Day 3 of June 2022 Trip to California, Cambria to Los Angeles

The third day of my June 2022 trip to California, we drove from Cambria to Los Angeles, spending most of the day on the road.

Waves Pounding Breakwater


Waves Pounding Breakwater

After driving through the best part of California’s Pacific Coast Highway from Monterey to Cambria, the remaining part of CA Route 1 didn’t follow the coast as closely and wasn’t as scenic. As a result, we planned to drive all the way to the overnight lodge in Los Angeles today, with fewer stops along the way.

Drone Tour of Cambria Coast

On the morning of June 10, I woke up slightly earlier than my friends. Since we reached Cambria relatively late the previous day (and hence didn’t check out the town), I thought it would be a good idea to launch my drone for an aerial tour of Cambria’s coastline (while waiting for them to get out of bed).

California’s Pacific Coast Highway between Monterey and Cambria had some of the strictest regulations with regards to recreational drones in the nation. In particular, they were prohibited over Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary below 1000ft, where Cambria was its southern end.
  • Cambria Coast
    Cambria Coast
  • Cambria Coast
    Cambria Coast
  • Cambria Coast
    Cambria Coast
  • Cambria Coast
  • Cambria Coast
  • Cambria Coast

Click here to display photos overlooking Cambria’s coast.

Cambria Coast


Cambria Coast


Cambria Coast


Cambria Coast


Cambria Coast


Cambria Coast


Overlooking Cambria Coastline


Overlooking Cambria Coastline
Overlooking Cambria Coastline


Distant Cambria Shores


Distant Cambria Shores

And here’s a video:

  • 0:00 northbound
  • 0:17 southbound, overflying the array of hotels along Cambria coast
  • 0:48 inland, against the backdrop of mountains
  • 1:11 back towards the ocean

Morro Bay

After leaving Cambria, we took a small detour to check out Morro Bay.

Here’s a video from a dash-mounted GoPro capturing our drive from Cambria to Morro Bay. It’s obvious that this segment of Pacific Coast Highway didn’t involve as many curves, instead it’s more like the typical dry southern California landscape.


3 minutes and 39 seconds, 2160p30fps, H265 only, 9Mbps/254MB.

As its name suggested, this was a natural bay, an ideal site for harboring recreational boats. At its mouth was Morro Rock (p6 below), a small hill / volcanic plug that overlooked the bay. We took a short hike to its foot where various cairns were scattered around (p3-4 below), like a collective form of art, created by its visitors over time.

  • Morro Bay
    Morro Bay
  • Smokestacks of Power Station
    Smokestacks of Power Station
    The station stopped producing electricity in 2014.
  • Cairns
    Cairns
  • Arch Cairn
    Arch Cairn
  • Breakwater
    Breakwater
  • Morro Rock
    Morro Rock
  • Gull
    Gull
  • Otter
    Otter
  • Morro Bay
  • Smokestacks of Power Station
  • Cairns
  • Arch Cairn
  • Breakwater
  • Morro Rock
  • Gull
  • Otter

Click here to display photos of the slideshow

Morro Bay


Morro Bay


Smokestacks of Power Station


Smokestacks of Power Station
The station stopped producing electricity in 2014.


Cairns


Cairns


Arch Cairn


Arch Cairn


Breakwater


Breakwater


Morro Rock


Morro Rock


Gull


Gull


Otter


Otter


Pacific Ocean beyond Morro Bay Breakwater


Pacific Ocean beyond Morro Bay Breakwater

Town of Solvang

This was a town on our way to Los Angeles, known for its Danish-style architecture. We decided to pay it a quick visit by having lunch here.

  • Streets of Solvang
    Streets of Solvang
  • Streets of Solvang
    Streets of Solvang
  • Buildings in Solvang
    Buildings in Solvang
  • Buildings in Solvang
    Buildings in Solvang
  • Streets of Solvang
    Streets of Solvang
  • Lunch
    Lunch
  • Streets of Solvang
  • Streets of Solvang
  • Buildings in Solvang
  • Buildings in Solvang
  • Streets of Solvang
  • Lunch

Click here to display photos from the town of Solvang.

Streets of Solvang


Streets of Solvang


Streets of Solvang


Streets of Solvang


Buildings in Solvang


Buildings in Solvang


Buildings in Solvang


Buildings in Solvang


Streets of Solvang


Streets of Solvang


Lunch


Lunch


Unfortunately, unlike the mild weather that had spoiled us for the past two days, it’s the typical southern California heat from a scorching sun that greeted us in Solvang. The uncomfortable heat meant we didn’t have the mood to explore the town after our lunch.

Santa Barbara Wharf

After leaving Solvang, our next stop was Santa Barbara, in particular, the Stearns Wharf along its coast.
During our visit, the coast of Santa Barbara was occasionally covered in fog, which was sort of unusual given its reputation for sunshine and its Mediterranean climate.

  • Stearns Wharf
    Stearns Wharf
  • Aquarium on Wharf
    Aquarium on Wharf
  • Mountains behind Santa Barbara
    Mountains behind Santa Barbara
  • Beach Covered by Fog
    Beach Covered by Fog
  • Beach
    Beach
  • Stearns Wharf
  • Aquarium on Wharf
  • Mountains behind Santa Barbara
  • Beach Covered by Fog
  • Beach

Click here to display photos of the slideshow

Stearns Wharf


Stearns Wharf


Aquarium on Wharf


Aquarium on Wharf


Mountains behind Santa Barbara


Mountains behind Santa Barbara


Beach Covered by Fog


Beach Covered by Fog


Beach


Beach


It’s getting late in the day, and with traffic jam predicted leaving Santa Barbara (it’s really bad..), we didn’t hang around for long.

With dinner on the outskirts of Los Angeles, we reached our overnight lodge at 8pm, concluding the day.
END

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