Our day started again with a great breakfast in wonderful sunshine. Then we packed our suitcases into the car and off we went to the Highway No. 1. We drove around the bay towards the coast. However, this took longer than we had thought and when we finally saw the ocean ... we didn't see much, except fog and a bit of sea.
We drove directly onto the highway and immediately had to realize that despite the fog / clouds, the coast is beautiful. We stopped at individual viewpoints, where parking was usually prohibited, to take photos of the cliffs. Suddenly a police car came and stopped right next to us, I thought there was trouble now because we were in a no-parking zone. But no, they were more worried about us, because the ban was not without reason: the Steep coast is probably very unpredictable and could crash. So we preferred to drive on.
Mavericks Surf Spot – Highway No. 1
Our first scheduled stop was Mavericks Surf Spot. Here we parked a bit off the highway and walked 15 minutes along the Half Moon Bayaround a military base. When we arrived at the beach, we had to realize that the fog was still stubbornly holding on to the coast and the sun was only shining inland. The waves were also not high enough for surfing and therefore there were no surfers to be seen far and wide. Too bad, but the short walk was very nice!
Pigeon Point Light Station – Highway No. 1
Then we drove to the Pigeon Point Light Station. There is also a youth hostel at the old lighthouse. The rest is a small museum and a gift shop.
From a small wooden terrace you have a great view over the cliffs. When the clouds pass by a little, even some sunshine falls on this idyllic lighthouse. Definitely worth a stop!
17-Miles-Drive – Highway No. 1
On our way to becoming a 17-Miles-Drive we drove through Moss Landing. Here we first wanted to stop, but due to the advanced time, we left this fishing village behind us. At Monterey passed by, we went to the 17-Miles-Drive. We paid $10 at the entrance house and off we wentmost beautiful coastal stretch in California.
The grounds and the drive are private and equipped with really noble houses. Unfortunately, the weather thwarted our plans. The clouds came up again and a little off the coast the fog was stuck. Inland, the sun was still shining, but here it looked as if it was about to rain, but fortunately it didn't. Nevertheless, the Scenic Drive was worth the money! Even in this weather, it does not lose its beauty.
We stopped at all the viewpoints marked on the map (we got them at the entrance house). One of them stank so insanely of ... Fish, toilet and all sorts of things that we thought came from the toilet house at the parking lot. But no, there were hundreds of sea lions on the rock off the coast, which we only discovered after several minutes. The whole thing was so far away that we couldn't see them properly, but we could smell them. They should really take a shower again. ;)
The houses on 17-Miles-Drive were quite big and expensive, not always really pretty, but that's a matter of opinion. The whole private area is actually a huge golf park. We were able to watch a few older gentlemen putting. We think that many rich Americans have their retirement home here. Between all the noble huts there was also a very cute little one, like a witch's house.
Very beautiful on this coast are the cypresses, which bow to the storms and thus take on very interesting shapes. We only know them from Tuscany, high and pointed. Some trees were so deformed by the storm that they had neither leaves or needles nor bark. Like the Ghost Tree, for example, which certainly looks creepy in the fog.
More impressions
Carmel – Highway No. 1
We drove on to Carmel, which is used as Artist Location is known. It is very expensive here and there were only luxury shops to be found. But we weren't interested in them either, we wanted to go to the beach. We parked right in front of it and walked a bit. If the clouds off the coast hadn't been so dense, we could have seen a romantic sunset. That's how it was planned by me, but well, you can't have everything.
Our hotel for this night is located in Marina just before Monterey and is the Ramada Marina. Not exactly the nicest place but it is clean. There was a huge pizza from Domino ́s and garlic rolls for dinner. We were full. :)
Are you still looking for a suitable hotel in Marina?
You can find a hotel that suits your budget through the various online travel agencies such as Agoda,Booking.com,ebookers.de,Expedia,Hotels.com,lastminute.de, otel.com or Venere.com.
The next day we continued along Highway No. 1 from Marina to Morro Bay. You can find the article here.
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