Sunshine, chowder, and a little Bailey's

On the Monterey Peninsula, 2011 ended with a beautiful sunshiny day.  Here, from today's walk, are a few of the reasons we have become so fond of this place.

On the way home we stopped at Vivolo's Chowder House and picked up some of their award winning New England clam chowder.

This evening, we celebrated early with a little egg nog and Bailey's as we don't expect to see midnight.

Happy New Year to all!

Day 105
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  0

A foggy, foggy day

After driving the Fiat for 11 days, we finally had to get gas.  It took 8.72 gallons.  So far we've averaged 28.2 mpg with mostly city driving.

We discovered a new, more convenient way to get to the beach here in Monterey.  There was plenty of parking and, except for these two, we had the place pretty much to ourselves.  I didn't speak to them, but they were driving an official Aquarium vehicle, so I assume that they were employees rather than volunteers.

It was another foggy day, but we went down on the beach anyway.  The tiny specks at the water's edge are these little birds.  I shot a short video of them feeding, but I'm so new at taking movin' pictures that I don't even know how to edit out the jiggly parts where the camera is pointed at my feet.

I never thought I would be saying this, but I'm excited about shooting more video.  As a still photographer, I have come across many fascinating things that simply defied capture because their coolness lay in their movement, but having grown up in the era of 8mm home movies that were almost alway astonishingly bad, I have continued to look down my nose at amateur video.  Well, until now that is.  These new cameras make taking video so easy and produce pictures that are so amazingly clear, it opens up a whole new realm of possibilities.

After the beach, we went by San Carlos Cathedral.  Since it faces north, the sun is always right behind it, so I have been waiting for an overcast day to take some pictures there.

Completed in 1794, this is the only building left from the original Spanish Presidio and the oldest building on the Monterey Peninsula.  It is also the oldest church in continuous use in California and the smallest cathedral in the continental United States.

As usual, the day wasn't complete until we drove along the beach in Pacific Grove.  The fog was even heavier than in Monterey, but we did see sea lions here for the first time which was a nice way to end the day.

Day 104
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  0

Here be sea lions!

This morning we drove up the coast to Moss Landing.  There was fog in Monterey, but just a few miles north it was clear and sunny, even right along the water.  We found the sea otters, just like we'd been told.  They were near a marina in sheltered water, and though too far away to photograph, they were easy to see with our binoculars.

While the otters were fun to watch, the real highlight of the day turned out to be what was on the boat dock you can see in the middle of the picture on the far side of the inlet.  Sea lions!  Literally tons and tons of sea lions.

I seriously doubt that whoever built this very nice, very substantial dock spent the money with this in mind.

Day 103
Monterey, CA

Mileage:  0

The otter chaser

While we were stopped at Lover's Point this morning, this blimp flew over.  I didn't even know Farmers Insurance had a blimp and have no idea why it's here now.

Several times in the last week or so, we have seen another unusual sight--people at the beach with cameras and something that looks like an old TV antenna.  We finally got our curiosity satisfied when this girl pulled up in front of us at a pull-off and set up her equipment.

She's a volunteer who works for the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  They have put radio tags on about 50 sea otters, and her job is to go out each day and find them.  She uses the antenna to get a bearing on the signals.  Each animal transmits on a unique frequency so she knows which one she has found, but they also have florescent flipper tags.  The thing we assumed was a camera is actually a compact telescope and once she has a bearing, she uses it to try to visually confirm the sighting.  She was very nice, even let me look through her telescope, but the otters were hanging out in a kelp bed some distance offshore and were hard to see because of the swells.  To see them close up, she said Moss Landing was her favorite place to go.  A raft consisting of mostly older males regularly hangs out there.  I think I know where we'll be heading tomorrow.

Here's a sign we saw during our walk this afternoon in a shop window on Lighthouse Avenue.

