Carmel-By-The-Sea Didn't Make Me Cry Like Monterey Did

When we finally left San Simeon and the elephant seals, we headed on up the Pacific Coast Highway.  They were still working on areas that had been subject to that major landslide last year, but the whole road was open.  Where they had finished working, the new growth was coming up.  On the places where there was only minimal sliding, the new growth areas was even more evident.

All of the best bridges, including the Bixby Bridge were still lovely.

Even Buttercup decided to get out and enjoy the view.  She liked the PCH so much, she has mentioned she may want to tag along for some other adventures!

As we got closer to the north end of Big Sur, we were ready for lunch.  After my last not-so-good experience with the major changes that had happened in Monterey, I debated with myself about whether I wanted to just stop at a fast food place or go into one of the towns.  Looking at Google's list of restaurants in the area, I learned that the Hog's Breath Inn was still open in Carmel.  I spent many a Friday and/or Saturday night there, eating appetizers and drinking with friends while at the language school in Monterey.  I decided it was likely the same, so we headed into Carmel for lunch at the Hog's Breath.

Carmel was a breath of fresh air!  There was little change since the 1980s.  We didn't go all the way down Ocean Ave. to the beach or go all through downtown, but I saw enough to make me decide not to avoid the area out of fear of the emotional reaction I had to the changes in Monterey.  The streets coming into town still look like pseudo-rural roads.  It's still the snooty town with tiny signs, but it's arranged so that you can see what you're looking for.  The part of town we went through was still made up primarily of art galleries  and cafes with a couple of salons and real estate agencies sprinkled throughout.

The Hog's Breath may have changed hands, but the changes inside the restaurant were minor.  Even the fireplace we used to eat in front of was still there.  The couches by the larger fireplaces had been replaced by more tables and other similar minor changes, but it was overall the same, as well.

We had planned to follow the coast road all the way up California, through Oregon, and into Washington.  The weather reports were calling for severe storms up the coast with flooding in coastal Oregon and Washington.  Plus, I decided I needed to take in this area in small doses at a time because it, apparently, holds so much emotion to me.  We'll obviously be coming through this area multiple times because - come on - you know what it is - Elephant Seals!!  So, we went inland, taking the most direct route back to Puyallup.  Since that meant driving through Sacramento (loads of traffic) and Bruce had a Bloody Mary with lunch, I drove, so there aren't many pictures.  We got safely tucked in before the storms came, though. And Buttercup was happy to be out of the car for a more extended period.

Elephant Seals!! Need I Say More?

San Simeon, California, is a little wide spot in the road at the southern end of Big Sur.  For me, its most importance feature is its proximity to the Elephant Seal Rookery.  Here, the elephant seals like to hang out with different populations coming at different times of the year, so this is not a one-time place to visit.  Late November/early December marks the beginning of pup season.  We came through on December 13, and there were three new pups on the beach - the first day of pupping!  I'll pop a few comments periodically, but this part is mainly pictures.  I just love elephant seals!

Three tired moms with their pups

A juvenile male practicing his vocalizing

This adult male could certainly use something to help with that snoring!

Why you shouldn't fall asleep so close to the shoreline when the tide's coming in!

She may look like she's asleep and not paying attention, but watch this juvenile back up!

"It makes my skin so soft!!"

I took lots of video out where the waves were initially breaking because it was difficult to tell from shore whether those things bobbing up and down were elephant seals or rocks.  Turns out, at times, it was neither!  The docent from the Friends of the Elephant Seals said these guys were further out than this!

Though I could spend hours upon hours and days upon days watching the elephant seals, we did need to head north, so we got back into the car and did just that.  I was looking through my pictures, when Bruce pulled into a driveway and turned around.  I'm asking him what's going on, and he's just not saying  anything, but having me unbuckle and get ready to get out.  Knowing him well, I had no thoughts that he was going to put me out on the side of the road and leave me, but that's exactly what he did!  He slowed down, suggested I get out of the car, and drove off!

There were signs saying no stopping or parking on the side of the road, so he could not pull off and stop.  Nothing said that I couldn't stand on the side of the road and take pictures of the elephant seals playing in the feeder waters coming in from the ocean!

Including this group of juvenile males playing and practicing fighting for when they get old enough to try to get a mate.

My favorite, though, is this little trespasser trying to blend in with the cattle!

Oh what a glorious morning!

Too Cold to Stop - San Antonio, Texas, to San Simeon, California

Driving through the Hill Country and Big Bend areas of Texas is beautiful, but it's such a vast area that it gets old after a while, especially when you're on the interstate and it's cold and windy outside.  We might have left the interstate and taken in some of the attractions off the highway, but it was frigid outside.  So, the most we saw was some of the more unique rest stops along the way, like the wagon wheels.  We stopped and ate in the car because it was simply too cold to eat in the picnic areas.

With the heavy winds, it was a hard drive, but we did make it to El Paso by dinner time.  We decided that while there, we would need to check out Chico's Tacos only because it has such rave reviews, especially by one of our favorite comedians, Gabrielle Eglesias.  The menu is limited, so what they do, they do very well - rolled tacos in sauce and cheese, but you can get hamburgers, hot dogs, and grilled cheese.  We stopped at what we believe to be the original location on Alameda Avenue.

The place was packed, and we appeared to be the only gringos in there.  Counter staff did not speak English.  All of these were a very good sign that the food was going to be tasty.  The sauce on the rolled tacos was definitely a taste adventure, and it was delicious!  It was like nothing I have ever tasted before or since, and they obviously don't scrimp on what they give you!  I would definitely recommend a stop at Chico's if you're in El Paso!

