Shane’s Birthday 6.28.25

In the summer of 2025, Shane, Tiara, and Gatsby celebrated another chapter of their motoring adventures with a birthday weekend drive that carried the spirit of discovery closer to home. Starting in Redwood City, the route traced some of California’s most scenic ribbons of road—winding over Cañada Road, gliding down Highway 84 toward the Pacific, and pausing for a seaside picnic at Pigeon Point Lighthouse before rolling south along the storied Highway 1.

The destination was The Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, a place already rich with meaning for the trio: quiet evenings beneath the stars, Gatsby exploring the grassy grounds, and meals at their favorite spots like Covey Grill and the automotive-themed Baja Cantina. It was a weekend woven with the joy of simple rituals—dinners by firelight, Polaroids captured on the lawn, and a playful photo scavenger hunt marking each highlight.

The return north traced another set of classics: sweeping through Santa Cruz to the Surfing Museum, climbing La Honda Road beneath towering redwoods, and cruising the Skyline Boulevard ridge before home. More than a birthday getaway, it became a reminder of why these drives matter: not the miles themselves, but the moments stitched together—picnics, sunsets, laughter, and the bond of driver, passenger princess, and copilot pup on the open road.