California Tour: Day 2 and 3

What can I say, we've been so busy doing stuff the last two days we haven't had a chance to stop and write about it!

The second day of our tour was spent in the beautiful town of Monterey.  I really fell in love with this place, and I think Joy would have too, except the temperatures stayed just a little too much on the cold side.  I'm pretty sure the high got up to about 65, but when the clouds roll in and it became overcast, it felt downright chilly!  Anyway, we started off with an early lunch at a hole in the wall sandwich shop, with some delicious chicken salad sandwiches.  Then down to Fisherman's Wharf, where the day's bike ride began.

 Here's our route for today:  a great bike path along the coast and the 17 Mile Drive. 

Sites seen along the way include, a group of sea lions;

Pebble Beach, if you're into that kinda thing;

and miles and miles of beautiful shore line!

There were also lots of multi-million dollar homes perched on the edge of cliffs, with spectacular views--but they're all gonna slide off into the ocean eventually, right?  No sense wasting good film on them.

We finished off the ride and headed back to town for dinner-Sushi, of course!-and a tour of historic Cannery Row.

This ride was a very relaxing 30 mile trip, with just over 1400 feet of climbing. 

Our third day of the trip we took a break from the bikes, as the PCH got VERY narrow with no shoulder and bad roads--there were several sections washed away earlier this year by rock slides still under repair.  We managed to hit no less than 4 state parks today, all with some hiking/trail running.  We started off the day in Point Lobos State Park, and I think we could have spent the entire day there!  The trails and views were absolutely amazing!

We found this secluded little beach where another group of sea lions were molting--this guy looked so comfy!

Next up, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.  A couple of miles of hiking through the redwoods-

-and on to State Park #3-Pfeiffer Burns State Park

A short hike to the waterfall viewing area, and then back to the car.  A few more miles of driving along the side of the mountains, several hundred feet above sea level, (where no good road should ever find itself, according to Joy)

and we round a corner to see a beautiful waterfall off to the left.  Here's how the next 1.7 seconds play out:  'Should we stop?' 'Yes!'- mirrors checked, brakes slammed, car swerved across traffic into the gravel lot safely.

Another short hike yields another spectacular view:

And despite what the following video shows, I swear that once upon a time I was somewhat graceful :-)

And of course, the day wouldn't have been complete without learning something new.  Like, say, for instance, that zebras are indigenous to Central Califonia??

Until next time kiddies!