Day 102
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  0

Some waves and a walk

We spent a couple of hours at the beach in Pacific Grove.  It was a nice sunny day, but the wind was chilly and we really had to bundle up.  Although the tide wasn't supposed to be especially high, the waves were large enough to put on a good show.

We did our daily walk along Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.  Here is a mini-gallery of the businesses that share space on this main thoroughfare.

Day 101
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  0

Day 100

Unlike turning 100 or filming the 100th episode of a TV show, today was more like bowling 100--totally unremarkable.

This morning, we showered and did the laundry.

This afternoon, we walked Sadie on the beach at Monterey.  It was a little windy and we weren't dress for it, so we cut it short, came back home, and all took naps.

My photo of the day

Day 100
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  0

Christmas Day in Monterey

This morning was overcast and cool.  We took advantage of the free parking to finally pay a visit to Fisherman's Wharf.  There are actually two wharfs and we started with the "new" one, built in 1926.  It is still used by the commercial fisherman and normally doesn't get many sightseers other than ones like this guy standing on the cab of a pickup.  There were also a number of sea lions somewhere under the pier.  We never saw them but they were making one heck of a racket.

We then walked past the marina to the old wharf.  First built in the 1870s for use by coastal steamers, it was purchased by the city in the early 1900s and greatly expanded.  It has been known locally as Fisherman's Wharf since about 1920.  Nowadays, it is home to a number of excellent restaurants as well as gift shops, fishing charters, and whale watching excursions.

Around noon, the sun came out enough to take the chill off the day, and the wharf started filling up with people.  Since we had Sadie with us, we hesitated at first to venture any further, but finally decided to give it a try and I'm glad we did.  Sadie was an angel and we got to see the whole wharf.  The highlight was this wooden raft and its snoozing sea lions.  

Day 99
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  0

Twas the day before Christmas

Today, much to our surprise and delight, we discovered that Monterey not only has a beach, but a very nice, very large one, and it is right across Del Monte Avenue from El Estero Park.  This place just keeps getting better and better.

My photo of the day:  This way to the beach!

Day 98
Monterey, CA

Mileage:  0

A good day for pictures

We returned to El Estero Park for our daily walk.  I took a number of pictures, including this one of a cormorant enjoying the sun.

Afterwards, while exploring the historic downtown area, we drove passed this tiny church.

Built in 1876, it now houses the Mayo Hayes O'Donnell Research Library, but for many years it was the St. James Episcopal Church, Monterey's first Protestant Church.  In 1945, John Steinbeck's son Thom was baptized here.

On our way to the beach, we stopped at the Point Pinos (there should be a ~ over the n) Lighthouse so I could take some pictures.

Operating since February 1, 1855, it has been in continuous service longer than any other lighthouse on the west coast.

At the beach, we checked out a new spot and found some tidal pools full of little fish and hermit crabs that kept us entertained for quite awhile.  

Day 97
Monterey, CA

Nothing like a little shopping to brighten your day

We had a very good day.

We drove to Marina to do some shopping at Walmart.  Though it was 10:00 in the morning and only three days before Christmas, the store had very few customers, which really surprised us.  It has a full grocery, but isn't as large as most Super Walmarts, and has the best layout we've ever seen.  We liked it a lot, and we are not big Walmart fans.

We then returned to a shopping center in Monterey and bought a bunch of dog treats at PetSmart, a small bath rug at Target and found a new pair of boots for Nancy at Payless.  They remind me of pirate boots and are very cute.

After lunch we took Sadie to El Estero Park.  In Spanish estero means a large lake near the sea, which is precisely what sits right in the middle of the park.  It is a lovely spot and perfect for long, leisurely walks.  The Spanish built the original Presidio of Monterey here right beside the lake.

Later, on our way to do some wave watching, we stopped at Lover's Point in Pacific Grove long enough for me to get my photo of the day.

My photo of the day

Day 96
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  0

It was just one of those days

It was an odd day; not bad, just sideways.

