Route 1 - Twists and Turns

Leaving San Francisco, we started out on a new highway: Route 1, the inspired suggestion of Dorothy's mom. The drive was the most enjoyable and most majestic of our trip. Behind the wheel of a suddenly smooth-handling Kitty Jo, Phil felt a bit like James Bond, zipping around bends up and down the mountains, and Dorothy, rapt in the passenger seat, surely felt like one of James Bond's passengers. We took our time down the coast, stopping every so often to look out onto the ocean and the spectacular mountains and rock formations. After all of the hours pummeling down 80 trying to get across the country, this felt like a real liberation, the kind of road trip we were looking for. We arrived at the Sycamore Mineral Springs and Resort in San Luis Obispo at 8.30 that night, and began to wind down. The Sycamore, another of Dorothy's mom's great ideas, is a charming place in the mountains offering mineral water hot tubs, a yoga dome, and room names like "Tickle" and "Zany." We had a long soak that night on the patio of our room ("Kindness"), and the next morning did a little yoga and indulged in much-needed massages. Thusly relaxed, it wasn't easy to get back into the car, but Val Verde was calling, so we dutifully hit the road for the last time.