Along Highway 1 -- Stretching from Baja Mexico to the San Francisco Bay, the Pacific Coast Highway is truly the envy of nations. Over the years, its dramatic vistas have defined an eclectic culture, be it colonies of artists, surfers, hippies or tycoons.  The PCH serves as the inspiration of Australia's own Great Ocean Road, and has been compared favorably to the highway along France's Côte d'Azur.

Here, the open ocean crashes relentlessly against the hard granite cliffs just south of the Monterey Peninsula, sculpting them into crags, reefs and pebble beaches.

This photo is taken with the Canon G1 digital camera.