Drive from Monterey to Big Sur

Chris took off for a "look see" one day and ended up driving south to Big Sur.  It's about 35 miles south of Monterey, but it's a curvy, up and down two lane road along the coast.  It's also very dangerous as there are many spectacular vistas and people are stopping and pulling in and out all along the drive.  You have to be careful.  One tourist was not and she ended up going over a cliff and died that day.  So be careful if you ever go there.

Now with that said, enjoy the pics.  We decided to put them all right here, so no links to the album.

Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey and Pacific Grove

We made it to Monterey and got settled in at a small military campground that is inside the military golf course that seems to serve the Naval Post Graduate School and the Defense Language School.  The golf course is beautiful, but the campground is a little worn out and there are golf balls flying everywhere.  You had to keep an eye out for them when walking the dog.  One did hit the coach, but there was no damage.  We were quite comfortable there in spite of the golf balls and the planes taking off over head from the Monterey Airport.




Of course, Monterey is a wonderful place to be.  It's as beautiful as we imagined.  We particuarly enjoyed the small town between Monterey and Carmel called Pacific Grove.  There's an ocean front walk from Pacific Grove to Monterey that has to be one of the most beautiful in California.  We did drive through Carmel, but there were so many tourists, we did not stop.  We couldn't afford anything there anyway!!

We are going to let the pictures tell the story.  As usual, click the link, select slide show and hit F-11 on your computer.  Enjoy!

https://picasaweb.google.com/103645060086585742201/NavalPostGraduateSchoolAndWalkFromPacificGroveToMontereyCannery?authkey=Gv1sRgCN2axoPjpoPzPg#

San Juan Bautista

We had to find a place to sit for a week before our reservation in Monterey, CA would start.  After researching the different rv parks, we found one near San Juan Bautista. 

We didn't know anything about the place or area except that it was near Gilroy, CA.  We both wanted to check out Gilroy because it's the GARLIC capital of the world. 

We did go to Gilroy a couple of times and it was a nice place, but it was also very touristy. San Juan Bautista on the other hand is a wonderful small town and community. 

The San Juan Mission was founded in 1797 and is the only California mission that is still in use.  The area surrounding the mission is a State Park, but the mission is still on it's own and you can tour it separate from the State Park.  The State Park consists of the old buildings that surrounded the mission.  It's an interesting look at life at that time.

The town of San Juan Bautista is very old and quaint.  There are some nice restaurants and shops.  Most of the town is open Thursday through Sunday.  Monday through Wednesday you may find a few things open, but it's a very chill type place.  It's about an hour east of Monterey, so if you are ever in the area, take the time to see San Juan Bautista.


To view more pictures of the mission, town and area, click the links, select slideshow and hit F-11 on your computer to enlarge.

https://picasaweb.google.com/103645060086585742201/MissionSanJuanBautista?authkey=Gv1sRgCJTnn4Tek92VzQE#

https://picasaweb.google.com/103645060086585742201/SanJuanBautistaStateParkAndTown?authkey=Gv1sRgCOn7tpvRgeXBzQE#