After months of appointments, uncertainty, and putting life on pause, Odom and I packed up the car and headed south, beginning with a stop in the Bay Area to spend time with dear family and friends. There is something about returning to places that hold pieces of your history.
Before leaving Oakland, we enjoyed an incredible dinner in Chinatown and amazing bagels in the Temescal area.
Mural in Temescal of our Alysa Liu
Oakland's Chinatown has always felt wonderfully alive to me. Bustling sidewalks, family-run restaurants, and some of the best food you'll find anywhere. It was the perfect send-off before continuing our journey.
We made our way to Monterey after bagels and decided to drive the famous 17-Mile Drive. If you've ever seen photos of it, you know it's usually a breathtaking experience with dramatic coastal viewa and endless ocean beaches.
We saw almost none of that.
Instead, we found ourselves wrapped in a thick blanket of FOG.
But really, it was magical.
17-Mile Drive
The cypress trees emerged like ghosts. The ocean revealed itself in brief glimpses before disappearing again. It felt mysterious, quiet, and somehow even more beautiful than if the skies had been clear. All the multi-colored plant life was just wow.
The next morning we continued south along Highway 1 through Big Sur, one of my favorite stretches of coastline anywhere in the world. We made our way to Nepenthe, this gorgeously landscaped eatery/café/gift shop.
My mother had insisted we stop for the views.
If you know Nepenthe, you know what she's talking about. Perched high above the Pacific, it's famous for offering one of the most spectacular panoramas on the California coast.
Except when we arrived, there was absolutely nothing to see. The ocean was gone. The cliffs were gone. The horizon had vanished completely.
Just fog.
Endless FOG. But still just a joy.
Dining with a view, but today it's fog :)
Travel has a funny way of reminding us that sometimes the experience isn't about getting exactly what you came for. Sometimes it's about appreciating what's actually there. And there was still something incredibly beautiful about sitting above a sea of fog, knowing the coastline was somewhere out there, hidden just beyond sight.
We stopped at the wonderful Henry Miller Memorial Library, tucked among the redwoods, a place that feels less like a library and more like a secret gathering spot for artists, dreamers, and free spirits.
Inside the Henry Miller Library
As we continued south, the fog slowly began to loosen up. Here and there, a glimpse of coastline. A patch of blue sky. A sparkling ocean.
And then, almost right on cue, by the time we reached Hearst Castle, we found sunshine.
Not by accident, as it turns out.
William Randolph Hearst intentionally chose that hilltop location because it often sits above the coastal fog that blankets much of the Central Coast. Standing there in the warm sun, looking back toward the marine layer draped across the landscape below, it was easy to understand why.
From one of the Hearst Castle terraces
It felt like we'd traveled through several different worlds in a single day.
I'm writing this now from our hotel in Palm Springs, where the landscape couldn't be more different. Palm trees sway outside our window, the desert air is HOT, and the mountains rise dramatically from the valley floor.
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