Pacific Valley in Big Sur with the E46

Joined
Mar 3, 2011
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Location
The Willow Creek District AVA
Y'all:

Living just a short distance from iconic California Hwy 1 where is passes through Cambria, I decided to take advantage of the perfect weather and hopefully enjoy less traffic because of COVID-19. On a normal day Hwy 1 is rendered nearly undriveable because of all the tourist traffic. Between Cambria and Monterey you have about 100 miles of a gorgeous driving road - but choking traffic forces you to do it at 25mph - or less.

There were far more people out on my drive today than I expected. Ragged Point was packed, and half the turnouts had at least one or two cars there, some turnouts had a dozen or more. Lots of young people out hiking. Lots of older folks sitting in chairs at overlooks. I spoke to a few. Everyone maintained proper social distance while we marveled at the natural beauty.

Traffic was about 10% of what it normally is. It was light enough to actually go the speed limit, or more if one desired. Interestingly, every single slow car pulled over to let me pass. I was nice to enjoy some simple highway courtesy.

I drove from my home to Monterey and back in about 4 hours 15 minutes, and that included a few short stops along the way. When it's congested with tourists it can take 4 hours for a one way trip from my home to Monterey.

The pictures are in Pacific Valley, about midway into Big Sur. The natural beauty is absolutely striking. It's one of my favorite little nooks on the entire planet. And there is a vibe there.... The pictures don't do it justice.

Anyway, FWIW,

Scott

EDIT: Just noticed my pano picture won't display. Dang, that was the best picture!

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Originally Posted by AZjeff
It would be OK to see a little more countryside and a little less BMW.

Your car is very very nice but you live in a beautiful area most of us never get to see. No disrespect.

Yeah, I get it and agree.

Scott
 
Great pictures. I have been thinking about doing the same if this home containment continues.

For Panorama, upload the picture on some image hosting website (postimage, imagur etc) and post the link.
 
Beautiful car and scenery.
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The last time I was there was April last year, and I had another road trip planned this June. Sadly, I won't be going home until everything with this COVID-19 situation settles.
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We were on Hwy 1 in 1974 with the gas shortages/pricing of that year and almost no traffic, so an enjoyable drive. In more recent Calif travels we stay away from the coast as way too much population and traffic. Inland and the Sierras also offer some great driving and scenery.
 
Oh there's scenery behind the car?
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Those wheels look great! The E46 will always be one of my favorites. My good friend has an Imola Red 2005 330i ZHP sedan with the 6 speed manual, I've driven it several times and it's just a blast.
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Yup ! Some of the most beautiful country on the planet . Hope you stopped off and enjoyed a relaxing lunch with a fabulous view at Nepenthes.
 
Originally Posted by Falcon_LS
Beautiful car and scenery.
cool.gif


The last time I was there was April last year, and I had another road trip planned this June. Sadly, I won't be going home until everything with this COVID-19 situation settles.
frown.gif


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