We drove 10 or 12 miles up Carmel Valley to take a look at Carmel Village.  It was not at all what I expected.  The hills that form the valley are fairly small, certainly not mountains, and it was not as scenic as I had imagined.  Likewise, the village was very small and only so-so picturesque.

We then drove to Point Lobos State Reserve.  We pulled in and immediately saw a sign saying no dogs.

We then stopped at a public beach that allowed dogs but had a sign saying 30 folks had died there, be careful.  We didn't stay long.

We drove to Pacific Grove.  At Lover's Point there is a lovely little park.  We found a great spot to park, got out, saw a sign saying no dogs.

We tried watching the waves, but the tide was at its lowest and the surf was modest and not very interesting.

We moved up the beach further to a pull-off where hundreds of birds were sitting on the exposed rocks.  Nancy stayed in the car and I got out to take some pictures.  As soon as I got out, a lady came up and started talking my ear off.  Nancy says she chatted for about 20 minutes.  She was very nice, a truly sweet person, but it was strange, nonetheless.

We stopped at Safeway to pickup Chinese takeout for dinner.  The arrangement is not the same as back home.  Here the food is out on a self-serve island, but there were no containers for the food, only a sign saying to ask at the deli counter for help.  The man who helped us seemed out of his element.  He made a mess of all the containers.  Nancy had to close them up for him and got her hands all yucky.

Oh yeah, and the air quality was lousy, too.

My photo of the day:  Lover's Point Park

Day 95
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  0

Cannery Row

We thought it only fitting that our first major excursion in the car was to Cannery Row.  This stretch of waterfront along Ocean View Avenue was once the center of a thriving sardine canning industry.  In his 1945 novel set in depression-era Monterey, John Steinbeck called this street Cannery Row.  Now that tourism has replaced fish processing as the economic mainstay, that has been made its official name.

Besides the obligatory t-shirt shops, it boasts several very nice hotels and numerous restaurants that I would love to sample.  Today, however, we confined ourselves to just wandering about and seeing the sights.

Day 94
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  0

A new car and a nice surprise

We picked up our rental car around noon.  They gave us a 2012 Fiat 500--very small, very cute, lots of features.  I'm still not comfortable with the way it handles, though; it's way too responsive and practically turns on a dime.

We were thrilled to have a car at last and itching to try it out but hadn't made any specific plans, so our first outing was a run to Costco.  Mostly we bought food, but we also picked up three thumb drives.  As soon as we left the store, Nancy packed everything into her reusable sack and we left the cart by the door.  Back at the RV, we couldn't find the drives.  They were blister packed on a large card and it seemed impossible that we could have left them behind in the cart, but apparently we did.

Since Nancy needed the drives, we returned to Costco to buy some more.  I felt sure they were long gone, but we looked in the carts by the door anyway.  Inside, we asked the man checking receipts if anyone had turned them in.  He sent us to the Customer Service desk where we explained our problem to one of the managers.  She told us to go back to the checkout stand and if we hadn't left it there, to just go take another card.  Nancy, who has a slight hearing impairment, thought she had misheard and had the lady say it again.  But no, it was true.  We left with a free replacement.

Thank you, Costco!

Day 93
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  6.7
Total Mileage:  13,363.4

The Del Monte Hotel

This morning's walk took us as far as the Naval Postgraduate School on Del Monte Avenue.  Prior to World War II, this was the site of the Del Monte Hotel, one of the finest luxury hotels in the world.

First opened in 1880, it burn to the ground in 1887.  Rebuilt bigger and better, it survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake only to have the main structure burn again in 1924.  Rebuilt yet again, it was turned it into what some considered the most elegant seaside resort in the world, a place where guests could enjoy golf, polo, tennis, swimming, yachting, and deep-sea fishing.

In 1942, the Navy took it over to use as a preflight school for new pilots.  In 1947, it purchased the hotel and 627 acres of surrounding land for the Postgraduate School which had outgrown its space on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland.  The NPS finally made the cross-country move to Monterey in 1951.

