Grand American Tour (Part IV: Pacific Coast Highway )

CA Route One is now under my belt!



One of the most desirable roads to drive on for motorists in the US, the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) is like the Nurburgring of Germans, except that Nurburgring is for really hardcore enthusiast. The PCH is more of a scenic drive as opposed to performance driving, so you don’t really need to be driving a sports car to enjoy the trip. You just need an appreciation for driving and the ever changing landscape.



Just before I move on, it also seemed that a lot of my friends have no idea what PCH is and where it is. When I told them that I was going to drive north to San Jose, all of them assumed that I was going to be driving on I-5. I said I planned to take a two day trip up the PCH, and they look at me confused. One of them lives in Santa Monica, right at the beginning of Route 1. I can’t believe it. Where have they been all this while?

Leaving LA was easy. LA didn’t really leave me with a desire to stay although I really have not seen much of it. Driving north along the coast, passing Santa Monica then Malibu, there is definitely a big sense of the surfing culture. For me, it’s been quite a while since I had smelled the ocean, and this alone is fantastic!





The next city was Oxnard. This isn’t exactly a tourist destination. It’s a real city with industries and farms where people work more than they surf (or so I assumed). Oxnard didn’t look anything like Malibu or Santa Monica where tourism and leisure seems to be the main theme. In fact, much of the PCH reminds me of the East Coast in Taiwan. You have mountains on one side, a bit of flat plain where farmers grow their produce, then the ocean. Oxnard is very much like this, which really made me home sick.





California’s pacific coast has many small coastal towns like Carpinteria. Due to the fact that they are right on the foot of the mountain, they sit on the narrow strip of flat land that is perhaps less than 1~2 miles in width. This creates a unique long and narrow layout. Still, there are plenty of houses and villas. I did not really see a lot of businesses beyond those cute little stores in the downtown area so I don’t really know what is the main supporting industry in these towns. However, there are also a lot of farmlands on the other side of the mountains. Wow, it will be nice to come home to an ocean view villa after feeding the cows… or maybe those are just vacation homes for the wealthy?




Paraglider sliding around in front of me trying to show off... wait till I poke his parachute!

I was told by the toy store owner at Carpinteria that I should take route 154 instead and find myself a hotel room in San Simeon for the night. It was a good suggestion. I thought I was going to stick to the ocean route all the way but route 154 offered me a very different view of California, one that is perhaps more accurate of what the landscape is about.





Route 154 is a mountain pass that took me through rolling hills. This is where I started to have a better sense of the Californian landscape. One of the most dominant element of the Californian landscape was its color. Yellowish brown. As my friend described, Californian hills look like toasted bread baked golden brown. It was bizarre to see the endless of dried grass on the rolling hills with cows grazing on them. There’s the commercial that says California cows are happy cows… I don’t know about that! Well, I am not a cattle grazer and my moo doesn’t seem to work when I try to communicate with the cows. Maybe Californian cows speak a different language. It was later that I found out that Californian farms rely heavily on irrigation. The rain and moisture comes during the winter when the brown rolling hills will become green. That will be a sight to see! Teletubby Land!!!







The scenery on Route 154, which turns into Route 101 may be boring to some, but it was a first for me. It also drove me to imagine what first settlers of California had to endure on this somewhat harsh land to farm without the modern irrigation systems. This is essentially a desert for half the year! This is also the first time that I am in a landscape where the main color isn’t green or blue or white/gray. Just this simple fact of having yellow filling my vision was quite an experience.




Graffiti at a "Vista Point" along Route 154


I got chased by this weird goose by the lake....



Eventually, I was back on Route 1 hugging the coast. The sky was getting dark and I was getting close to San Simeon where I planned to stay for the night. It was surprising to me that as I got back to the coast line, the weather became more and more foggy. It was then that I realized that the mountain that forms the coast is blocking the moisture coming from the ocean causing it to accumulate on the coast. It was more like driving in the clouds on sea level. Although it was a little disappointing not being able to catch the very possibly amazing Pacific Coast sunset, I was pretty set to rest for the rest of the day.

