We left our hostel fairly early so we could get to Monterey as we could see that the weather was better up the coast. En-route we stopped by along the coast next to the surfers museum (which was closed the whole time we were there!). When we arrived in Monterey we took the 17 mile scenic drive around to Pebble beach, it’s $10 per vehicle and there are several stops to make along the way at this very beautiful coastline. The sea is wild against the rocky shores and we read about the ships that came crashing into the bay in search of Monterey. Some areas are inaccessible by foot as they are protected wildlife and conservation areas and it’s not exactly the type of place to go for a swim.

We stopped off at Pebble Beach resort to check out the golf courses and more fantastic views beyond, we looked on at people enjoying their champagne lunch on the veranda! They also house golf tournament trophies at the lodge. Moving on from Pebble beach we came to Carmel Bay, a more sandy beach to enjoy but the sea again was very rough, still it didn’t stop the surfers. After our scenic drive we checked into the motel we were staying at which at $69/night between the 3 of us wasn’t a bad find! We ate in a highly rated mexican restaurant that night, not exactly one to get dressed up for but the food is really good at a low price plus we had left overs for the next day!

We started the next morning with a trip to the Monterey Aquarium. It’s a huge place and so we set aside half a day to explore. This aquarium is the biggest in the world and houses much of what is local to the Californian sea including a juvenile great white shark. Highlights for us included the Deep Blue feeding time aswell as meandering around the sea horse exhibit. It’s a pretty spectacular place with several marine life experts dedicating their time to preserving the marine life in the Monterey Bay.

When we left Monterey we journeyed along the Big Sur with our end destination being Cambria to stay with Helen’s relatives Jill and Joe was again! We had intended originally to stay on the Big Sur and if we’d have been camping this would have been possible as campsites are fairly cheap given the location. However because there were 3 of us it was looking pricey for us to get accommodation at an affordable price so we couldn’t really resist Jill’s offer of getting into Cambria sooner and using their location as a base to explore.

Driving along the Big Sur was again fantastic, there are a lot of stops and a lot of cars wanting to stop, but we chose a few places along the way to explore and take in the views which were breathtaking. It’s tricky to get down to the ocean unless you’re hiking but the views from the road side do it justice enough. We stopped off at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to walk to a waterfall and at the beach area where a waterfall pours onto the beach and into the sea . As we left the Big Sur we found the elephant seals on San Simeon Bay herding together in their hundreds and we eventually arrived in Cambria at 7pm welcomed by Jill and Joe and some good home cooked food and wine! Home comforts!

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

We stayed at the Cow Hollow Inn and after our first nights’ sleep in a bed since our little night in the log cabin a few weeks ago we got up early and ventured into Cows Hollow for some breakfast. We were really being spoit…a bed AND a breakfast!! The Grove was our place of choice and it served really good oatmeal with fruit and Dave enjoyed the full works. There were now 3 of us in our little adventure and the first port of call was Coit Tower. This is probably the most cost effective and definitely one of the most rewarding views over the city. It only costs $7 to go up to the top and enjoy the views, there was no fog as of yet so we looked out across the morning city. Coit Tower has some interesting history surrounding it along with painted murals on the walls of the interior.

Moving on we started our next stint of road trips with Santa Cruz being our first stop. We intended to stop at a few more places along the way but the weather wasn’t so great, however we did enjoy a good lunch on picnic benches behind the Arcangeli Grocery store. Another stop included the Moss Landing beach where surfers battled the strong waves and from there we got into Santa Cruz at around 3pm. We had booked to stay at the HI Carmelita Cottages but they weren’t open for check in until 5pm, this is common in many of the older HI hostels on the west coast. So we spent our time wandering along the pier, enjoying the mass of sea lions and a few cocktails at a bar on the bottom of the pier.

So by 5pm we were ready to check in and really pleased with the standard of the room, we had a 3 person room with one double and a single bed for $65 (shared bath). We ate at an asian fusion restaurant called Malabar on Front Street, interesting curries and good vegetarian food. The rain continued so for us Santa Cruz was a little wet and perhaps not as enjoyable as it would be on a sunny day! It also felt like it was end of season there so during the summer months we’re sure this place has more personality.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)