California

Start with Monterey’s touristy charm—think sea otters, a fishy smell, and tourist traps where people act like a $50 clam chowder bread bowl is a rite of passage. But hang on, because as you roll up the coast you hit Big Sur’s northern edge and suddenly, it’s all cliffs that make you question your grip on reality, with fog so thick you’ll wonder if you’ve wandered into a Stephen King novel. Your car’s tires might even start screeching for mercy as you scream “Why did I eat that burrito?” By the time you reach Eureka you are in the eerie quiet of Humboldt County where everyone swears by their kombucha and no one’s really from there. Where pot smoke and fog swirl around redwoods that are towering so high you’ll feel like an ant—and not the cute kind. It’s wild, salty, overpriced, and totally worth it.

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