Devil's Slide

The Monday Morning Hiking Group headed up the coast to this short trail that has recently been converted from a former segment of Highway 1. It was the foggiest day ever, and we wondered whether we would see the person in front of us, never mind the promised spectacular ocean views. It was cold and windy, as only the coast can be, and then the sun suddenly broke through for a few minutes, playing with the edges of things and giving us some grand vistas.

All of us have memories of the white-knuckle drive that this road used to be, especially at night or in a storm, steep and narrow, twisting high above the ocean under unstable slopes. Now there is a tunnel, bright and straight, that runs through the mountain, and the tortuous piece is reserved for hikers and bikers to enjoy at our own pace.