2nd of June - After we had left San Francisco, we drove quite a bit of way south on the Highway No.1 up to the Big Sur State Park. Here we were pretty lucky again. Actually the campground was already full, but the ranger was so nice to let us spend the night on the parking lot of the picknick area. The next campgrounds would have been in quite a far distance. 3rd of June - On we went on the Highway No.1. During some stops on the way we let the fresh ocean breeze blow around our noses and enjoyed the mainly rough coast. The further south you get, the more shallow the coast becomes and the more State Beaches there are. For a visit of Santa Barbara we did not have enough time. We did not want to arrive too late at the campground because we still wanted to clean the RV and let the day end pleasently. Our campground at the Carpinteria State Beach was directly located at the Pacific, south of Santa Barbara. We stood directly behind a dune with view of the Pacific. We did not go swimming, we only tested the ocean with our feet. 15°C were a bit too cold for us. This time we bought fire wood, so that we could make a very nice campfire. After dinner, packing and cleaning we let the evening pleasently end at the campfire with a glas of wine. 4th of June - We had to get up early because we had to return the motorhome to El Monte before 11 o´clock. The return of the motorhome was uncomplicated. About our repairs and problems during the trip we spoke with the rental manager. We could persuad him to refund us for the problem with the heat shield $28 for the lost time. We also got the money for the garage bills back. After El Monte had taken us to our motel, we took a short nap. We forgot the idea of still driving into L.A. Downtown very soon since noone could give us proper information about how we can get by public transport into the city. We would not have had much time anyway, therefore it did not bother us that much. Besides we were completely tired out. The next morning our holiday in the "country of the unlimited possibilities" came to an end and we flew back via New York and the Atlantic towards home.

Our Tips

There are no special sights and attractions along Highway No.1 because the coastline and the course of the road are the special and fascinating thing about the highway. Therefore here applies: the way is the destination. The highway is in its course not constantly attractive but it has got very beautiful passages every now and then. The passage from Carmel to San Simeon is supposed to be the most interesting. We can only confirm that. Before you turn on Highway No.1, you should definitely get gas because there are hardly any possiblities for getting gas and it´s extremely expensive. We could hardly believe it when we saw a gas station where the regular gas cost $3.31 per gallon. If you have got more time than we had, you can enjoy the coastal landscape more intensively with more stops. The State Beaches in the south directly invite you to stay.