California Trip: Will be in Santa Barbara mid/end June -for a few days, then driving north. Planning - Carmel, Monterrey, Big Sur, etc. Appreciate any suggestions as to places along...

KEN SPECKLER Loc: Bethesda,MD

Will be in Santa Barbara mid/end June -for a few days, then driving north. Planning - Carmel, Monterrey, Big Sur, etc.
Appreciate any suggestions as to places along the way and great photo ops.
Many thanks...Ken

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Cool. Welcome to California.

Drive north on Hwy 101 to San Luis Obispo about 2½ hours, great place for lunch. From there follow signs to Hwy 1 to Cambria, also great place for lunch. Hearst Castle is nearby as well as the Elephant Seal rookery at Piedras Blancas. Hwy 1 is closed 12 miles north of Piedras Blancas, due to rockslides south of Big Sur, so you have to backtrack to Hwy 46 and drive to Paso Robles, beautiful countryside with numerous world class Wineries. Great place to stay for the night.

From Paso, you will have to take Hwy 101 north to Salinas (the vegetable production basket of America) then West to Carmel/Monterey, which is also a great place to stay. Make reservations early. From Carmel/Monterey you can get to Big Sur, but check local road conditions.

Hwy 1 gets you to Santa Cruz and San Francisco.

Bring jackets/light sweaters. June often finds the coast fog bound. Nothing that hardy easterners won't be used to, but it isn't shorts and Tshirts for us.

nhastings Loc: Telluride, CO

Keep your camera ready, your eyes open and your mind receptive to the world around you. It is a great part of the world and there are photo ops all around. Not knowing your particular photographic style, it is sort of impossible to point out specific locations or suggestions. I have found that often-times the best images are those I never set out to shoot but somehow they find me just by being aware. Good luck and enjoy the California Coast.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

KEN SPECKLER wrote:

Will be in Santa Barbara mid/end June -for a few days, then driving north. Planning - Carmel, Monterrey, Big Sur, etc.
Appreciate any suggestions as to places along the way and great photo ops.
Many thanks...Ken

CA Highway 1 is fabulous, except as mentioned earlier about the closures. You can check here: http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/display.php?page=sr1

KEN SPECKLER Loc: Bethesda,MD

Appreciate your advice. Thx.Ken

KEN SPECKLER Loc: Bethesda,MD

Been there some years ago. Always a treat as well as new places go.Thx for your input. Ken

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

KEN SPECKLER wrote:

Been there some years ago. Always a treat as well as new places go.Thx for your input. Ken

If you click on <quote reply> instead of <reply> we'll all know to whom you are responding.

srt101fan

KEN SPECKLER wrote:

Will be in Santa Barbara mid/end June -for a few days, then driving north. Planning - Carmel, Monterrey, Big Sur, etc.
Appreciate any suggestions as to places along the way and great photo ops.
Many thanks...Ken

Don't forget to stop at the missions along the Camino Real. They are beautiful and offer great photo ops!

KEN SPECKLER Loc: Bethesda,MD

srt101fan wrote:

Don't forget to stop at the missions along the Camino Real. They are beautiful and offer great photo ops!

on mour list! Thx

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

Point Lobos, near Carmel: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=571

It has been called the most beautiful meeting of land and sea in the world. It was made famous by Edward Weston and other great California landscape photographers.

nhastings Loc: Telluride, CO

JohnSwanda wrote:

Point Lobos, near Carmel: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=571

It has been called the most beautiful meeting of land and sea in the world. It was made famous by Edward Weston and other great California landscape photographers.

They obviously have never been to New Zealand.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

If we bring this back to California, and Route 1, the issue is what will be practical for the OP's journey. Anything up to Ragged Point should be OK. After that it gets a lot more complicated. There's plenty of opportunity between Santa Barbara and Ragged Point.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

KEN SPECKLER wrote:

Will be in Santa Barbara mid/end June -for a few days, then driving north. Planning - Carmel, Monterrey, Big Sur, etc.
Appreciate any suggestions as to places along the way and great photo ops.
Many thanks...Ken

Ken, how far north are you going?

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

KEN SPECKLER wrote:

on mour list! Thx

Check out Window Rock at Pfeiffer beach. Not the time of year for the window but depending on the clouds can still be a spectacular shot.
The Bixby Bridge in Big sur.
The Lone Pine on 17 mile drive and lots of nice shots along the drive.
Lovers cove in Monterey and along Asilomar.
SS

KEN SPECKLER Loc: Bethesda,MD

SharpShooter wrote:

Check out Window Rock at Pfeiffer beach. Not the time of year for the window but depending on the clouds can still be a spectacular shot.
The Bixby Bridge in Big sur.
The Lone Pine on 17 mile drive and lots of nice shots along the drive.
Lovers cove in Monterey and along Asilomar.
SS

Thanks for the tip. We're leaving on our trip later today ! Ken