Fueled up at Starbucks in Oakhurst, ran across a thirsty looking Wile E. Coyote on Raymond Rd. in Coarsegold on our way to our last stop Monterey. The 185 miles included a dismal stretch of highway with cattle ranches (?) minus the cattle and the sinking sinister beauty of the arid rolling hills that fenced us in on both sides of Rt. 41.
Portola Hotel turned out to be a "real" hotel and as we hoped was within walking distance of town. The primate was delighted with Cherry's Jubilee antique car show that began at our front door and spilled over Lighthouse Ave into the parking lot at Fisherman's Wharf. He was rapt with joy and on the phone with Joe The Inveterate Car Man feeding him the play by play of each and every car. Hmm cars, either they're in your blood or they're not. I may be missing the pocketbook gene but it was not replaced by the auto gene.
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| Restaurant 1833 |
We dined at two restaurants in Monterey: Montrio's Bistro
http://www.montrio.com/ and Restaurant 1833
http://www.restaurant1833.com/. We sat next to a crazy Alaskan (it was her politics that did us in....why do people assume we are simpatico? I think I am going to start sporting my Obama button everywhere) at Montrio's and had a fantastic waitress at 1833. Both meals were the highlights of Monterey.
But the real stars here were 17 Mile Drive and Big Sur. Don't know what can surpass the beauty of Big Sur. In our quest for the Condor this is what we saw......
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| In search |
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| 17 Mile Drive |
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| 17 Mile Drive |
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| 3 men on a boat in the ocean |
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| Tranquiltiy |
Waiting for the fog to lift on Big Sur
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| Happy Indians took this shot. |
We looked on the flagpole at Julia Pfeifer and at all the pullouts between Henry Miller Library and Coast Gallery. We looked for Grimes Pt and Big Sur Scenic overlook; but we couldn't tell one overlook from another! We kicked ourselves for passing by an overlook with an antennae wielding ornithologist, hey but it's not easy to turn around on Big Sur Hwy! We went back the next day and looked some more. We waited for the fog to lift again.
Finale! We drove up 1 to Half Moon Bay for lunch at Pasta Moon. Grazie!
We thought we'd revisit
http://www.delicasf.com/about.html Delica in the Ferry Building where in our San Francisco days we loved eating Delica's lunch on the pier. Instead shopping driven for last minute gifts we returned 128 miles to Tiburon.
And as the primate always claims our nature is drawn to the sea, we went over the mountain and through the woods and back to Stinson Beach and the Pacific. Time flew and then we flew home.
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