Today we drove south down Highway 1 thru Carmel by the Sea, Big Sur and the 17 mile drive through Pebble Beach.
Carmel by the Sea founded in 1902 and incorporated in 1916. Situated on the
Monterey Peninsula, the town is known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history. In 1906, the
San Francisco Call devoted a full page to the "artists, poets and writers of Carmel-by-the-Sea", and in 1910 it reported that 60 percent of Carmel's houses were built by citizens who were "devoting their lives to work connected to the aesthetic arts." Early City Councils were dominated by artists, and the town has had several mayors who were poets or actors, including Herbert Heron, founder of the
Forest Theater, bohemian writer and actor Perry Newberry, and actor-director
Clint Eastwood, who was mayor for one term, from 1986 to 1988.
Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the
Central Coast of
California where the
Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the
Pacific Ocean. The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big country of the south", referring to its location south of the
Monterey Peninsula. The terrain offers stunning views, making Big Sur a popular tourist destination. Big Sur's Cone Peak is the highest coastal mountain in the contiguous 48 states, ascending nearly a mile (5,155 feet) above sea level, only three miles from the ocean.
Although Big Sur has no specific boundaries, many definitions of the area include the 90 miles (140 km) of coastline from the
Carmel River south to the
San Carpoforo Creek, and extend about 20 miles inland to the eastern foothills of the Santa Lucias
17-Mile Drive is a scenic road through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach on the Monterey Peninsula in California, much of which hugs the Pacific coastline and passes famous golf courses and mansions. Part of it serves as the main road through the gated communityof Pebble Beach. Inside this community, nonresidents have to pay a toll to use the road. Like the community, the majority of 17-Mile Drive is owned and operated by the Pebble Beach Corporation. The 17-Mile Drive is a 17-mile long scenic loop having five entrances, including one at California State Route 1 and one at Pacific Grove off Sunset Drive.From the Sunset Drive/Pacific Grove gate, the drive runs inland past Spanish Bay, then adjacent to beaches and up into the coastal hills, providing scenic viewpoints. The route allows for self-directed travel and stopping, with frequent turnouts along the roadway in many locations along the route. Without stops, it takes a minimum of 20 minutes to reach Carmel. The numerous turnouts allow stopping to take pictures, or getting out to stroll along the ocean or among the trees. Visitors receive a map that points out some of the more scenic spots. In addition, a red-dashed line is marked in the center of the main road to guide visitors, and help prevent them from venturing into the adjacent neighborhood streets
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