No Sur

As if the fog situation wasn't upsetting enough, I actually ended up being thwarted entirely in my effort to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway, through Big Sur, by a large and unfortunately placed wildfire which meant the Highway was closed. I did manage to go up far enough to see Hearst Castle (a comical monstrosity, apparently intended to look "Mediterranean") as well as a colony of seals (or sea lions, I can't remember), before resigning myself to driving up the much less attractive (but sunny) Highway 101 to Monterey. Tomorrow, the plan is to take in the aquarium, Pebble Beach and Carmel before looping back up to San Francisco where friends await. Hopefully there are no fires there.