Sunset State Beach to Carmel, California

Sunday, May 18, 2014
Sunset State Beach to Carmel, California
54 miles

Strawberry Fields Forever

We have always enjoyed visiting our local strawberry farms come harvest time, but nothing could have prepared us for the vast expanse of strawberry fields that we cycled by today.  Acres upon acres as far as the eye could see.  We marvelled at the irrigation systems and of course, Rob wondered about pumps and water supplies - the engineer in him took over!

With the smell of strawberries thick in the air we just had to stop at Moss Landing for fresh fruit smoothies - delicious.

We also stopped at the local dock and spent a long time watching the harbour seals and sea lions negotiate space on the dock.  There was a massive sea lion, we nicknamed the BIG DOG, who ruled the show.  He was quite mean and ruled the dock with a firm flipper.

On our way out of Moss Landing we were passed on the highway by a parade of Ferraris.  Exactly 10 Ferraris in a row zoomed by us.  They have a little bit more horse power than we do.

We were thrilled to learn that we were travelling through Castroville - the artichoke capital of the world.  Who knew?

From Castroville we managed to find a bike path that took us past countless sand dunes all the way to Monterey.

Once we arrived in Monterey we decided to play tourist.  We jumped off our bikes and enjoyed a walk through town, visiting Fisherman's Wharf (of course we just had to stop and enjoy fish and chips), Cannery Row and Pacific Grove.

The paved bike path took us all the way along the coast to the 17 mile drive.  17 mile drive is one of the most famous stretches of road on the California Coast.  It took us past the most glamorous estate homes and out to the world famous Pebble Beach Golf course.  It is also a private drive and we were asked to stop and sign a waiver saying that we wouldn't sue should we be run over.  We took solace in the fact that later in the afternoon we were almost hit - by a driver of a Rolls Royce.  Yes - it had been quite the day for high end cars.

The Lone Cypress - 17 Mile Drive

We found ourselves entering Carmel and instantly falling in love with this seaside town.  The beach was beautiful, the houses were all character homes with unique gardens and landscaping.  Once again we played tourist and walked along Scenic Drive taking in all the sights and sounds of Carmel.

We passed the 1,000 mile mark and decided to celebrate with a night in a hotel.  We stopped at the San Carlos Mission to ask directions.  Everyone was extremely helpful, so tonight we find ourselves celebrating at the Carmel Mission Inn.  A perfect end to a perfect day.....and tomorrow Big Sur is within reach!

San Carlos Mission

Giggle of the day:

Traffic on the 17 Mile Drive came to a complete stop.  We cycled ahead to see what was going on.  A large deer was at the side of the road, attempting to jump quite a high fence into one of the estates.  We laughed at the irony of traffic stopping for a deer yet those same drivers will barely give us six inches of breathing room on roads without shoulders.  Maybe we should attach antlers to our bike helmets?