. We loved the wines and the modern tasting room, along with the stunning views!

Nikki drove us back to Solvang along the tops of the hills, letting us enjoy the sweeping views of the valley and the beautiful fall colors on the leaves of the vines. She even stopped a couple of times so we could take photos and then drove us through the cute town of Los Olivos before dropping us off at our hotel. It was a splurge but well worth it – a personalized experience we’ll remember forever!

Back in Solvang, I headed out to the local farmer’s market while Sean took a short nap. I grabbed some fresh bread to go with our leftover cheeses, a few apples and a pumpkin muffin for us to have the next day for Thanksgiving. The market was vibrant and bustling and filled with gorgeous produce.