Monterey Bay Road Trip ^©

DAVENPORT
Arriving via highway one, you'll pass through Davenport. Stop for a walk, refreshments and shopping for artisan goods at the old cash store by the Pacific Ocean near the ruins of the old whale processing plant. The two-cell Davenport Jail Museum on Hwy. 1 north of Bonny Doon Road was built in 1914. It now houses a museum for exploring Native American history, ecology and local culture. 831/425-7278. Go inland on Pine Flat Road for wine tasting at Bonny Doon Winery

history

SANTA CRUZ
"Surf City", eighty miles south of San Francisco, Santa Cruz is the big beach and university town on the north end of the Monterey Bay.

Redwoods

FELTON and BOULDER CREEK
detour: - REDWOOD FOREST - Walk through nature at the Henry Cowell Redwood State Park near Felton on Hwy. 9. The Roaring Camp and Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad steam railroad on Graham Hill Road off Mount Hermon Road gives a 75-minute round-trip ride through trees between Roaring Camp and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Call for schedules 831/335-4400. Call the Mountain Parks Foundation for even more info: 831/335-3174. In Boulder Creek, visit the Boulder Creek Historical Society Museum exhibits about local logging and railroad industry artifacts. 12788 Hwy. 9 at Flat St. Call 831/338-6617.

CAPITOLA
A hop away east of Santa Cruz on highway one or via the coastal route, downtown Capitola has great shopping for clothes and curios, plus refreshments on beach front verandahs. On your way downtown, stop by the Capitola Museum at 410 Capitola Ave. near the railroad trestle to find out about this town founded in 1869. Call for hours 831/464-0322. The Capitola Wharf, a spot to rent a fishing boat, is one of the oldest in California. The end of Capitola Wharf offers a keen view of the whole Monterey Bay.

MORE REDWOOD FOREST
Five minutes from Capitola, you can visit the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park -- a redwood park with nature trails. You can walk into the epicenter area of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Exit Soquel Drive at Aptos and take Aptos Creek Road north into the park.

On the road again, take off on Hwy. 1 south.

FREEDOM
FLYING IN? - From Watsonville, it's south to Monterey Carmel and north west to Capitola Santa Cruz. On the road, pass by the Watsonville Airport, HQ of the Santa Cruz Flying Club and Freedom, the home town of the famed KPIG You'll see scenic, sometimes windswept, Monterey Bay vistas.

ELKHORN, MOSS LANDING, WATSONVILLE
Elkhorn Slough Bird Estuary is a good place to pull over and look for interesting and beautiful birds. Inland, Castroville is the site of the big Artichoke. Go to Maloney's Bar and Grille for lunch or dinner on the Slough. Shoppers and antique buffs catch the off-ramp to Moss Landing. See its harbor dated 1870, and get a look at the shops' antique collections. History buffs check out the William H. Volck Museum -- treasures from life in the 1880s to 1920s are displayed and a historic walking tour brochure is available. 261 E. Beach Street at Lincoln Street. Call 831/722-0305.

SEASIDE
Seaside was the Peninsula's first virtual village. You can pick up the bike path in Seaside, exit at Del Rey Oaks to park the car for a long and scenic ride.

Coming to the Monterey Peninsula?
Check out events calendars.

MONTEREY
The Monterey Museum of Arts' permanent collection features significant bodies of work by Armin Hansen, William Ritschel, Ansel Adams, and Edward Weston, photographer. Weston's work causes constant double-takes, a woman's back looks like a pepper, and different peppers look like bodies, for example.

MONTEREY VISITORS CENTER
Lake El Estero at Franklin and Camino El Estero. Open year round. Mon - Sat 9am to 4pm (Nov - March) or 5pm (April - Oct), Sun 10 - 4pm (Nov - March) or 5pm (April - Oct). InfoCenter 24/7 831/649-1770.

Visit Lake El Estero. You'll probably see it on your way into town. It's a big lake across the street from the beach with lawns, baseball diamonds and the Dennis the Menace Playground, designed by Hank Ketchum.

Custom House Plaza

OLD MONTEREY
Visit the restored and beautifully furnished historic adobes and Colton Hall where California's constitution was signed - docent tours and guided walking tours available.

Every Tuesday, Alvarado Street in Old Monterey comes to life for the Old Monterey Farmers Market. In Monterey, the farmers come from near and far, year-round, to sell their own fruits, vegetables, flowers and eggs. They come from Salinas and Watsonville up the road, as far north as Denair and as far south as Indio. It's as lively as an international bazaar of produce, gourmet foods, arts and hand crafts, clothing and entertainment.

19th Century Gardens

OLD FISHERMAN'S WHARF
Embark on a whale watching excursion from Fisherman's Wharf or go fishing for rockfish or salmon. Watch sea lions and otters frolic. Treat yourself to seafood cocktail, clam chowder, fresh and smoked fish, pizza and fresh salt water taffy. Attend a comedy or musical performance at the Wharf Theatre. Visit the Maritime Museum and the Native American Museum on Custom House Plaza.

Catch the bike path by Fisherman's Wharf.

Cannery Row View

CANNERY ROW
Located between Fisherman's Wharf and Pacific Grove's Lover's Point on the Bay bike path, John Steinbeck's gritty neighborhood has become an airy shopping mall. Rediscover the history on a guided walking tour. Get details at your Inn's front desk.

