day81

Day 81 (November 9, 2006) - Monterey, CA

We are leaving Monterey today, and we will stay as close to the shore at Hwy 1 allows us. We drop into Carmel once again for a last look, then continue towards Big Sur. This stretch of coast in my opinion is the most fascinating of the entire California coast. Hwy 1 is winding, it climbs and drops a lot, and offers numerous chances for pulling over with the car and simply take the view in: volcanic cliffs slammed by the waves of an ocean that is only Pacific in its name. We pass a few crazy cyclists, among which 3 girls with Canadian flag loaded with huge paneers, going 5 mph at the most. We pull over for lunch in one of these turnouts and we realize that we occupy it entirely with our RV. It turns into a private picnic area. It's abutting a piece of cliff that plunges into the ocean. We are protected from the wind by a small cove, so I cannot resist the temptation to change into my bathing suit, assume possession of Petr's Captain Chair and claim my spot right on the edge of a cliff with my lunch. Petr takes a nap inside the RV (!!), I am just happy basking in the sun with nothing obstructing my view. It's siesta time.

We then continue to Hearst Castle, stopping at a beach to see elephant seals resting. The are huge, massive mountains of blubber amassed one on top of the other. But they look at you with such tender eyes that make your heart melt on the spot. We arrive at Hearst Castle thinking that we might take the Sunset tour, but they do not run it off-season. We missed our chance. Petr is not upset, as he points out that seeing a 1945 reconstruction of a castle that resemble the real one in Europe was not really on top of his list. From the pictures and the museum we visit, it in fact looks like a hybrid structure, with a bit of everything and every style. I was interested in the priceless art collection on display inside, not so much in the castle itself, its Roman Baths or its pseudo-Parthenon. Oh well! I am not all too disappointed, I got to see the elephant seals. Our destination for today is Santa Maria.