California dreamin’ still on your mind? I hope so! Please enjoy part 2 of How to Cruise the PCH.

If you missed it, you can check out Part 1 here.

Monterey Bay

On the Road

The cruise down from San Francisco to Monterey will take you a bit over two hours if you’re chuggin’ it down the PCH… but you’re not chuggin’ it, you’re on vacation.

Relax.

We fought the urge to pull over around nearly every bend to take pictures with each new vista. We succumbed to this urge often early on, but grew weary of the frequent stops and herky-jerky progress eventually.

There’s really not much on the road to Monterey.

Bad if you’re low on gas, great if you’re into seascapes.

Santa Cruz is the largest city along the way. We didn’t stop, making 14 year-old skater punk version of JR marginally perturbed. Thankfully, we got a good chunk of the “Santa Cruz experience” during a ten second interlude rolling up to a light in the middle of town.

Through shaded eyes, I glanced left casually to see three quintessential teenage skaters strolling the sidewalk, boards in hand.

Approaching a full stop, we heard, clear as day in the slowest, gnarliest “Spicoli” voice I’ve ever heard:

“Saaanta….Cruuuuuz…Taaacqueria, BRO!”

M and I looked at each other and burst into giggles as we zoomed through the green… awesome.

Monterey

What we did:

The Monterey pennisula is beautiful! Somehow word got out.

The preponderance of land, or so it seems, is earmarked for golf courses. These are some of the best in the world, with the renowned Pebble Beach Links included. The tourist-trap laden downtown retains a bit of its sleepy fishing village origins, mostly in the architectural bones of its re-purposed canneries. Allusions to its hometown hero, author John Steinbeck, are peppered about town.

I found Steinbeck’s work a while back in the quiet basement of the Brookline Booksmith. During green line commutes from Brighton into town, I zipped through a good chunk of his novels. They make for perfect T reads! Many are short and sweet.

Cannery Row and Tortilla Flat are two of my favorites. They are set here in California’s Salinas Valley. After this trip, I better appreciate references to these golden hills! I imagine myself living as Steinbeck’s paisano, dreamily sipping red wine in the shade of a scrubby pine, squinting out under a wide brimmed hat to the Pacific’s azure gradient.

It makes me smile…

In lieu of chasing the ghost of John Steinbeck or mucking it up with Tiger at Pebble, we decided to spend most of our time on the coast in between downtown Monterey and the golf courses. Albeit filled with tourists like us, it made for good exercise after sitting in the car. We needed to move… and shake!

So we did that and found some more animal pals.

Carmel-By-the-Sea

What we did:

A short hop over to the other side of the peninsula and you’ll find Carmel-By-the-Sea. It’s a distinct shift in vibe.

If blindfolded and spun about, you might think you got plopped down in a swanky European destination.

The town is littered with high end restaurants and fine art galleries. You will not find litter, not a speck, every inch is immaculate.

Succulents spring from hanging gardens along buildings, window frames of businesses and reach down to you from natural archways.

Little passageways grant access inside building blocks, revealing cozy atriums and secret patios. We zig-zagged about the hillside town, snapping pictures feverishly.

M and I communicated through gestures and facial expressions predominantly, not daring to disturb the morning’s tranquility with the superfluity of language.

Slowly, but surely, like water, we made our way downhill towards the beach.

Not only did we find some great driftwood, but we found Pebble’s famous ocean-side 14th hole!

We took our time plodding down the beach. Pebble’s 14th starts way off in the distance and then all of a sudden, you’re underneath it. We made our way up a little trail (is this cool?… I don’t know… We’re doing it!)

Turning 180 degrees, it appears only after climbing: A secret beach!!!

Naturally, my first inclination… better go down there and build a pile of rocks…

Where we stayed:

Hilton property, points redeemed. No out of pocket expense.

Big Sur

What we did:

M and I rolled through Big Sur, only stopping for lunch. We found a great roadhouse cafe with a nice old rusty truck out front. My kind of place. The food was great!

Big Sur is sparsely populated. The tourist will likely fly through without really experiencing much of anything. Count us in this camp… for this trip at least. I’d like to come back and explore hiking and off-the-beaten-path spots. I’ve heard they also host an incredible marathon.

With that said, for our little excursion, Big Sur provided some of the best driving of the trip with the most dramatic drop-offs.

It made for great pictures, but vice gripping the wheel with sweaty hands can grow tiresome.

Onward to Hearst Castle! Oh, wait… we missed the last tour of the day by ten minutes…Dang!

At least we got to see the zebras on the property!

We were treated to one more amazing surprise down the road from Big Sur… elephant seals!!!

San Luis Obispo/Pismo Beach

What we did:

SLO is a college town, it felt like it. It’s a bit inland, just a bit, but enough to make you lose the coastal feel. I got nothing against the town, but it was definitely the least interesting place of the trip. We had some food, some drinks, some laughs. We did alright.

Back to the beach with a stop at Pismo before we hit the road again.

Pismo Beach is cool, it’s laid back, sleepy, a surfer vibe. Well, when in rome… Get yourself some surfer gear…

Pismo also has a throw back feel, like it’s a bit lost in time. I really enjoyed the retro motel signage.

Where we stayed:

Non-Hilton property, CC points redeemed, no out of pocket expense.

Other Tidbits on How to Cruise the PCH:

• Slow the heck down and stop often! Take it all in, go slow, pull over, don’t worry about that dude riding your ass.
• I watched the Patriots game next to a Mexican-American 9-ers fan in Monterey. He was loud, drunk, obnoxious… and a great dude! His son just passed a firefighter exam, a big freakin’ deal out there. He was booming with pride!
• Pebble Beach costs about $700/person to play these days (just for greens fees). Don’t tell anyone who’s remotely interested in golf this because they’re going to tell you about their Uncle Frank who played Pebble back in 1983 for $38. We did not play.

Next Stop on the PCH: Los Angeles County