Highway 1 From Monterey to Morro Bay

A few years back my husband and I stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel in Monterrey. This hotel is beautiful, right on the water on Cannery Row.  It was the perfect way to start our adventure of discovering a beautiful section of California’s coastline down Highway 1.

We headed out early in the morning with sandwiches packed and our gas tank full and headed south along Highway 1. We stopped at various pull outs for amazing views and beautiful scenery. There were a number of beaches to stop at along the way so when we need a little time to stretch our legs we stopped and to a break.

There are a number of amazing bridges built for the construction of Highway 1. I don’t know if you know this, but did you know? Highway 1 was built in piece meal and the section in Central California was the first. It took 18 years to complete and started with State funds and then the New Deal during the Great Depression. The 56-mile Big Sur section was complete on June 17, 1937. The bridges along Highway 1 are an amazing engineering feat and the fact they were completed in the 1930s is mind-boggling. If you stop at the bridges along the way there is a marker showing the year they were completed.

We ended our drive of Highway 1 in Morro Bay. Before arriving in Morro Bay we took a break to check out the Elephant Seals and Hearst Castle. The beauty of this coastline is remarkable, but with the added history to the construction it makes it all the more special.

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