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  The couches by the larger fireplaces had been replaced by more tables and other similar minor changes, but it was overall the same, as well.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.