Travelogues
2014 Bay Area

Tuesday, May 6

 

Monterey

We decided we couldn't move to Morro Bay without seeing Monterey. We packed everything up, vacated our campsite, and parked along the road outside the campground. Then, we drove the Explorer to Monterey to check out Cannery Row. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we found parking right on Cannery Row.

We checked out all the shops, watched the fishing boats bringing in today's catch of salmon, and looked for t-shirts. We settled on the Fish Hopper for lunch when we saw macadamia crusted halibut on the menu. The restaurant was on piers sitting out over the rocky coast. Every table was a "window table," and we had a gorgeous view of Monterey Bay. A young sea lion provided the entertainment as he tried to cope with the incoming tide. He had found a soft algae-encrusted rock just above the waterline and was trying to nap. But every few minutes, a bigger wave would come in and wake him up. He finally had to give up his perch when it was covered by the tide.

After lunch, we returned to one of the shops, and I bought my Monterey t-shirt. Now, the trip was complete. I had my macadamia crusted halibut and bought my t-shirt for the trip. What else could there be?

We drove back to the campground, picked up the motorhome, and headed south for Morro Bay. We skipped Highway 1 again and drove inland to the 101 before going south. As we approached Atascadero, we crossed the mountains to the coast on Highway 46. The wind made the drive a little more exciting than we wanted, but the hills were a deep, rich green with scattered patches of yellow mustard.

When we reached the Morro Dunes campground, the wind was blowing at about 20 MPH. It was cold and miserable unhooking the Explorer and setting up the motorhome. We couldn't wait to settle into the motorhome for the night.