After a quick descent to the waterfront, I head northbound on the bike path. Leisurely pace through town, dodging the morning walkers, casual cyclists, and about 200 divers putting on wetsuits.
A lone pelican preens alongside the cormorants
Once free from the 'tourists' I pick up the pace and dash through a straight flat section, then climb a steep switchbacked hill, and down the other side to the first section of beach. Within 20 minutes (including pictures/sight-seeing), I'm clear of Monterey proper.
Bike path in the foreground
The next section was a bit of a grind. Most of it slightly uphill with a double crossing of highway 1, after which you enter one of the the former Fort ORD training sites. Most of the structures were long torn down, but a few gems still exist.
In one of these storage bunkers was a group of women from Santa Cruz. They'd parked their bikes outside, and were single Christmas carols inside. You could here them from about a hundred feet away. Their attempts to enlist a tenor fell on deaf ears (badda bing). Though inside the acoustics were amazing.
I'm sure the above area was used for beach maneuvers, but just a few miles further told a different story. This section was off-limits for soldiers due to the unstable steep terrain.
More pelicans
Quick check of the watch and it's past 11. Time to double time it back. Gotta get out of town and down the road.
Loaded the truck and headed to the airport to pickup the trailer. The access is by code, and available 24/7. Most people are storing their RVs and trailers for the winter. Not me. Gotta get moving.
< took some pictures of the RV storage at the airport, but can't seem to find them :( >
Hooked up the trailer in record time and off I went. I was heading again down the road to Big Sur. Today's destination was San Simeon State Park, about 100 miles south of Monterey. Sooooo glad I already drove this section, or there would be no chance of getting even 30 miles down the coast by nightfall. All the sites have been seen. All the pictures taken. Except....
Well, one more. Took a few shots here, but none really turned out that good.
Just before dark I come across a what looks like another typical sea-side pullout to take yet more of the same pictures, only this one is packed with cars and a couple of RVs. Odd, this time of night, when most of the others were empty or had just single vehicle. Just before I turn my eyes up the road and hit the accelerator, I see something very interesting. Hard brake, signal, turn, stop, grab camera, go towards hoards of people, come back to trailer to get a sweater because I'm wearing shorts & a t-shirt and it's FREEZING....
A large group of Elephant Seals were settling in for the night. Very cool. The entire area was fenced and signed to protect the seals. This is a regular nesting ground for them, and has been for likely more years than people have been around. More info here. There were about a hundred here and another 50 or 60 a little further down the beach behind the above camera spot. I snapped pictures and watched them until the light was nearly gone.
This one just stared at me until I walked on.
A penny for your thoughts?
The size difference between the pups and bulls was immense
The campground was just a few miles up the road. Pulled in after dark. I was only staying the night, so it was an easy set-up. What a great day.
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