Saturday May 9, 2015

Another hilly ride today we had two, three kilometre climbs. Over the last three days we have climbed, 866 metres, 922 metres and today was 766 metres.  The Big Sur section of this coastal route is bumpy!

The weather has been cool, and today we had a slight headwind.

However, the scenery along this coast line is beautiful.

We crossed the historic Bixby Bridge, where people were lined up to get the \”best shot\”.  Which apparently is behind the sign that states \”Danger Steep Cliff\”.  Ralf got his shot at a different spot.

The roads were pretty good and for a long section of the route the road had a shoulder. California drivers do not give us much room, they are in a hurry and will overtake in the craziest of places.

As we were cycling through the Carmel Highlands area we spotted this lovely cafe, with lovely flowers.

We found the bike path and followed it into the Fisherman\’s Wharf area.

We arrived in Monterey at about 2:30 and decided to stay in the hostel, it had been a cold ride. I had checked online a couple of days ago and the rate was $29 per person. When we got to the hostel it was $35 pp. The price changes depending on availability!! Work that one out. The hotels in this area the prices go up on the week-end!! Same service, same bed, increased price by $50 +.

After we had showered and settled in to the hostel, we went for a walk downtown Monterey. Cannery Row made famous by Steinbeck, is now a modern shopping, bar and restaurant area.

There are a few of the old buildings still around, where the various \’communities\’ lived.

The information signs were very interesting.

We headed about three streets north of Cannery Row and found a pub selling fish and chips for about $3.00 cheaper than on Cannery Row. For some reason we both fancied fish and chips and Guinness!

Tomorrow we will investigate the rest of Monterey as we cycle out of the City on the bike path.