We woke the next morning to temperatures below freezing in El Paso.  Traffic was heavy, and our hotel was in a construction zone, so we decided to hit the Village Inn next door for breakfast before heading out, hoping it would warm up at least a little bit.

The drive through New Mexico was mostly uneventful.  We barely even came to a stop at the immigration checkpoint.  We just put the window down, and the border agent told us to have a nice day.  We were the only vehicle there, so we didn't even have to wait in line.  I guess we're obviously not Canadians overstaying our visa.  I didn't even see the dog out, so I guess we obviously weren't transporting drugs, though I might have had some of my pain meds with me on the trip.  Just sayin'.

Much of New Mexico is just as barren along the interstate as West Texas was, and when Mother Nature called, we were in the middle of nowhere, but there was a souvenir shop.  We passed a sign giving a town name that I don't remember, and we pulled off to the Continental Divide gift shop.  I unplugged my phone, which was sitting in my door pocket, and jumped out without grabbing my purse or anything else and ran inside.  There was a nice man standing at the counter, who greeted me pleasantly and pointed out the ladies room.  When I finished my business and came out into the store, I noticed Bruce hadn't gotten out of the car, so I just went back out, and we left.  A few miles down the road, I noticed my phone was missing.  About 5 miles further, we were able to turn around.  We went back to the souvenir shop, where the same nice man was standing at the same counter.  He greeted me pleasantly, again, and I headed back to the ladies room, where I found my phone laying right where I set it.  We all had a good laugh over that.  Turns out the little town is now a ghost town with about 5 people living there, including the three people that were in the store at the time (not counting us).  The town shut down long ago, and now, they're officially designated for mail as part of a town 30 miles away.  They had some neat stuff in the store, which was good since we went twice.

The vehicles under the awning are just for show, and the pick-up truck is for the lady who was restocking one of the displays.  We were told we had just met most of the town!

A few miles down the road, we saw more tourists than we had since we left San Antonio!

After a restful evening outside Phoenix and an oil change for the Incognito Cruiser (the current GeezerMobile), we headed on toward California.  We were getting close to the coast, and I was getting excited about seeing the elephant seals again.  So, we decided to head straight to the coast, potentially taking the coast road all the way up through Washington.

After clearing the agricultural checkpoint to enter California and taking the obligatory state welcome sign picture,

we, once again, saw snow.  This time, it was on the mountain tops, and it was significantly warmer outside, though.  Who says palm trees and snow don't go together!?

Bruce doesn't like to drive in traffic, so I took over the driving from here, since there's no missing traffic even when you're just skirting Los Angeles.  It was late when we got there, but we tucked in for the night in San Simeon, California.  Only a couple of miles south of the elephant seal rookery!

The River Walk Under Christmas Lights

After a good night's sleep in a little boutique hotel in Katy, we took our time to head out.  We weren't going very far this day - all the way to San Antonio, just a couple of hours down the road.

I lived in San Antonio in the 1980s after finishing my first stint in the Army, and I have  lot of fond memories of it - including the River Walk, which has been expanded since I was last there.  But, I wanted to see the River Walk decked out in Christmas lights, which meant spending the night.  We enjoyed looking at the things in the rest area in Seguin

It was lunch time when we got to San Antonio, so we went by the River Walk for lunch and to spend some time there during the day.  We had a nice lunch by the river with some ducks and other birds.

The birds were definitely comfortable with people.  I was startled the first time one walked past my chair and rubbed against my leg. Even more shocked when one landed on the table and helped himself to a chip while we were still sitting there!  We were trying to eat, so we didn't get any pictures of it.

Over the last several years, we have eaten multiple types of Latin-American food, including food from multiple regions in Mexico and multiple types of American-style Mexican food.  I have to admit, Tex-Mex is still my favorite.  This is also the meal that convinced us to switch our big meal of the day to lunch instead of dinner since we no longer have family members out in different places during the day, and we're eating pretty much all of our meals together now.  It was just as delicious as I remember Tex-Mex to be.  If you look closely, you can see part of my scar through my peek-a-boo shoulders on my shirt.

They have water taxis that you can take around different parts of the river.  All you have to do is stand on the steps so the taxi knows to pick you up - like these guys did.

After lunch, we walked upstairs and over to the Alamo.  All the time that I live there, I had not visited the Alamo, so this was a first for me.  The audio tour that you can buy in the plaza is a waste of money.  It's primarily just a recording of someone reading the signs by each exhibit.  After a a few of them, I let the player just hang around my neck and enjoyed the museum.

After the Alamo, we checked into our hotel, up close to my old neighborhood outside Hillcrest.  The plan was to take a boat ride that night on the River Walk and check out the old neighborhood on the way out in the morning.  I started talking to the desk clerk when we checked in.  He was telling me about all the changes that had been made in the area, especially around Medical Drive.  While Bruce was napping,  I kept remembering how much trouble I had with the major changes in Monterey, and I started having second thoughts about going back to the old neighborhood.

But that was a decision for tomorrow.  The night was for the River Walk decked out in Christmas lights.  Again, I don't do so well filming in the dark.  Chrissy just taught me how to make some minor adjustments to be able to get a decent picture in China, and I'm still practicing and learning.  It was amazing and magical taking that river cruise.  The lights were awesome.  I wish my shots gave it justice, but sadly, they're disappointing.  I'll share them with you anyway.

No matter how much Chrissy tries to show me, I just haven't gotten the hang of the selfie yet.

If you ever have the opportunity to see the River Walk at Christmas, I highly suggest doing it.  It was beautiful!

When we woke the next morning, I decided to forego going through my old neighborhood.  Maybe next time, but I just didn't have the courage to see that things that were important to me were gone, so we headed West through the hill country.