Monday I took a journey. Today I found this poem and thought it fit my pictures perfectly. One day I'll make it public along with the pictures.

O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell,
Let it not be among the jumbled heap
Of murky buildings; climb with me the steep,-
Nature's observatory- whence the dell,
Its flowery slopes, its river's crystal swell,
May seem a span; let me thy vigils keep
'Mongst boughs pavillion'd, where the deer's swift leap
Startles the wild bee from the fox-glove bell.

But though I'll gladly trace these scenes with thee,
Yet the sweet converse of an innocent mind,
Whose words are images of thoughts refin'd,
Is my soul's pleasure; and it sure must be
Almost the highest bliss of human-kind,
When to thy haunts two kindred spirits flee.
--John Keats


This was my goal. It took a while to get here and then 30 minutes later I turned around and left town.

But God, the journey was worth the sore butt:


I had no idea how long it would take, so I left home at four in the morning. I'm not 100% sure where this was, I belief it was a few miles south of Santa Barbara. But it just made me hold my breath.


In San Luis Obispo I switched from the 101 to PCH. It hugs the coast up through San Simeon (where the Hurst Castle is) into Monterey and some five miles north of where I took this picture is some of the most scenic and deadly lands I have ever visited. PCH twists and turns *very* tightly there to the tune of a hairpin turn something like every 30 feet. When the road is slick from drizzle or mist the highway is deadlier than any LA freeway.

Anyway, no one told me about the elephant seals.


One of the lovely site just inside of Monterey county. The first time I visited here alone was 5 years ago, during El Ni񯮠 The road was incredibly slick and I nearly drove Deitrich off the road more than once. (Seriously. A couple of times I only stopped because the turnouts were dirt and caught the tires. I thought I was going to give myself a heart attack.) I had my first major accident (so far of three) on the very last hairpin curve. It didn't have a turnout, just a large mount of dirt and mud. The mound kept me from killing myself, but it still cost $80 to pull Deitrich out.

Lovely and treacherous. What's not to like?

But this brought me the peace and solitude I've been wishing for. I highly recommend getting out and really seeing the world you live in.