I grew up just a few miles from Highway 1 in northern California, fifteen minutes inland from a beach often shrouded in fog. I knew that little beach so very well, but in time my curiosity and the dream of photography drove me to explore every mile of the Pacific Coast Highway, from near the border of Mexico to Washington state. To me the beating heart of Highway 1 is best discovered in California, offering the greatest variety of beaches, mountains, climate and wildlife. From Big Sur to Mendocino and points beyond you can discover wild beauty in profusion, moments of bliss, wine and fresh seafood, and the best part is the salt tang Pacific breeze. Any ‘ride’ will do, but if you can drive your chariot top down, or sunroof wide open, even just windows down, it’s a cruise that always delivers, for photography or just detoxing from urban life. As the 70’s lyric goes, ‘Come on and take a free ride…’
