California: Here we come!

Got away early - pretty drive south though NP via Wanona & at this point Julie was put back to work & she guided us over to the west coast to Monterey: a generally uneventful journey apart from taking one incorrect exit off a freeway; dry, dusty country; mountains hazy blue is the distance; pistachio groves; cherry orchards (we stopped to buy some at a roadside stall); large irrigation channels.

My Friend decided it wasn't good enough having a car with a missing radio antenna so at the airport at Monterey he swapped the RAV 4 for a Chevy Captiva.

Anyway, we now have a car with a built-in GPS so Julie is going to have some competition!

By the time this was all sorted, we finally got to down-town Monterey where we rented some very nice Specialized road bikes from Bay Bikes in Cannery Row (the waterfront street made famous by the book Cannery Row published by John Steinbeck in 1945) & had a very nice (& energetic) ride around the bay & through Pacific Grove (well-known for its exclusive homes & picturesque coastline; its other claim to fame is that Steinbeck lived in a cottage owned by his father here & produced many of his works in this home).

Vehicular traffic has to pay to use 17 Mile Drive so we felt a bit smug as we cycled past the pay booth for free! We saw seals swimming in the waters as we cycled along; gawked at the houses; admired the flowers growing road-side; and appreciated the excellent road shoulder cycling lane.

Afterwards, Joey at the bike shop recommended Cannery Row Brewing Company for a beer (I got a wine) & as it was by now 7.30 p.m. we decided to have dinner here as the atmosphere was nice: Moody Blues playing in the background; baseball on the TV; everyone enjoying themselves. We had soup to start & I have to say i'm finding myself rather partial to clam chowder. Also, we had our first meal of Ribs (Yankee style). We ordered a HALF rack (to share; I think My Friend thought he was going to starve ...). Well, I'd hate to see a FULL portion!