Along 17 Mile Drive, Monterey
This was our longest day yet. We covered about 250 miles along California 1, which follows the coastline.
Our day started at the Golden Gate Bridge. The traffic was slow, but that gave us a chance to soak in the experience. The road from San Francisco to Santa Cruz ran through rich farmland. We passed mile upon mile of vegetable crops. In the various fields it looked as though they were planting, weeding and harvesting different crops simultaneously. We saw orange pumpkins piled on wagons and in the fields. The other major crop seemed to be artichokes.
Bob wanted to take this opportunity to visit Pebble Beach. There is a 17 mile scenic route around the Monterey Peninsula which visitors can access for a fee of $9.50. It was well worth it. The road wound through forest, along the rugged coastline, by some grand homes and past the very famous golf courses: The Links at Spanish Bay; Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach. We walked out to the 18th hole at Pebble Beach and looked out on the panoramic view of the golf course and ocean from the Lodge.
Beyond Monterey the Santa Lucia mountain range meets the Pacific at the shoreline. The road hugs the shoreline. It is very rugged and the views are spectacular. We made slow progress. It would not be an exaggeration to say that we stopped every 1/4 mile to soak in yet another breathtaking view. It was almost a relief when the sun finally set and we weren’t able to be distracted by the scenery. Bob needed to stay focussed on the road. The going in the dark was slow as the road twisted along the precipitous shoreline.
Just before Morro Bay the mountains pulled away from the shore and the road flattened out. By the light of the almost full moon we could catch glimpses of glinting waves and the white foam where the waves were breaking on the beaches.
We were pretty tired by the time we pulled into our campsite. We set up by moonlight and fell asleep to the sound of an owl hooting from high up in a tree beside the van.
Trip Mileage: 2214 miles
18th Hole, Pebble Beach
Sunset at Big Sur
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