“May I know how much it is for one night?”
“Just one person?”
“Yes, just one person.”
“Well, it’s supposed to be $120, but I’ll give you $110 because you are only one person.”
“Oh, I also have AAA membership…”
“With AAA it will be $99”
“Ok sure I’ll take it.”
“So did you ask around in other places…”
“Yeah I did, they are about the same price.”
“No no, you know Holiday Inn across the street is charging $230 a night just because they are closer to the beach…. So where are you from?”
“I’m from Taiwan, you?”
“I’m Korean, been here since 40 years ago….”

After 40 years, she’s still every bit Asian. For those who don’t know what I mean, well, usually if I am talking to a local, it will be straight forward. $110 per night means $110 per night. Asians will always make it sound like you are getting a deal. Well, if you feel like you are getting a deal, that’s all that matters, right?

As the night fall, it felt cold, and this was the first time during this long trip that I felt that the weather was changing. Was it because I was traveling north? I don’t know, but I know that I don’t have any long sleeve with me! The next morning, to my disappointment, the day was still covered by dense fog. In my experience, fog usually dissipate as the sun rises and the day gets hotter. That was my wishful thinking. It was foggy the whole way. Oh well, I didn’t get to see the blue waters, but perhaps I will turn my photos into black and white…. Just trying to consulate myself.
So I continued driving, but remembered that the Toy Store owner told me.
“Oh, there’s also the Hearst Castle”
“What’s that?”
“It’s this unbelievable castle built by this super rich guy decades ago on top of a mountain. It’s now a state park and you can sign up for a tour.”
“Super rich guy with a castle turned into a public destination… Sounds familiar. Oh wait, I went to a school just like that!”

So I paid the state park a visit to see if I can get a quick peek. Unfortunately, the castle was no where in sight. I would have to sign up for a tour, then I will be transported to the castle on a bus and the whole thing will take hours. Too bad though, because after looking at the photos on postcards, this would be a blast. Any ways, I encourage you guys to find out more about it. It’s really looks amazing in photos.

“After San Simeon, you will come to this really twisty part with rock cliff on one side and drop off on the other where the Pacific Ocean is right below you….”

Oh yeah baby, here I come! This is exactly what I am here for! Oh wait, narrow twisty road with cliff wall on one side and drop on another, in dense fog? Hmmm…. Wait, people are riding bicycles on this thing!!!





Looks like I was the pussy. Apparently, Audi was holding an cycling event. It was a 100 mile ride from Monterey Bay to San Simeon. Wait, that’s exactly where I am going today! I am just starting and these guys are already near the finishing line! Shame on me!

So hurry I went, trying to enjoy the drive and the pretty-much-all-white scenery with occasion stop and go to check out the coastline. It was really quite a shame that the dense fog meant that I couldn’t really see anything, or take any decent photo. But that was my luck… at least I still get to be here.













Along the way, other than the brave surfers paddling against the fierce waves and hard rocks and those lazy-ass sea elephants and sea lions, there was another breed of unique souls that seem to populate on this side of the state or country. Hippies. Well, I don’t know if calling hippies will be considered racist or whatever. You can never be too careful in this country calling people names… well, hippies! As I was driving past this big bridge called “Bixby Bridge”, I stopped at the outlook area to check out the view. It was then I realized this street performer in not so nice clothes playing guitar. What’s special about this guy was, he had one rabbit on the table, one rabbit on his head and a dog sleeping beside him. People would go up to him and “Awwww…… SO CUTE!!!” and toss him a few bucks. I looked at him, and I was like WTF is this. The reason being that he’s getting “paid” not because of his artistic skills, but simply because people are prone to “Awwwwwww!!!!” This dude would since the same line over and over and over and over and over again! Talk about easy money!











Well I gave him a buck so that he won’t bug me for taking photos of him. Now the world knows!



