Today we reached the ocean! The drive down the hill country from Atascadero to Morro Bay is really pretty and Morro seems like a nice little resort town to spend some time in. It features a working marina with fishing boats, some recreational cruisers, a state park at the base of "The Morro Rock" and typical shops and restaurants. Some great flower gardens!
This is where we find Route 1, the "El Camino Real", which runs up the coast almost all the way to the Oregon border. It windy, up and down, twists and turns but VERY scenic! We passed by Hearst Castle at San Simeon (been there, done that) but stopped at the most amazing place: an elephant Seal Rookery! Literally hundreds of seals at this one place, giving birth, mating, moulting, whatever. What a sight, even a bit repulsive!
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| Elephant Seals |
The weather was sunny, low 60s and VERY windy! And, as it happens, today was the day of the Big Sur Marathon. Four Thousand runners went from Big Sur to Carmel. The Road was actually closed for the event, but they'd finished by the time we got there.
Stopped for a late lunch at the famous "Nepenthe" restaurant, just south of Big Sur, with spectacular views of the ocean from your dining table on the patio (fortunately the wind had died down). We had stopped here last time through on the recommendation of our friends the Bensons. Great gift shop, too. Definitely a must see!
Then continuing on toward our destination, Santa Cruz. We passed through Monterey, Salinas and Watsonville. This area is known as the artichoke capital of the world. We stopped at Pezzini Farms roadside stand for strawberries and a Deep Fried Artichoke from a food truck. Unreal prices: artichokes cheap, 7 avocados for a buck, ten grapefruit for a buck! Across the street, strawberry fields as far as you can see.
We reached our Days Inn in Santa Cruz, just a few blocks from the famous Beach Arcade and Boardwalk and the Santa Cruz Wharf. We had a nice fish dinner at the Dolphin at the far end of the wharf.
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| Morro Bay and the Rock |
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| Elephant Seals |
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| Bixby Bridge |
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| Santa Cruz wharf |
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| The Dolphin |
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