This afternoon, we walked through a nearby neighborhood of modest homes where most yards where well maintained, but almost none had any grass.  Some had oriental themes and were mostly gravel, others were full of native plants or cacti.  The variety of plants here is astonishing with a surprising number still in full bloom.

My photo of the day

Day 92
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  0

More interesting neighbors

We continued exploring today with two long walks.  In the morning we walked west and found we are neighbors with the Santa Catalina School.  Originally an all girls school, it was established by the Dominican Order in 1950 on a 36 acre estate purchased from Col. Harold Mack.  His hacienda was the first school building.  All the buildings added over the years match the hacienda's Spanish style.  They have now grown to include a co-ed K-8 elementary and a 9-12 all girls day and boarding school with  facilities that include tennis courts and an outdoor pool that can accommodate water polo.

This afternoon's walk took us east where, to our delight, we discovered a very nice Safeway less than a mile away.

My photo of the day:  RV hookups at the fairgrounds

Day 91
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  0

Having the Navy for a neighbor

If the Monterey County Fairgrounds RV Park was anything like the one at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, we would probably be in San Diego right now.  In Santa Rosa, we were in a large, practically treeless, gravel parking lot across the street from the rest of the fairgrounds.  Here we are camped right on the fairgrounds in a small, shady, paved lot.   Just across the fence from us is the Monterey Pines Golf Course which is owned by the Navy.

My photo of the day

Since we didn't want to take the RV out today, we decided to take a long walk and explore some of the area nearby.  Much to our surprise we discovered that nestled in a residential neighborhood just a few blocks away is the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, a fenced, guarded facility that produces all the weather forecasts used by the US military.  I was not silly enough to take any pictures.  The closest I got was my photo of the day, taken in the front yard of a house across the street.

Day 90
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  0

How time flies

We returned to Safeway this morning.  The parking lot proved too small for the RV, but we parked on the street nearby and shopped anyway.  We bought quite a lot of food, hopefully enough to get us through this weekend.

It was still early, so before heading back to the fairgrounds, we decided to get in a little more beach time.  We picked a spot to pull off that we had not been to before, and we found this metal plaque embedded in one of the stones.

On October 12, 1997, he died when his plane crashed into the ocean about 50 yards offshore from this rocky point.

What a long time ago for something that seems so recent!

Day 89
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  18.4
Total Mileage:  13,356.7

A sudden change of plans

My photo of the day:  I thought they were artichokes

We started the day by giving some thought to where we would go next.  The logical place seemed to be either San Luis Obispo or Pismo Beach, and after that maybe Santa Barbara if we could find something in our price range.  If neither of those produced a place we would want to stay for awhile, then it would be on to San Diego.  It seemed like a reasonable plan, but I was not happy and unsure just why.

Nancy said she would be okay with staying here for a few more days, so I checked with Julius, the campground host, and he said no problem.  We then took Sadie out for a fairly long walk and by the time we got back, three more days had turned into three more weeks.

We both talked to Julius this time and we ended up extending our stay until January10.  We then decided to look into renting a car.  Nancy went online and at Hotwire found a car for only $15.95 a day.  Since the rental car coverage on our RV policy has a 21 day limit, we booked it for three weeks, but won't pick it up until next Monday.  I'm now very happy.

This opens up so many opportunities for us here that we would have missed had we moved on tomorrow as planned.  The down side is that I now dread each outing in the RV.  It seems bigger every time I take it out.

Yesterday, Nancy gave Sadie her monthly flea treatment, and so today she wanted to bathe her.  There were two possibilities, Petco in a shopping center or an independent place on Central in Pacific Grove.  Fearing the difficulty of finding street parking on Central, I opted for the Petco.

Big mistake.  It was Costco in Vegas all over again, only worse.  The parking lot was clearly not intended for anything anywhere near our size and despite being 2:00 on a Wednesday afternoon, the lot was full.  They even had security people in the lot directing traffic.

