Monterey Bay



This looked like it came out of a storybook.

Day 20

I had breakfast underneath a tree and saw a grey brown rabbit out for breakfast too.  It was super cute.  I had a Safeway croissant.  It’s the best croissant I’ve had.  Why is it that the Safeway croissant is better here in Carmel?  It is even more beautifully baked than other Safeways.




Another house with charm.

Seven Gables Inn

I pulled over to Monterey and drove to lover’s point then to the tip of the gold course.  I saw harbor seals napping on the rocks, smelly.  I saw lots of Quincineras and Weddings being held.  I went to Seven Gables Inn, it was beautiful and starts at $250.00 per night. 


One of the many beach weddings today, all looking very cold and windy and grey.



Nope these are not overnight campers, these are day use park goers who knows how cold it is to be out on the beach so they stay in the tent to stay warm all day long.  What's the point?  It must be fun for them somehow.   





Just imagine when the sun is out, the colors of this water will be amazing!



Another one of the many Quincinera parties on the beach

 

Then I went to the wharf to look into shops and I really didn’t find anything I wanted to stop in for.  There was a fair nearby and I walked around and looked at booths.  I stopped by a photo booth of landscape photography and I chatted with the photographer who is an old man, about the use of film and digital photography and the difference in prints.  The photographer mocked me for asking such a question and made a spectacle out of me.  I ran as fast as I could, far, far away from him and the fair. 

I went to the marina and saw the lawn was packed with scuba divers and all their gears.  The visibility in the water is difficult today.  There were divers in double wet suits to stay warm in these waters.  I wonder what Henry does in Antarctica when he dives?

I drove towards Santa Cruz and on my way I pulled into a farm stand off HWY 1 before Dolan.  I ended up buying $70.00 worth of groceries.  So I decided to head home, the groceries needed to be refrigerated.  This was how the end of the trip was decided, on a grocery shopping whim.

In the mountains, I found my rhythm.  I know how I am healthiest, peaceful, and happy.  In the urban world, I am reminded of how I do not wake up to greet sunrise.  I do not care to witness sunset in gratitude of another day in magic and amazingness.  A lot of time is lost in sleeping or resting only to be lost some more.  Hunger is triggered by the brain even then the belly is full saying, “give me something else to feel alive, anything but this.  Nurture me, I am dying.” 

Where Are the Whales?

Day 19

Campsites without a view

Drove 4 hours into Big Sur and stopped by Fernwood Campground and it was cute and rustic right off the highway.  There is a creek that runs through it and the place was full of beautiful redwood trees.  The canvas cabins are underneath redwood trees.  The showers need quarters and the restroom was nice with hot water. 

Campsites off the creek

Canvas tent

I stopped at the Big Sur Bakery recommended by Fabrizio Alberico.  I had a strudel, peach filling with toasted sliced almonds.  It was amazing but I don’t think it was vegetarian, definitely not vegan.  It was a meal all in itself.  The pastry was loaded and it was heavy, totally knocked me out.  I had it with hot water in a coffee ceramic bowl out on the deck underneath a redwood tree over looking mountains.  The ocean breeze was too cold for staying longer than I need to finish my pastry.  It’s like Titanic iceberg wind.  I don’t think I will camp in this area tonight because of the cold. 



A pretty restroom outside.

Yum, super loaded with fat, not good for staying awake

View from the deck

Cactus flowers are amazingly beautiful

I stopped by Riverside Campground and took a shower.  I stopped by the Carmel River beach and sat on the sand.  Then I drove to Carmel followed Carmel by the Sea route and found Carmel Beach after following a car with surf board.  The water is celadon green here.  The waves are beautiful for surfing, makes me want to surf.   What a lovely place! 

The dogs here are pretty, healthy, and happy dogs.  A passerby told me how to look out for hunchback whales behind the kelp clusters and to watch the ocean, they come up for breath.  So I watched the surfers and also looked out for whales.  I sat underneath a coastal pine tree and had tea.  It was still cold here and I had to put on layers to stay warm.  I didn’t want to miss the whales so I didn’t leave the spot.  But somehow I missed them because I didn’t see them while a Persian couple that passed by told me they did and they saw two come up for air.  How did I miss them? 

I must have missed them when I cooked instant noodles.  The noodles cooled in the cold air as I lifted them to take bites and as a result of this cooling, they were perfectly chewy. 

At 5pm I was just too cold to continue my whale watching quest.  I moved into the car and watched the whales from there for another hour.  I gave up on sunset viewing because the overcast completely covered the horizon.

I drove and walked around to look for places to eat and sleep for the night. The houses here are beautiful and charming.  I shopped on the main strip. Everyone is so beautifully groomed here, even their dogs.  I am so under dressed to be anywhere in these shops or on the street.  I am so under groomed.  I am so glad I got to take a shower.    

At 7:30pm, I was super tired, done, out of internal gas tank, couldn’t stay awake any longer. 

Had to Get an Eclipse Burger King Crown

Day 18

At 6:30am I went for a morning misty foggy walk on the beach.  I came across joggers and dog walkers and surfers and paddle boarders.  Sunrise walks like this is wonderful.  During my walk I saw a man collect sand dollars and asked if they are still alive and he said no.  So I decided to collect them too.  Watching dogs play on the beach is like watching kids play.  The smile on a dog’s face is a beam of sunshine in the misty fog.  I returned to my car and spent the rest of the time watching the beach activities from the warmth of my car.  The waves are bunny waves but the water is super cold. 

