Whale hello there

The wine train signaled our end in Napa and time to start our first proper drive across California to Monterey. You can read more on the thoughts of driving in America in this post

Day 8 – Big Trees and a Pacific Sunset

Having missed out on pre booked tickets to see the Sequoias at Muir Woods as we left San Francisco we had a look at our route down to Monterey to see what alternative options we had. Luckily outside of Santa Cruz is Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park which was on our route back to the Pacif Coast Highway. We stopped off here and found what I can only describe as the “tourists route” a 2.5km flat route that kept you close to the visitors centre and car park.

There were clearly more exposed routes that could have taken you deep into the wilderness but we hadn’t really packed for the long hike. The short loop didn’t disappoint.

For those that haven’t been up close with trees of this size it’s really hard to comprehend just how tall and how long they have been standing. What was also obvious was the immense risk that wild fires would cause given the dry conditions and the proximity of all the trees. On our walk we saw evidence of fires in the trees and the charred wood that was left behind.

Ticking off big trees we finished the drive to Santa Cruz and arrived in time for lunch. We took a stroll down the boardwalk and onto the pier. Teams of young men and women were setting up to play volleyball on the 20 or so courts on the beach. We walked along the pier and as we approached the end Jen heard the call of her San Francisco Bessie’s (the seals, sea lions and otters). They were setting up their basking spots on the rafters that supported the pier and we watched as they tried to time their jumps out of the water with the waves to get the best spot. At the end of the pier was a larger group of over 100 that were using each other as flotation aids to warm their bodies.

After a few minutes watching the locals we headed back to Ideal Bar & Grill to get something to eat before finishing the drive to Monterey. Still trying to come to terms with portion sizes we made our best efforts to tackle the turkey club and nachos plate.

The rest of the drive to Monterey was largely uneventful and we checked into the hotel to find we had been allocated a room with two queen sized beds. I asked at reception if there were any other rooms as this wasn’t really how we wanted to spend nights on our honeymoon sleeping in separate beds. The front desk staff apologised and changed our room and also gave us a bottle of Chandon sparkling wine as a congratulatory gift on the hotels behalf.

Knowing that the Pacific coast highway was closed south of Big Sur and that our itinerary for the next day would not allow us to explore the coastal road we decided to explore the coast along 17 mile drive and then head as far south along Highway 1 that we could.

I wasn’t aware that 17 mile drive was actually a large private estate full of golf courses and eye wateringly expensive houses.. after paying the entrance fee we followed the signs down to the coastal road and pulled in at the various stopping spots to get photos of the views.

The houses were on a different level and made the houses as you drive into a place like St George’s Hill in Weybridge look a bit like a council estate. We managed our expectations in our own house hunting journey that we would struggle to afford a blade of grass in the estate!!!

Drive along Highway 1

Reaching the end of the golf courses and big houses we got back on Highway 1 and headed south past Carmel by the Sea and towards Big Sur. Ever conscious that the road was running out and the sun was turning redder and getting lower in the sky by the second. We pulled into a lay by and caught the last of the sunset and felt the heat from the sun give way to the chill and breeze.

Timelapse sunset

Heading back to the hotel we grabbed some food and beer in the hotel bar.

Day 9 – Sardines and a balcony with a view

Our first full day in Monterey we headed out for Breakfast and as we were leaving the hotel saw the whole south west region of the AAA checking in for a sales conference about home security. Breakfast was in the small Sunrise Cafe where once again my aversion to eggs in their natural form was tested. Another day, another avocado on toast.

After breakfast we walked up Cannery Row, the home of Monterey’s old sardine canning factories that is now home to hotels, shops and restaurants. We walked as far as the aquarium taking in the sights before heading back to the hotel as we had a lunch date to get to down the coast.

Our lunch date was at our friend Pete’s favourite restaurant in California or possibly the world, The Pacific’s Edge, which as the name suggests overlooks the Pacific coast. We arrived and were offered a table inside or outside on their glass sundeck, even with the mist still rolling in off the sea we opted for the outdoor table as the views and photos would not be the same through the glass.

We were treated to a spectacular meal and the bottle of champagne waiting for us as we got to our seats was an unexpected but lovely addition to the meal. As we sat back and enjoyed the food and drink the mist and fog over the sea cleared to reveal the spectacular views out to sea. We can see why you love this place so much Pete!!

Meal over we had to head back to the reality of hotel and road trip life. We took our cab back to the local Trader Joe’s to stock up on food supplies to see us through the next stage of our adventure.

On the walk back to the hotel we stumbled across a street food market with a load of local producers showing off their wares. Still full from lunch we didn’t sample the food but Jen did get herself a juice from Jamba Juice before heading back to the hotel.

Still full from lunch we ended the day with a few more beer samples in the hotel bar surrounded by the AAA Sales reps and their new “Protected by AAA” signs for their front lawns.

Day 10 – How do you calculate the mass of a cetacean?

Read on to find out… The final day in Monterey we ticked off one of Jen’s other bucket list items for the Honeymoon – Whale watching. We booked the tickets for the Princess Monterey Whale Watching excursion which luckily for us wasn’t the one that the local group of school kids lined up for. The morning trip left at 0930 with check-in from 45 minutes before departure. Having boarded the boat we took our seats on the upper deck and headed out into the ocean mist.

Our skipper advised that the trip out to where the whales were last spotted was around 30-45 minutes so we sat back but kept our eyes peeled for any early sightings. Excited to have thought we saw some dolphins we were advised they were more likely sea porpoises who are scared of boats and would swim away if we tried to get close to them. The sign that we were close to the whales was the sudden appearance of four or five additional boats. We didn’t have much longer to wait for our first proper sighting of two whales breaching (technical term). Watching them breathe on the surface and take the long dive deep down into the water was still spectacular and we left the initial pair to follow a pod of three whales somewhere else in the mist. Joined by more boats and even the local cost guard stopped by for a look although part of me wonders if they check for drug trafficking and similar misdemeanours on the water.

Apologies for the quality of the upcoming photos, a camera phone does not do justice to what we saw

Our two hour excursion was almost up and we headed back to shore to continue our journey south. We decided to take a closer look at Carmel by the Sea a town that Clint Eastwood was formerly the mayor of, has no chain shops, nor street signs to allow people to focus on the beauty of the town. Beautiful it certainly was.

Parking up just off Highway 1 we walked around the boutique clothing, art and food shops that Carmel has to offer. It was pleasant to not see the big brands of Walmart, Wallgreens, CVS or Trader Joes as we looked around but one thing was clear the price tags in the shops were higher. Explore over we found a French/Italian café called La Bicyclette which had a wood fired pizza oven in the middle of Parisian café décor. We shared a salad and then tried two of their pizzas for lunch which were delicious.

After lunch we stopped off at a local coffee shop and roastery for a couple of chilled coffees to keep us going before heading back inland to avoid the mudslides and get to Morro Bay. The change in scenery was drastic, the sea views replaced with a wide plane surrounded by mountains on both sides.