Actually, this was much worse than Vegas.  I was truly afraid I would either clip someone's vehicle or get trapped in a corner where I'd have to back out, so we left and drove to the place in Pacific Grove where I found free parking for the RV right at their door!

Once Sadie got her bath, I couldn't wait to get back to the fairgrounds, but I let Nancy convince me that since we were so close, we should drive by Safeway and scope out their parking lot in preparation for a shopping trip there tomorrow.

We were close and getting there was not a problem.  Once we did our drive by, I had planned to return the way we came, but there seemed to be no good place to turn around, so I just continued down the street.  In reality, all I had to do was keep going and I would have come out on Highway 1.  But this is hindsight.  At that moment I was not only lost, but disoriented and more than a little frazzled, so I let the Garmin lead me home.  True to form, it picked a route to Highway 1 that took me through a maze of steep, narrow, winding residential streets.  All I could do was shake my head.

When I eventually reached the expressway, I was greeted by the Monterey Peninsula's version of rush hour traffic.  I thought I knew which exit I wanted to take but changed my mind at the last minute and cut some poor guy off.  He honked and probably gave me the finger, but I had pulled a truly stupid move and likely scared the pants off him.

I can't wait to get the car!

Day 88
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  15.9
Total Mileage:  13,338.3

Paying for the privilege

It took a visit to the City of Monterey website and a return to one of the parking lots, but we finally figured out how the RV parking here works.  There are only two lots we can use, but all the on-street parking is also available to us.  All we have to do is find two empty space together and pay for both spots.  The easiest places to park, however, remain the ocean pull-offs in Pacific Grove, so we started our day by watching the waves for awhile.

Pacific Grove is famous for it's Monarch Butterflies.  Thousands of them winter here, mostly in the eucalyptus trees at the Monarch Grove Sanctuary.  We went to see them, not realizing that they are unable to fly unless the air temperature is above 55 degrees.  Apparently, most of the shady grove was still too chilly for them and only a small number were out and about during our visit.

Pacific Grove is also famous as one end of 17 Mile Drive.  Originally built in 1881, it connects Pacific Grove and Carmel.  Though the route has been altered several times over the years, it has always been kept exactly 17 miles long.  Despite it's renown, until two days ago when we checked into the Marina Dunes RV Park, I had never heard of it.  Along with circling all the places we could park the RV, the lady in the park office also pointed out this street on the handout tourist map as something we wouldn't want to miss.

Due to the scarcity of butterflies and the sign saying No Dogs, our visit to the Grove was fairly brief, but 17 Mile Drive was just one block over and we decided to see what was so special about it.

For the first half mile or so, it was just another street.  But then we got to the Community of Pebble Beach where we were forced to stop at a gate house and a nice man in a nice uniform asked us for $9.50.  We were confused, so the nice man explained, in simple language that even rubes from Alaska could understand, that the rest of 17 Mile Drive was very scenic and could not be viewed for free.  Hearing scenic, Nancy started to get fidgety, but the nice man explained that scenic just meant lovely to look at.  We paid the $9.50.

Though scenic in this case may not have meant scary heights, it did still mean narrow and winding, and not a place any sane person would choice to drive an RV.  Having said that, it was lovely to look at, and I might even spend another $9.50 if I could come back in something a whole lot smaller.

14th hole at Monterey Peninsula Dunes Golf Course.

View of Carmel Bay from Pebble Beach.

Ocean front home at Pebble Beach.

When we reached Carmel at the other end, we drove a few miles further south to another spot we had heard about from the Campground Host at the fairgrounds, Point Lobos State Reserve, where there was supposed to be great tidal pools.  When we got there, however, the first thing we saw at the entrance was a sign saying RVs weren't allowed in.

We ended the day as we began it, watching the waves in Pacific Grove.  It's lovely and it's free.

