This past year has been quite the journey. My journey around Florida and up the east coast has been an incredible experience. I have made alot of new friends and stayed at some amazing places. But I had been dreaming about seeing, driving and walking the beaches of the Pacific Coast Highway for a very long time.
I started my pacific coast journey in Washington state last summer and worked my way down through the Oregon Coast and into Northern California. Where I got a bit sidetracked (more on that later).
Along the journey, I saw some of the most breathtaking beaches and views I’ve ever experienced. Different from Florida in every possible way, and yet, still speaking the same language my salty soul understands.
I couldn’t wait to continue down the California coast. But then an unexpected course change happened.
Klamath.
A place I didn’t plan to stay.
A moment I didn’t plan to have.
A man I didn’t plan to meet.
So the drive down the coast?
Paused.
Not forgotten. Just… waiting.
A Birthday Wish That Turned Into a Journey
When my birthday started getting closer, he asked me a simple question:
“What do you want to do?”
I actually had to think about it for a while. I love traveling and there are so many places to journey to. But then it hit me.
“I want to drive the Pacific Coast Highway. The whole thing. Highway 1.”
No overplanning. No rigid itinerary. Just the road, the ocean, and the freedom to stop wherever the moment pulls us.
And without hesitation, he took 10 days off work and said:
“Okay.” Just like that.
The Only Plan… Is No Plan
If there’s one thing about us, it’s this:
We don’t overthink.
We don’t schedule every second.
We wing it.
We’ll drive until something catches our eye.
A hidden beach.
A quiet overlook.
A roadside pull-off that wasn’t on any map.
And of course, a bird!
He’ll be scanning for birds I would have never noticed.
I’ll be scanning the shoreline, looking for the next place to put my feet in the sand or the perfect viewpoint.
He will yell “stop” and I will yell “pull over”!
Something we joke about along the way! How our passions cause us to pause, see things we may not notice if we were alone, and appreciate the unique perspectives of our individual passions.
And I love that.
From Florida Sands to California Shores
For a long time, my journey has been about Florida.
Walking the beaches.
Finding healing in the serenity of the shoreline.
Processing life, motherhood, reinvention… one step at a time in the sand.
That journey changed me.
It grounded me.
It brought me back to myself.
This trip?
It’s something different.
This isn’t about completing a goal or checking off every mile.
Even though part of me still holds onto that quiet intention, to walk a mile on every beach, I already know this trip isn’t about that.
This is an introduction.
A first look at the California coast
A new chapter of walking… in a completely different landscape.
Different energy.
Different waters.
Different version of me.
This isn’t just a birthday trip. It’s about:
Letting go of rigid plans
Following what feels right in the moment
Allowing unexpected detours to become part of the story.
Because this midlife journey has taught me that the detours are the real story.
And So It Begins… 7 days. Highway 1.
The Pacific on one side, possibility on the other.
No real plan, just a direction.