Ride the authentic turn-of- the-century carousel. Eat candy. Taste wine. Admire the views.

MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM
Peek through the Kelp Cam. This is one of the World's favorite Aquariums. Look for the sardines swimming 'round and 'round. No need to stand in line, ask to buy a ticket at the front desk of your lodging.

- detour out Hwy. 68 to Salinas -

Salinas Valley Chardonnay

SALINAS
The birthplace and childhood home of John Steinbeck, the setting for East of Eden, agricultural center, prize-winning wine region, and venue for the California Rodeo. Laguna Seca, the local race track, is located on Highway 68 between Monterey and Salinas.

- catch the coastal route again -

PACIFIC GROVE
"America's Last Hometown" - beach town with restored Victorian homes and wonderful downtown with plenty of sidewalk cafes. The heart of the overwintering grounds of the western Monarch butterfly population peaks around October. Take a self-guided walking or driving tour of John Steinbeck's Pacific Grove. Popular destination among scuba divers.

Visit Sandy, the 40-foot gray whale sculpture at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History -- 165 Forest Avenue at Central Ave. 831/648-3119.

PEBBLE BEACH
Pebble Beach marks the northern tip of Carmel Bay and Stillwater Cove. In 1840, a Spanish Land Grant established these 5,000 acres as Rancho Pescadero, known today as Del Monte Forest. Plan to dine or relax at The Lodge at Pebble Beach or Roy's at Spanish Bay.

CaViewsTouring Car on 17-Mile Drive (1910)

Pick up a map at the gate. Two destination sites are Point Joe and Restless Sea. Mariners often set their courses for Point Joe, thinking it was the entrance to Monterey Bay. For many shipwrecked schooners and sailors, this mistake proved fatal. They met with Restless Sea, directly off Point Joe, where ocean currents collide. Even on calm days, you'll see turbulent sea and spray here.

Pescadero Point is one of 26 fantastic points highlighted along the scenic 17 Mile Drive.

PESCADERO POINT, PEBBLE BEACH photo by Nancy Lorenz

The Pebble Beach Links, designed by Jack Neville in 1919, have been the site for the PGA Championship and U S Open. Spyglass Hill Golf Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. in 1966, takes its name from Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, written near the site of today's clubhouse.

CARMEL
The kind of small town where you never know just who you might run into where ever you turn and you hear lots of languages being spoken. Carmel's theatre scene is lively and chamber music abounds. (I love the way everyone goes into the same trance listening to concerti.) More about Carmel-by-the-Sea

Carmel Beach, at the end of Ocean Avenue, has wonderfully fine white sand and occasional surfing. Carmel is five miles south of Monterey and 26 miles north of Big Sur just off Highway One.

Wander through the quaint village, art galleries and many unique shops on the picturesque Ocean Avenue and tucked away in the many little alleyways and courtyards. Walk the beautiful sand beach. Carmel's primary cultural facilities are the Sunset Community and Cultural Center, the Harrison Memorial Library, the Golden Bough Playhouse and the outdoor Forest Theatre.

CARMEL VALLEY ROAD
Turn left for a country drive detour. Take Carmel Valley Road to Hwy. 101 and get to Pinnacles National Monument northeast out highway 146. Its a great hiking spot among the remnants of an ancient volcanic mountain. Wine tasting near-by.

Turn right at Carmel Valley Road to see the Carmel Mission. Stop by Clint Eastwood's Mission Ranch Restaurant around the bend for idyllic marsh scenery, pretty good food and maybe a song at the piano.

CaViewsCarmel Mission

Go south on HIGHWAY ONE. Drive through Carmel Highlands and roll down the window. If it's foggy, and you're headed for Big Sur, don't worry. The sun will probably come out around the Point Sur Lightstation. Many vista points give on the sweeping views.

BIXBY CREEK BRIDGE
Built in 1932 13.3 miles South of Carmel. Once on a sunny day. This massive 714-foot bridge spans Bixby Canyon. The dangerous work of building the bridge was completed in 1932 by prisoners eager to whittle time off their sentences.

CaViewsBixby Bridge under construction in 1932

BIG SUR COAST & POINT SUR LIGHTSTATION
Take the ruggedly beautiful scenic drive from Carmel to Big Sur on Highway One. Hike, rest, take photos, enjoy the view. Visit Point Sur Lightstation sitting 361 feet above the surf on the seaward brow of a large block of volcanic rock. Call 831/625-4419 for information and tour times.

About 26 miles south of the Monterey Bay, Big Sur can put you right in the middle of nature or on a patio of a fine dining establishment perched over the Pacific Ocean looking for whales, condors, and other local wild life. Bring binoculars and provisions. Do tip well. You deserved the attention.

CaViewsBig Sur Post Office

VENTANA WILDERNESS
This is the real thing. Bring provisions. Ventana Wilderness is a vast 167,323 acres in the Santa Lucia Mountain Range approximately 120 miles south of San Francisco and 90 miles north of San Luis Obispo. The wilderness in Monterey County is part of the Los Padres National Forest.

ESALEN INSTITUTE ON THE BIG SUR COAST
You deserve some time here. The mineral hot tubs will afford you a new level of bodily relaxation as well as views of whales and otters. Workshop topics range from dance and movement to verbal self expression and intimacy. Review the catalog.

BIG SUR INTERNATIONAL MARATHON
The photo gallery offers some dramatic seascapes of one of the most gorgeous spots on Earth.

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