The apothecary-like transition from farm to folded, jutting cliffs was ripe with eucalyptus and bay leaves, sweat-wet from the dew and smelling for all the world like a Vick’s Vaporub commercial brought to life. I did not stop to take a lot of pictures along Big Sur, I decided that the name would speak for itself. That, and the ride was difficult and tiring enough as it was without constantly stopping and de-gearing for photo-ops. There was a steady onshore wind of about 50mph that was being gusseted up and down the canyon walls and refracted back from all directions at once. Hwy 1, an engineering feat when it was constructed in the 1930’s, is a challenge 80 years later and the cliffs shed their excess continually, taking the road with it in many cases. There were no less than 3 one way sections this time and one place where there was no road surface at all, just gravel and blowing dirt. A tad hard to take in the majesty and scale of the view when struggling to maintain an upright position…..and one that stays ON what road there is as guard rails seem to be an option that wasn’t purchased with initial buy and haven’t been thought of as necessary in most cases since.