The southern end of the isolated and undeveloped Lost Coast between Ferndale and Rockport, CA. State Route 1, California’s Pacific Coast Highway, runs south from here along the ocean for over 600 miles.

The Idiot’s beach du jour north of Fort Bragg, CA.

A sample of the rocky Pacific Ocean coast north of Fort Bragg, CA.

Giving Stanford classmate George Reinhardt some encouragement as he pumps iron, or water, in Fort Bragg, CA.

Lunching at Cafe 1 on State Route 1, aka Highway One, in Fort Bragg, CA.

The Point Arena lighthouse in Mendocino County, CA.

The antique-filled Mendocino Hotel on Main Street in Mendocino, CA.

Looking forward to reaching the Slacker Trail during a hike in the Marin Headlands just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.

A view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands.

Dozens of kite surfers north of Santa Cruz, California.

Entering Big Sur country south of Carmel, CA.

Sunrise on a Big Sur beach.

Amused to see such stringent and threatening parking restrictions at the very rural Big Sur Post Office.

Discussing The Idiot and the Odyssey trilogy of travel narratives and The Paris Metro 40th Anniversary Issue with all comers at the Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur during his drive along the Pacific Ocean to Los Angeles.

The Idiot hiked on a number of coastal nature trails, like this one at Ragged Point, during his road trip to Los Angeles.

The Idiot joined elephant seals for an afternoon snooze before visiting Hearst Castle at San Simeon, CA.

The Idiot and Jeff Wheelwright, both graduates of the Columbia School of Journalism in 1971, met to discuss Herman Melville in Morro Bay, CA.

The Idiot thought he was having an acid flash when he saw these bison near Santa Barbara, CA.