15-18 OCTOBER 2012: HIGHWAY : SANTA CRUZ TO CARMEL

Days 28-31:

Our last 2 weeks, and we're off down the West coast on  Highway 1 back to LA and home. Plenty of beach, sun, and some sightseeing ahead.

SANTA CRUZ:
The guide book sold this town to us as 'a hidden treasure' and one reason why it's 'hidden' may well be the impossible road system. No grid system here, and we'd only just begun to figure it out when it was time to leave. Move over Sonora as the most difficult place in America to drive in!
We spent a lot of our time here on or near the beach. It felt to us like the end of the season, though hoteliers said not, and certainly the Boardwalk was closed while we were there. It may not have been working, but we could still see the Great Dipper, the oldest wooden roller coaster in California.

We found what we called 'our rock' where we could sit, and lie, on the sand. The weather was glorious! We shared this stretch of beach with lots of (very well-behaved) dogs and their owners.

Surfing:
Santa Cruz is obviously a great place for surfers....there's even a small museum dedicated to the sport.

With a rough and rocky shoreline, and cold water, surfers have to wear wet-suits all year round and there are SO MANY in the water waiting for the right wave!

Downtown:
We loved Downtown Santa Cruz. Because it was so near the epicentre of the 1989 quake, most has had to be rebuilt. Pacific Avenue is almost all single-storey small independent shops, with only one or two chain stores.
There were loads of coffee shops but we fancied an ice-cream. As our sundaes were being prepared, which took some time, a local man and child waited for their (large) single cones, obviously incredulous at what we were going to attempt to eat. But we drew the line at 'Bacon Sundae': yes....you haven't misread: vanilla bean  ice cream with hot fudge sauce, almonds, whipped cream and chocolate-covered bacon!!! The waitress agreed with us that it was gross.

Despite her best efforts, Sue couldn't finish hers.

WATSONVILLE:
We didn't take to this place, a few miles down the coast, but there were some interesting 1920s buildings.

MONTEREY:
You wouldn't think it today, but Monterey has a long history as a working-class town. Originally inhabited by Native Americans who fished the bay, it became a fishing hub for European settlers in the 19th century. It was during the later 20th century that gentrification began as tourism became the mainstay of the local economy.

Cannery Row:
John Steinbeck in his novel 'Cannery Row' immortalised the unglamorous canning-industry that thrived here. It was easy for fishing boats to dock and unload their catches into huge warehouse-like cannery buildings.

Here you can see what remains of the concrete pier of a cannery

A memorial to the divers who died while cleaning the huge pipes that  ran between the ships and the canneries.

Low-paid workers processed the sardines and put them into cans, ready to be shipped across the country and around the world.
But canning became unprofitable from the 1950s and all that is left today of this working man's wharf are a few exteriors of the buildings.

They have been replaced by high-end apartments and boutique hotels.

BUT this dramatic change in Cannery Row's economic life is history repeating itself: the sardine canneries were built in the 1920s on the site of a planned holiday resort which its millionaire owner decided not to build as he could make more money from sardines.

The Wharf:
There's still a working wharf with a public beach popular with families.

And that's where we found this interesting diner. The pancakes were enormous but we settled for just coffee.

Old Monterey:
Suitably fortified, we headed for the 'History bit'.
Monterey was the capital of California when it was under Spanish rule and then later when it became part of the United States. The State Historic Park gives a glimpse of what must have been a busy place filled with dock workers, fishermen, bureacrats and soldiers.

A reminder of the dangers of sea-faring are the benches showing the names of shipwrecks  in the Bay.

• The Custom House:

It was used for customs operations till 1858

• The First Brick House:

The Old Whaling Station:
Whaling was a major occupation in the late 19th century.

A lookout was kept from the upstairs window for whales.

This huge pot was used to render the whale blubber.

Whale bone used to be used for many pavements in Monterey.

Fisherman's Wharf:

If you come, eat at 'Gilbert's': the fish-skewer lunch was delicious and the view from our table of pelicans and seals was fantastic.

CARMEL:
Anywhere that elects Clint Eastwood as mayor must be special, as well as mega-wealthy and Republican. This is the town that voted not to have postal deliveries so that the individual houses would not need to be numbered!

17 Mile Drive:
The all-powerful Pebble Beach Corporation charges $9.75 per car to travel this 17 mile stretch, probably far less for the revenue generated than in order to control the numbers and type of clientele who drive through this exclusive area.
Huckleberry Hill
One of the highest elevations of this forest, it is named for its abundance of huckleberry bushes. Only trouble is, we don't know what a huckleberry bush looks like so we've decided this must be one as there were lots of them around!

Poppy Hills Golf Course
We were keen to go in here not just for the restrooms and coffee, but also to have a look inside such a wealthy golf course.

We were surprised how cheap this Friday Night Dinner was. Unfortunately, we were there on a Tuesday!

Spanish Bay
Don Gaspar de Portola, the Spanish explorer, and his crew camped here in 1769 while searching for Monterey Bay.

Restless Sea
It used to be thought that the extreme turbulence seen here was caused by two currents colliding, but geologists now believe that it is the result of deeply- submerged rocks.

We saw this Brandt's Cormorant.

Point Joe
Early mariners often crashed upon these rocks after mistakenly setting their course for this point, believing it was the entrance to Monterey Bay.
Who was Joe?? He was a Chinese man who lived alone in a driftwood home near here in the early 1900s. He made his living by selling trinkets to tourists and tending goats.

The 'ice plant' is not native to this area but was introduced from Africa in the 1600s as a 'stowaway'.

China Rock
Named after the Chinese fisherman who built lean-tos against the rocks for their homes in the late 1800s.

These bull kelp can grow up to 115 feet long!

Bird Rock
This is home to countless shore birds and groups of harbour seals and sea lions.....sadly none on the day we were here.

Fanshell Overlook
The pure white sand on the beach was gorgeous.

Cypress Point
This has been an iconic place for over 100 years.

Lone Cypress
The much-photographed Lone Cypress has prevailed on its rocky perch for more than 250 years.

Ghost Tree
These trees have trunks bleached white from the wind.

Pescadero Point
From here you can see Carmel Bay .

Pebble Beach 
This ultra-exclusive golf course will next be the home of the US Open again in 2017.

 We were amazed that we, as non-members, could go so near to the course.

And enjoy a glass of wine in the restaurant....

 The 18th hole is in a heavenly position.

Dolores Street:
To call Carmel 'twee' is an understatement, but it did make for a pleasant walk after the drive.

Carmel Beach:
The white sands of Carmel Beach are south-facing and home to beautiful cypress trees. The beach is also VERY windy. We had to abandon our first spot where we'd settled down: if we'd stayed much longer we'd have been in danger of being buried in the sand!