And that is why they call it an adventure

Fittingly, today was my first challenge. Mountain View to Lucia (just South of Big Sur) was supposed to be an easy first day drive, maybe 2.5 hrs. Unfortunately the road closures mentioned yesterday were between Big Sur and Lucia. Both Google maps and Waze agreed that I could drive South on a more inland route, the cut over to the coast and approach from the South. I got most of the way there only to find that the road to the coast was permanently closed with a locked gate. The reason remains a mystery (might be the subject of further research).

A call to the lodge suggested I should go back up and around as apparently, even though the approach from the north was still formally closed, they were letting locals through. Of course now, it was late afternoon and I was hitting tourist traffic on Hwy 1. I got to a point where a big sign proclaimed “ROAD CLOSED NO DETOUR.” Being the stubborn and persistent sort, I ignored the sign, went around the barrier and continued down Hwy 1. When I arrived at the site of the rockslides, there was no closure, only a small amount of debris on the road and nice deputy telling me it was open and I should continue through. Google still wanted me to go back the way I came. Lesson learned, GPS apps have their limits.

I finally arrived just as the sun was setting. By the way, the staff at Lucia Lodge could not have been more attentive or helpful.