On I pushed and here’s Big Sur! Again, the wise Toy Store owner told me about the beauty of Big Sur. Well, this was quite different because the sky was clear!!! What happened was, Big Sur is located where route 1 curves towards inland away from the coast for a few miles, and these few miles meant that I was driving into the mountains where the fog was not present. Wow, I do miss clear sky! So I plotted into my GPS for food and found this Big Sur bakery. Time for an omelet! I have to say, hippies make good omelet. It was a gorgeous day, sitting under a tent eating on a picnic table. Can’t get any better. It was one of those moments when you wish you can just stay and not leave. That’s the bad thing about a schedule, it kills the fun! Attached to the bakery was an art store with lots of funky things that I, with a Masters in Fine Art, doesn’t know how to classify them. But this is the beauty of art. There’s always something out of the norm. It’s definitely hippy though!











Then I left, and headed north where the road was about to take me back to the coast. Just before I was getting to the fogged area, there are COWS!!!! Well, there have been cows all around, but this time, I was able to stop to say hi.

“Mooo….”
“…….”
“Moooooooo!”
“………..”

They won’t respond to me. What assholes! Then I turned around and realized the breath taking landscape around me. It’s really hard to capture the atmosphere. Fresh air, warm sunlight, cool breeze, blue sky and mountains… Not something photography or videography can do justice. So I greeted the cows with middle finger and moved on, back into the fog, into the whiteness.














The rest of the journey all the way to Santa Cruz was quite the same. So I shall fast forward since I don’t really remember anything significant during this part of the drive. Santa Cruz to San Jose was the last leg of this tour of Pacific Coast Highway. Instead of taking route 17 which seems to be the quicker option, I decide to take route 9 instead not knowing what’s there for me. Well, I took the right gamble. This time, it was a different scene. Twisty and smooth mountain roads maneuvering in the forest of big trees…. Well, “big tree” sounds a bit lame for my attempt to be poetic, but I really don’t know what they are, except for bring big. It was beautiful. It was the first time I’ve seen so much green since I left Atlanta and it was refreshing, makes me want to live here. This is heaven. I’ve arrived at heaven!






Route 9

When I finally arrived at my friend’s place in San Jose, I said,” You people are so spoiled. It’s a sin to live in heaven!”

Grand American Tour (Part III: Los Angeles)

Santa Monica. The fortune-telling machine in the movie "Big" by Tom Hanks .

I have been to Los Angeles when I was a kid, but all I could remember was Universal Studios and that fake King Kong. I also remembered the Hollywood keychain that said “Made in Taiwan” on its back. This time, I’ve decided to see what people usually don’t go to LA for. The dessert.



Before I went to LA, I know nothing much about it other than what the main stream knows. However, I’ve always been captivated by the desert landscape of California that I see in movies. This isn’t what people remember California to be. When I got there, I realized that pretty much the lower half of California is desert turned into farmlands and cities with human’s power. Amazing.

However, what surprised me was, when I asked my friends in LA about the desert… “Desert? Where’s that?” It seems no one I know has ever questioned what’s beyond those mountains that separate LA from the world that’s on its east side. Overtime I am bored, I just go onto Google map and start exploring places that I don’t know about. When I looked to LA’s east, there Death Valley, there’s Edward Airforce Base, and there’s Joshua Tree. I then click on the “Satellite” button and zoom in as much as I can to see what’s there and get a kick out of it. It seems that people in LA just live in the LA that is presented to them and never question what’s beyond their knowledge. This gave me even more motivation to venture the east.



On the way to Joshua Tree, accompanied by LA’s horrible traffic, something was on the horizon. No, not just one thing, but a bunch. No, not just a bunch… there’s a whole forest of them. What are they? They stood tall. They seem to act individually but work as a group quietly. It felt weird as we drove towards them. It was as though they were looking at us trying to hypnotize and suck our souls away. They were so gigantic standing in the middle of the bare sandy landscape but so fitting at the same time. Windmills. There was a whole plantation of them stretched miles and miles. It was perfectly situated in a somewhat valley-like landscape that faces the Pacific Ocean. All of them worked hard, non-stop and quietly. This is the perfect representation of California, extracting something from nothing, turning the bare desert into one of the most desirable states in the US, one of the most unique.









