I knew today was going to be a special drive. This is what I had been waiting for. Today, we would leave Monterey Bay heading south and travel through Lovers Point State, before taking the legendary "17 Mile Drive" into Carmel-by-the-Sea and then see where we ended up after that.

Lovers Cove

Immediately south of Monterey we drove through Lovers Point and the windy coastal roads and dramatic scenery began as the road traversed the top of a bluff hugging the ocean. Even though we had only been driving 5 minutes we couldn't help but stop and take in some of the amazing scenery, and snap some pics of the seals lazing on the rocks below. Unlike their noisy cousin sea-lions the seals were calm and quiet.

17 Mile Drive

This is the famous drive through Pebble Beach Golf Course and Pacific Grove. The road hugs the coastline and offers some amzing views.

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA

The town with the former famous Mayor, Clint Eastwood. This picturesque little beachside town is staright out of a catalogue. Houses were perfectly maintained as were the lawns and gardens. Each one as neat and trim as the one beside it. It was almost surreal. We took a quick stroll along the beach before punching in our next stop to the sat-nav " Bixby Bridge".

THE CAR

This was the first real chance I had to test out the Camaro on the open road. As we left Carmel, the highway was empty and wide, with long sweeping curves. I switched to the manual paddle shift and began to put the car through its paces. The paddle shift was surprisingly good, the changes were smooth and the gearing was tight.

The car actually felt a lot better when being driven in manual than it did in auto. Performance-wise the V6 was responsive and torquey and the engine even gave a little grolw when pushed. The traction control kicked in whenever I was too heavy on the throttle, but this was able to be turned off with the flick of a switch. The suspension handled the corners well, and at the fairly moderate speed I was driving there was no hint of either over or understeer.

The ride was a little firm, mostly due to the large rims and low profile tyres. Small corregations in the road were definitely amplified as large bumps for the passengers in the car. As our speed increased on the highway the noise inside the car also rose with it and conversation became more difficult. I wonder how much more tolerable it would be with a little sound deadening in the doors and roof. All things considered, on the open road this was a very fun and easy driver's car, and on the amazing stratch of Highway 1 i had it on now, it was a true joy to be driving.

Capping a brilliant morning's drive we arrived at our next tourist spot "Bixby Bridge"

BIXBY BRIDGE

A recent landslide had cut Highway 1 a short distance beyond the bridge, so we decided to stop here and have some lunch at the nerby "Rocky Point Restaurant". This stunning location set on the side of a cliff, looks back over the bridge with the Pacific Ocean crashing below. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to indulge in a goold old American hamburger and a cold beer.

From here we had to back track inland to Highway 101 and travel about 100 mile south to get around the back of Big Sur and past the landslide. We had intended to stop at Hurst Castle, except i missed the turn-off and by this time it was getting late so we headed for the nearby town of Pismo Beach.

The "Shorecliff Hotel" was the first place we saw when we arrived and it looked perfect, so we pulled in and grabbed a room.

California had served up a truly amazing and breathtaking day of scenery and driving, so there was nothing left to do but grab a bottle of chilled wine and watch the sun set over the Pacific. Amazing!

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Tomorrow, I am expecting more great driving and scenery as we continue to Santa Barbara - Malibu & Santa Monica...Stay Tuned.

My California Road Trip - Day 2 of 6: Santa Cruz to Monterey Bay

My California Road Trip - Day 1 of 6: San Francisco to Santa Cruz