Every once in a while, everyone needs to remove themselves from their comfort zone and get away from it all, away from their daily monotonous routines and immerse in solace of solitary rejuvenation. I drove more than 2,050 miles in collective mileage just to find this solitary rejuvenation. Not to mention great photo opportunities with my newly acquired Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

The trip was three months in the making and spans through a period of six days and three stops. It began on Monday, December 28 at 6:30AM. The first night’s stop was in Carmel-by-the-Sea in Monterey county. I chose to reach Carmel through highway 1 but prior to embarking in the 6-7 hour drive to reach Carmel, I made a 2 hour detour at Morro Bay in San Luis Obispo county to blend with the local and for some photo opportunities of downtown Morro Bay, Morro Rock and the marina.

The drive on highway 1 was pleasant as usual, however, since it’s only a 1-lane two-way highway, the car that is in front of you will dictate how fast you will be driving. Because there were 4 instances during that 90 mile stretch of highway where cars were literally driving at 45 mph, I did not reach my first town of destination until 4:00PM.

Carmel recently received an ample amount of rain but still retains its rustic small town charm. To my surprise, it was flourishing with tourists from all parts of the world. Stores and restaurants everywhere were filled to the brim with people on the inside or scattered with curious window shoppers on the outside.

My stay in Carmel lasted only one night and was succinct. I checked into my lodging only to realize that within 18 hours, my trip will continue north another 380 miles.