Day 87
Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  42.0
Total Mileage:  13,332.4

A gray day in a special place

Monterey, Carmel, Pebble Beach, Big Sur.  Thirty miles of California coast that have captured my imagination for years.  Now that we're here, I wanted to stay for at least a few more days, but the RV Park in Marina was too expensive, almost $20 a night more than anywhere else we've stayed, so we checked out and moved to the Monterey County Fairgrounds RV Park which, at only $40 a night, seemed like a real bargain.  We have paid for the next three nights.

There were supposed to be at least four different places where we could park the RV in Monterey.  As soon as we got checked into the fairgrounds, we went in search of them.  The first one had a fence around it and was being repaved.  The second was limited to RVs up to 24 feet.  The third had a sign saying NO RVS.  We never did find the fourth.  We did find, however, that Pacific Grove, the town next door, literally, has lots of free parking big enough for us if all you want to do is pull over and watch the waves come in.  By this point, that sounded pretty good to us.

The day had been overcast from the start and by early afternoon rain storms were closing in from several directions.  I hadn't had my camera out yet and was about to shoot some guys surfing when one of the showers found us.  We took that as a sign we should head for the barn.

Late in the afternoon the rain let up, and we took Sadie out for a walk.  I took my camera along, hoping to find something picture worthy.  It turned out to be my last shot of the day, taken just before I lost the light.

Day 86
Marina, CA to Monterey, CA

Daily Mileage:  26.2
Total Mileage:  13,279.5

The best laid plans

Until I encountered California 1, big city traffic would have easily topped my list of least favorite things about RV driving.  It still comes in a close second, and today my route was going to take me right through San Francisco, so first thing this morning, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to go.

Highway 101 is the road that goes across the Golden Gate Bridge, which made the first leg of the trip a no-brainer, but once past the toll booths at the San Francisco end of the bridge, I had to choose between staying on 101 and taking California 1.  At first I favored Route 1.  From the bridge, it meandered a bit through the Presidio and Golden Gate Park but then went straight down the west side of San Francisco on 19th Avenue, merged with I-280 to whisk you through Daly City, and finally spit you out onto four-laned Cabrillo Highway that went all the way to Pacifica on the coast.

But then I started having second thoughts.  Staying on 101 was simpler, and though longer, it involved less driving on city streets and was probably quicker, as well.  It also would take me all the way to Monterey Bay without running the risk of encountering stretches of scenic coastal highway that would be a problem for Nancy.  Yes, definitely, my mind was made up.  Stay on 101.

The universe, however, had other plans.  Just past the toll booths, there is major construction underway and everything is torn up.  I followed the only road that was open and after a few blocks realized I was on California 1 anyway.  I never saw a sign for 101.

For the most part, it proved to be an excellent way to go.  It was a beautiful day.  It was still only mid-morning and the traffic was light.  Nineteenth Avenue was a nice area and Nancy tried to take pictures of everything we passed.  We reached Pacifica without incident and stopped for gas and groceries.

The town sits near sea level in a small cove fronted by a sandy beach.  Just beyond, however, the land rises steeply to Pedro Point.  Highway 1 is reduced to two lanes as it climbs the headland and after about a mile comes out again at the coast where for another mile it is just a narrow ribbon of asphalt etched into the side of a sheer cliff hundreds of feet above the ocean.  I was sweating bullets.  I can only imagine what Nancy was going through.  One bright note:  they have begun constructing a tunnel through the headland that will someday make this nightmarish stretch of road just a fond memory of old timers.

Though we encountered several places farther along where the pull-offs provided scenic vistas, we drove the rest of the way without another bad moment.  At one stop, I had been taking pictures for several minutes before I noticed the surfers.  (Enlarge the second photo)

We have stopped for the night at Marina, a town on the bay about 6 miles north of Monterey.  The sand dunes here are now fenced off to let the native plants recover and they seemed to be doing quite well.

Day 85
Santa Rosa, CA to Marina, CA

Daily Mileage:  160.7
Total Mileage:  13,253.3