Bixby Bridge, Highway 1 and Big Little Lies

We've started to watch Big Little Lies - and I love the opening sequence which includes the Bixby Bridge. I'm afraid I bounce up and down at the beginning of every episode as the Bixby Bridge comes into view, all the while exclaiming "I've been there - that's Bixby Bridge. I stopped there. I drew that!"

Maritime Inversion, - Bixby Bridge, Big Sur
8" x 12", coloured pencils on Arches
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

In July 2006 - on a trip around California, Arizona and New Mexico, my third 'big trip' involved flying to San Francisco, picking up a Chrysler PT Cruiser and then, after a short stop in Monterey, driving at a fairly leisurely pace all the down Highway 1 - the Pacific Coast Highway - from San Francisco to San Diego - all on my own! Something in excess of 550 miles.

This road is almost next to the coast and it follows the coastline - with views of the Pacific Ocean en route - almost all the way down

I'd planned to sketch the views from the Highway as I progressed - and post about my travels in my sketchbook blog "Travels with my Sketchbook".

What I hadn't planned on was the marine inversion due to the heatwave which was taking place inland. Having experienced the 100 degree heat while crossing deserts earlier in the trip, I'd looked forward to it being cooler - but would have preferred cooler with more sun!

Which explains why my sketch (below) and then the more developed drawing above both feature the low-lying cloud of a marine inversion - where the cold sea meets the very hot land.

Bixby Bridge, Pacific Coast Highway
8" x 10", Pen and sepia ink and coloured pencils in Moleskine sketchbook
4.50pm on 28 July 2006

You can see what the weather was like in the layby where I parked just north of the bridge - grey, grey and more grey!

This is the Bixby Bridge - as seen in the opening credits of Big Little Lies

Below is the rest of my third "big trip"

Road Trip #3 - Pacific Coast Highway Trip from San Francisco to San Diego

San Francisco to San Diego along the Pacific Coast Highway (26th July - 30th July 2006)
(link goes to a Google Map)

On this trip I found out that the marine inversions on the coast tend to accompany very high temperatures inland!

• Tuesday 25th July - "a rest day" ie unpacking / washing / drying / repacking plus last minute bookings for Road Trip #2 - the Pacific Coast Highway Trip from San Francisco to San Diego!
• Wednesday 26th July - "Driving Highway 1 - the Pacific Coast Highway" Road Trip #2 from San Francisco to San Diego involves flying from San Diego to San Francisco; then oicking up a car and driving down to Monterey armed with Ed Terpening's guide to plein air painting spots ("The best spots painting tour") and dinner in Pacific Grove (3 sketches)
• Thursday 27th July - "Carmel by the Sea - and a marine inversion" (4 sketches) with a description of what it feels like when it's more than 50 degrees cooler than the weather experienced on Monday!
• Friday 28th July - "The greatest meeting of land and water in the world" Point Lobos State Reserve (sketch and photos)
• Friday 28th July - "Driving down big Sur - at last" the drive along the Pacific Coast Highway down Big Sur (1 sketches plus photo)
• Saturday 29th July - "The best breakfast of the trip - at the Big Sky cafe!" San Luis Obispo to Ventura (2 sketches plus photos)
• Sunday 30th July - "The end of my drive down Highway 1 and the start of concretefreewayville" - Back to Louise in Santee via Brunch in Malibu and crossing LA by freeway (2 sketches)
• Tuesday 1st August - "Flying home and some reflections" on artwork produced and travelling in the USA - after trying to work out on Monday what went home and what went on to New England.

As well as sketching details, my posts also include details of

• routes I travelled
• places I stayed and/or visited
• descriptions of places where I ate meals (which often became the subjects for sketches)
• PLUS places to buy art supplies .

What's been the best road trip + sketching that you've done? Answers to my Facebook Page