I had no idea where my next stop is in Morro Bay.  I ended up following a mini van with a surf board.  He pulled into a spot to the right of the boulder beyond touristy spots.  This is nice because there is very little traffic. 

I met Rob and his family of 4 sons and their dog.  I got to play catch with the dog.  I need to work on my throw.  I pulled out the stove and cooked split pea soup along with pasta.  They were both not real food in my opinion but it was something hot and that will do in this weather.  I ended up falling asleep again at 11am to 2pm.  Then I moved to the beach and laid on the sand.  I watched the seagulls fly into the pond of water like and airport landing pad.  I saw a dog enjoy frisbee.  The alpha dog for this dog was the young boy.  It was super fun to watch. 

I drove to Burger King and was bombarded by Eclipse everything everywhere.  I couldn’t help myself but go for an Eclipse movie crown.  I sat by the windows and charged batteries.   Rob and his wife both suggested that I continue to drive north on HWY 1 because the coastal drive is beautiful.  I also spoke with Rev. Heng Sure and he suggested that I take HWY 101 because of the physical fatigue I was in and that would not be so safe for me to do coastal tight turns when I am in this shape.  I think it was really good timing I spoke with Rev. Heng Sure, good advice, super grateful. 

This evening, I parked in front of a tree at the bay where boats were docked and just watched the sunset sky, listened to the chimes of the eucalyptus leaves behind me.  The sunset tonight was winter wonderland icy cold blue and contrasted well with pale earth tones of eucalyptus trees.  It was all very beautiful. 

Nature the perfect artist, this scenic view was worth the drive.

Blueberries as Big as Grapes!

Day 17

I didn’t blanket the top half of my body and woke cold at 2:30am.  It was another night of bad dreams.  I hit the highway at 6:30am after doing morning ceremony.  There was crazy traffic at this early hour all over Orange County and LA area.  I made it into Santa Barbara at 10am.  I pulled up to Taco Bell for food.  Then I went to Starbucks to sit on the couch and charge batteries.  Why is it this Starbucks does not have croissants?

The central coast weather is quite familiar like Santa Cruz, foggy, over caste.  IT has its charms of lightness, creativity, inspirations.  However I do miss the hot blazing blinding sun of Utah, Arizona.  It is in fact drizzling and I am in shorts and T-shirts. 

I missed the pull out for 10 avocados for 1 dollar.  I saw a Blueberry Farm and pulled off south of San Luis Obispo.  I’ve never seen blueberries like this or tasted this flavorful.  They are the best I’ve had, sweet, and fragrantly flavorful.  Some of them are the size of grapes.  This was why the air smelled so good and sweet.  I turned the bucket upside down and sat on it while I ate blueberries off the bushes.  I wish I could take these back and share them with family and friends.  Too bad, it won’t work out that way.  I ate so much I was stuffed to the max, over dose on blueberries.  I don’t believe it will be life threatening.  I am so happy with my bucket of blueberries I picked for the road. 

My abs are sore from playing in the water yesterday.  In May I was sad that I wasn’t having much fun in my daily life.  I think there is no contention to how I have not been taking care of myself on a daily basis.  Why was having fun, laughing, happiness on the bottom of my daily to do list.  

Drove to Pismo Beach area and ended up in Grover End.  It was cold and sunny at the same time.  I found a sandy groove to lay on and had to block the cold draft and the blazing sun.  It was quite an interesting combination to juggle.  It felt so peaceful to lay on the beach.  There is space to go within here and feels safe to do so.  It’s not a crowded beach, my kind of beach. 

Ate lentil soup and spaghetti ring power heated by the solar sun off the dash board.  It totally works.  I think I am eating too much for all this sitting and driving.  I used the beach restroom to give myself a shower.  There was no one else around.  The place was super run down and dirty. 

With this California car trip, I am clear I that I didn’t miss anything by not going to UCLA.  I see that I was already in Santa Cruz the whole time, I just didn’t know that.  The SoCal living is just not my lifestyle at all, not what my soul needs, none of it nutritional feeds me. 

From this moment forward, my future daily life shall not fall short of what I have experienced in these past two and half weeks.  The quality of internal strength, peace, contentment, and sweetness are all difficult to put into words.  Each and every day shall not be wasted in any measure less that that. 

I spent time doing art while I waited for my freshly washed hair to dry by the sun and wind.  The sun turned molten orange gold during sunset while the sea turned light glistening aquamarine blue and the foamy bubbly waves turned soft lavender.  Magic occurs all the time.  I just don’t take the time to notice.  I don’t bother with the gifts offered to me effortlessly.  I somehow made it a habit to turn a blind eye.  Nature is a wonderful artist and a beautiful painter.  The sky and ocean is an amazing canvas for infinite possibilities of colors, textures, and patterns. 

This car get more care than the average human teeth and gums.

I personally like Grover Beach better than Pismo Beach where the downtown scenes are.  There are tons of RV parks, they are all packed.  The North Campground State Park is like camping in your own backyard.  I have not come across anything amazing at all to camp.  I guess it’s another night of sleeping in the car.  I picked Harloe due to the easy morning access to the beach for a dawn stroll on the beach and seashell picking.  

I'll need and elevator to get into this truck.