day80

Day 80 (November 8, 2006) - Monterey, CA

It's drizzling and foggy, but the forecast says it will be sunny in the afternoon. We decide to stay another night in Monterey in order to visit the area without having to drag this turd along with us. The Vespa is kaputt, so we have 2 alternatives: take a hike or go for a bike ride. In the morning we go to Monterey for a walk. The Monterey Aquarium is renowned, and I decide to go see it while Petr takes a walk around town. I had truly never experienced such an aquarium: the Kelp Tank is humongous, and I get there just in time for the morning feed, where 2 divers enter the tank and in front of the crowd feed the fish swimming around: giant turtles, white sharks, huge fish of some sort, strange fish, all very colorful. There are many other tanks with different kind of fish, I am especially intrigued by the jellyfish, swimming on a dark background and shining with their own unique colors. They look like animated masterpieces. Sea otters and sea lions are not here, they usually hang out at the "outdoor tank", which is the open ocean, on the cliffs right below the aquarium terrace. By the time I meet up with Petr, the sun is making progress, and we decide to head back to the campground to get ready.

Earlier in the morning I had picked up a map in a bike store detailing the famous "17 Mile Drive" from Pacific Grove, just north of Monterey, through the gated community of Pebble Beach into Carmel. The bike route that runs along the coast hooks up with this loop. In Pacific Grove we ride right along the shore in a dedicated lane but the wind is so strong that makes pedaling difficult. Just imagine, if I normally can keep up an average speed of 17-18 mph on a flat surface, today with the wind I barely get to 9-10, and my heart rate monitor does not go below 97%. It's as if we were constantly pedaling uphill with an 8% grade. There are many occasions where the wind almost knocks me over. We enter Pebble Beach for free (cars need to pay $8 for the privilege), because we are on bikes. There are golf courses on our left (I wonder how in the heck they can hit a straight ball with this wind!) surrounded with magnificent mansions, while on our right the ocean is slamming the cliffs with amazing fury. We are in the center of all of this, pedaling. We stop often to take pictures, at some point we spot a few deer grazing in a golf course - they must like this soft grass a lot. We stop at the vista point at Lone Cypress. The Monterey Cypress is a special variety that was once of the verge of extinction and since then it has been planted and transplanted in various countries and it's now thriving. We descend into Carmel by means of some nasty switchbacks and find ourselves on Ocean Avenue, with its refined boutiques and artsy shops. Cute Carmel looks like it came straight out of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. We go take a look at the beach and then ride all throughout town. We have left just 1.5 hours before sunset and must hurry back before it gets dark. Strange but true, even on our way back we are pedaling with a tailwind, still we make strides and arrive at the campground with the sunset. The odometer records 34 miles. Our legs are tired, and I think we deserve some rest. Although, work is awaiting...