Route 1, part 2

We arrived in San Jose on Wedneday, November 23. There we visited our good friends, the two 'main reasons' for our trip to California. It was so nice to see them again and catch up. After spending the night in their apartment, we all drove on route 1 to Carmel-by-the-Sea. Our afternoon stroll to the beach and through the streets was lovely. Every house looked different, like in a fairy tale. As I learned, many artists live here, which is the reason for lots of galleries and little shops with all kind of arts. This makes the place unique and very picturesque. To experience the real Thanksgiving Day dinner, we had luckily a reservation in a nice restaurant. There we had the traditional turkey, nam!

On Friday we had a look to the Mission Ranch to see if its owner and former Carmel Mayor, Clint Eastwood, would be there. Nearby was the San Carlos Borromeo Mission, founded by Fransicans. It was closed for Thanksgiving, so we could have a look only from outside. Leaving Carmel, we headed off to the 17-mile drive, a scenic road partly through forest but mostly along the Pacific coastline. Along the drive were numerous spots to get out and enjoy the stunning views. We saw mighty waves hitting the coastline, seals and the lone cypress. After finishing the loop, we drove to Monterey Bay. The waterfront district Cannery Row is a former sardine cannery and consists nowadays of restaurants, shops and a huge aquarium. Blending in with the other tourists we walked around, had a meal and saw once again hundreds of seals at the beach.

Having spent another night in San Jose, the four of us went to Rancho San Antonio, a ranch and hiking area. There we saw a group of wild turkey. Two days after Thanksgiving they seemed quite relaxed. Walking through entertaining Santana row and a nice dinner in a trendy restaurant/bar/nightclub was enough activities for the day.

After packing our stuff on Sunday morning, our friends took us to San Fransisco. First thing we did was driving over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was really impressive, especially because it was build in the 1930s. It felt unreal to be there, having seen the bridge in many movies. We were lucky with the weather having no fog. For lunch we went to Sausalito, a small town North of San Fransisco from where we could see the skyline of San Fransisco and also Alcatraz. Next stop was the Fisherman's wharf in San Fransisco. For me, this place was a mix of the Navy Pier in Chicago, the boardwalk in Ocean City and a bit of the Cannery Row in Monterey, very 'touristy' (if that is a word). There were also - surprise, surprise - seals, which didn't seem to be bothered by being very close to boats and humans.

Driving through the roads of San Fransisco was great, it was very hilly, just like in the movies. Of course, we had to make our way through the famous hair pin turns of Lombard Street. I also liked the architecture of many houses. Happily and tired we then went to our hotel, where it was time to say goodbye to our friends. I must say, a travel agency couldn't have done a better job, all worked out so well :)

After one night in San Fransisco it was Monday, November 28. Time for us to leave California. My wife had to go back to College Park and continue her project. As for me, I had quite a different plan..

Carmel-by-the-Sea

One of many original Inns in Carmel

Picturesque Carmel

San Carlos Borromeo Mission in Carmel

Along the 17-mile drive

Nice weather for a day at the beach

Seal show in the water

Lone Cypress

Monterey Bay

Wild turkey

I *heart* Autumn leaves..

Golden Gate Bridge

Another view

Sausalito

At Fisherman's wharf, Pier 39

Street of San Fransisco

View to Alcatraz

Lombard street

Christmas palm trees at Union Square Park, downtown San Fransisco

Route 1, part 1

A week has gone by since my last post and it feels like a month. On Tuesday my wife and me left Visalia and made our way to coastal California driving on route 41. It took us through farming land in the Central Valley, the place where James Dean died, vineyards in colorful autumn style and the Santa Lucia Mountains.We arrived at the coast in time to see the Pismo dunes, South of Oceano. No signs show the way the, we eventually turned to the small road leading to the entrance. Our search was well rewarded as we could enjoy the dunes almost alone.

After a night in San Luis Obispo, we spend almost the whole day in Montana de Oro State Park. Many hiking paths led up the mountains and along the cliffs of the Pacific coast with breathtaking views. Down at the water were many different stone formations. I could have spent easily a few days in that park. Here our animal highlights were brown pelicans and starfish.
Before night fall we had a look to Morro Bay and saw the sunset at Morro Rock. There, many sea gulls were fed by tourists and locals alike. In the water a sea otter family was floating on their backs, starting their good night's sleep. We also saw our first seals, who were curiously checking out the otters. For me, this day was one of the best during the autumn so far.

On Wednesday we had to drive all the way from Cambria to San Jose on route 1. A early wake-up would make sure that we had enough time to see many places along the way. Or so I thought. Our Inn was at the Moonstone Beach Drive and there a long boardwalk along the coast was inviting us for a morning stroll before breakfast. Did I mention my wife REALLY likes seals? We saw quite a few during the walk and - of course - spent a lot of time watching them. Ok, I also like them a lot :)

Getting finally on our way we drove towards Piedras Blancas, where a elephant seal beach was nearby. We stopped once before that beach and found by accident a small corner with dozens of elephant seals. It's so great and peaceful to find this spots where aren't many people around. This was our favorite spot of the day. Elephant seal beach had a lot of more seals but also equally more people. Realizing that we still had a long way to drive, we got into the car and route 1 started to go up the Santa Lucia Mountains. Behind each curve we had stunning views along this long and winding road (perhaps the Beatles visited here?). Once it got dark, we just made our way to San Jose.

Along route 41

Vineyard in autumn colors

Pismo dunes

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Montana de Oro State Park

Starfish

California brown pelicans

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Morro Rock in the background

Sunset at Morro Rock

Where are the others?

Cormorans

Elephant seals

Shoveling sand

Along route 1