The intended plan was to drive on the coast from Monterey through Carmel-by-the-Sea to Big Sur and back before it got dark. The curvy road was busy on that Thanksgiving weekend and when the Westy went dead just as we were starting to cross a narrow bridge, we knew we could not have picked a better spot to break down... Our friends were right behind and started to direct traffic while our friend Mat pulled us to a flat spot on the side of the road. There was no cell signal and after finding a roadside call box, JF spent over an hour on the phone to get a towing. Our friends stayed with us the whole time (they were such troopers!), the kids played and explored the area. We watched dolphins and seals play in the turquoise water and even spotted a whale! There are definitely worst places to break down!

The kids tried to start a fire without matches and came up with tons of games to keep themselves busy and happy, we warmed up some soup in the Westy to feed the troops, watched a beautiful sunset, and when the stars started showing up in the sky and the towing was still nowhere in sight, we brought the lambskin, blanket and sleeping bags out and looked at the sky. We spotted three shooting stars and made wishes. It smelled of wild sage and sea mist. This is what memories are made of.