It was a shame that by the time we got to Joshua Tree, the sun was setting and soon it was dark. I didn’t get to see the park in the day, but the stars presented another opportunity, an opportunity that I planned for. It was time to bust out the secret weapon. The Tripod! Yes, how can I give up on the precious opportunity to capture this beautiful starry desert night? It was simply amazing, except that I was inexperienced with the area, the situation. Looking back at the photos, I would have made some changes if I can do it again. Nevertheless, Joshua Tree has left an imprint in my memory, a memory that I want to relive.











So what’s there back in LA? I didn’t get to explore much in terms of the hot tourist spots, but I finally get a taste of what it is like living in LA from a Taiwanese’s perspective. Most of my friends in LA live in areas where there’s a high concentration of Taiwanese, like Temple City and Roland Heights. Me in particular stayed in Temple City with my friend. They call this area “Little Taipei”. It is a town where everywhere store was pretty much Chinese owned with Chinese signs. It was a Town where you can get by without speaking English, but Taiwanese or Mandarin. It is not American, but again, in America. Of the three days I stayed in my friend’s house, the TV never played a single American station. It was Taiwanese all the way. For three days, I was disconnected with America. I might as well camp out in the desert. So again, this raises the same question as I’ve asked before. Why be in the States when all you are going to expose yourself to in what you are already familiar with? How can we afford to live in this world without interacting with what’s around us? How can we even call ourselves a society? My Taiwanese friend who just graduated from college finds it hard to connect with his co-workers because he isn’t at all familiar with what they talk about. Well, my friend don’t have a TV, don’t visit American news websites, don’t hang out with local friends in local context(bar, restaurant etc). It is obviously that something is missing here. Just like in the case with European societies having a hard time living with immigrants who refuse to integrate, the US cannot have true variety without each of the variety understanding each other.



LA is huge. It’s quite a hull driving from one side to the other. There were those cities on the mountain side, then there are those on the coastal side. This leads to the next stage of my trip, which is to drive up north on the famous Pacific Coast Highway.

Grand American Tour (Part II point V: Virgin Airlines)

Before I go to Los Angeles, I have to mention the flight. Why? Because this is what the flying experience should be… no, it should be even better! Ever wonder why when the whole world moves on and everything progresses, only two things never seem to attached with the world. 1. Kim Jong Il’s brain. 2. Flying experience in the United States. When I was in Detroit, the only option was NorthWest Airlines. Absolutely horrible. I cannot imagine how I endured the several 17-hour flights back home. Well, basically, as soon as I got onto the plane, I shut my brain off.

This time, I took Virgin Airplines. It was a direct flight and one of the cheapest on Priceline. I never really knew what it’s like flying Virgin Airlines, but I had a feeling that it was going to be better than any American airline. I was right.

First impression, night club. The interior of the plane used purple and pink lights, making you forget that you are on an airplane. Then, the sits seem to have more room for the legs… I bet it was simple because the sits were actually “styled” making me think that it’s simply better. Anyways, here comes the passenger entertainment system. Every service onboard is pretty much controlled via the screen in front of you. If you want a sandwich? Just press the button and pay with credit card like how you would make an online purchase. No need to hit the “bing” button and wait for the attendant to come and ask you what’s up, then go back to get your item then take your credit card. It shortens the purchasing process from 3 to 2 steps, of which one is done by yourself! So what does this mean? This means that they only have one attendant for the main cabin. Great efficiency!

Oh, and here’s something really unexpected. Ever have the experience where no one around you wants to have a friendly chat? I am sure there are plenty lonely souls onboard, but not sitting around you. No problem, just use the onboard chat room! Yes, a virtual chat room for passengers! I wonder if this will actually create some kind of eerieness when the person who’s talking to you knows who you are but you don’t know who he/she is, then end up walking around the whole plane trying to find out his/her real identity, end up cracking down on a terror attack!!! Ha, another blockbuster waiting to hit the theaters. So 6 hours flew by quickly even though I didn’t want to spend a single cent on the movies or food. I sure think at least Virgin understands the essence of hospitality and actually hires a decent looking lady as the attendant… not that I am being a jerk, but it does makes everything seem more “professional”.