Down and To The Left, Algodones Bound

Okay, so I should be too old to be referencing lyrics from Mayday Parade, but I spent too many years taking Chrissy to concerts to not know a lot of songs from that time period.  We headed out the next morning down the Pacific Coast Highway, CA Hwy 1, and this time, we planned to take it all the way down into LA, when we needed to turn left.  We were going to make some stops I hadn't made before, but there MUST be a stop at the Bixby Bridge.

Not long after, we turned down a side road that wasn't really marked as anything other than warning that the road was narrow.  After we made the turn onto that road and another hairpin turn, we came across a sign that let us know we were on the right road to reach Pfeiffer Beach, known for its purple sand.

About 2 miles down this one lane, narrow, winding road that doesn't appear to be well maintained, we finally reached the ranger station where we paid.  Federal passes don't work even though this is supposedly US Forest Service land.  It's not the Pfeiffer State Park (either one), but the State of California collects the entry fee of $12 per car.

We parked and took the short walk down to the beach, and it really does have a purplish tint to the sand!  This is because of the manganese garnet that washes down from the cliffs and hills above the beach.

Across the backwater, there are multiple blowholes in the cliffs that front the Pacific Ocean.

This one is known as Keyhole Rock.

We spent a little time on the beach, walking down to where it started getting rocky, but it was cold and windy, so we headed back fairly quickly.  We headed on down and stopped at the Burns North Vista Point which has the historical information about gray whales and a pretty relief in the concrete.  One day, I'm going to come down here, bring a cooler, and spend the day watching for whales on their migration.

Going on down the road, we had to turn around to make sure we saw what we thought we saw.  I think there's more than rocks that are falling in this spot!

We were running low on gas, so we passed the elephant seal rookery and headed to San Simeon for gas.  The wind surfers and kite surfers were having fun just south of the rookery.

After getting gas in Cambria because there apparently isn't a gas station in San Simeon, we doubled back to the elephant seals, always a must-see for me at the south end of Big Sur.  There's always something different here because they change out for the seasons.  The first time we saw them, it was pupping season and there were babies everywhere.  This time, it was female molting season.  Not nearly as crowded as when females, babies, juveniles, and males who want to mate are all on the beach.  

This is one of the most vulnerable times for them because they can't escape predators.  The elephant seal can't regrow skin while in the ocean because the  blood vessels that are necessary don't go to the surface while they're in the cold ocean.  Also, once they begin molting, going into the water risks hypothermia because the blood vessels are so close to the surface, aiding the growth of new skin and fur.  Because they can't escape into the water, they also can't feed, so they lose about 30% of their body weight during this month of molting, which is done in large patches.

Again, it was cold and windy.  We had trouble even opening and closing the car doors.  No wonder the kite and wind surfers were having such fun.  We got a few shots, talked to the docent from the Friends of the Elephant Seals, always a font of information, and headed back to the car before sand got into my camera.  I still had more things to see!  Off we headed to Morro Bay.  Morro Rock is easily visible as you start pulling into town.

Once we made it to the T pier, we decided to eat at a restaurant on the pier.  I chatted with the hostess and showed her my pictures of the elephant seals and asked her if we were at the right place to see the sea otters.  She said the people at the best table for seeing them were getting ready to leave if we wanted to wait for that table.  Of course we wanted to wait!  I didn't wait to check with Bruce before accepting that offer! She did, indeed, put us at an amazing table for watching the otters while waiting for our food.  The restaurant was pretty spendy, but it was delicious, and you just couldn't beat the view!  These were taken through the window, right beside our table!

He's using his rock to open whatever he picked up off the bottom!

 

And after eating, we walked out to the pier and saw even more!

I could have stayed for hours, but we had already been there for a couple of hours and it was starting to get late.  So, we headed on down the road.  I think I'll be back, though.  I mean, I still need to do the Channel Islands, Solvang, and a variety of other things in and around LA.  Staying overnight in Morro Bay doesn't seem like a bad plan.  I might even take in the Morro Bay Maritime Museum the next time.

The next morning, we continued down CA Hwy 1 through Malibu.  When we got to the ritzy section, Bruce turned around and stopped so I could get an elevated picture.  I didn't take out the big lens, so I didn't zoom in to see if I could find anybody recognizable down there.

We drove down through Broad Beach Road to see if we could find any beach access, but we couldn't find anyplace to get down.  Everything was fenced up between houses, and goodness, those houses are close together!

We couldn't find beach access, but Google says there are places where the public can access the beach here.  I was kinda hoping to see if I could recognize any Malibu beach houses from TV shows.  Next time we go down this way, I'm gonna have a list of "used on TV shows I watched" and go house hunting.  I already mentioned that idea to Bruce.  He rolled his eyes, but agreed.  We saw a lot of these sandstone crevice cliffs on the other side of the street in Malibu.  These actually came up on the beach side of the PCH while we were on Broad Beach Road.  There is, apparently an erosion problem on the beach.  Who woulda thunk it?  Beautiful, though.

We came back up onto the PCH, having such disappointment at not having found Barbie's Malibu Beach House (or any of the real locations that have been used for TV) because we couldn't access the beach to get an actual look at them instead of just the garages (which are upstairs instead of downstairs here) and stopped for a shot of the Malibu sign.

We also found the public beach.  We couldn't figure out how to get in the parking lot for there, either, though there is obviously a way.

Past this, Malibu along the PCH is pretty much like any other city.  There is a lot of construction going on, which makes it actually appear a bit shabby.  I think I was expecting something along the lines of a more affluent Carmel, but it's not even close.  Other than the affluent sections, like Broad Beach, it's really kind of dirty and tacky.  I still want to go back and hunt down the houses that were used on TV, though.

There are other streets that go off the PCH, but we didn't take them.  And at the south end of Malibu, I took over driving, so there are no pictures of anything else, including the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area.  I drove through LA while Bruce napped.  When we finally got to Los Algodones, we checked into the hotel.  I wouldn't get into the pool because it was filthy.  I brought two bathing suits!!  I was so disappointed.

Los Algodones has the nickname of Molar City because you can't take two steps without finding a dental office here.  Sometimes, there would be an optometrist, but mostly dentists.  I took a walk around town to check things out.  It's only a few blocks other than the residential area.  We could see the border from Bruce's dentist's office.

We were very happy with the results.  When they started to do the procedure, they told me I could wait in the waiting room, and Bruce told them they couldn't do it if I wasn't in the room.  We decided I was his emotional support spouse.  I was impressed with them, especially the anesthesiologist.  Instead of putting a tongue guard, the anesthesiologist watched him and at certain times would go over to his head, stand between the dentist and his assistant, and just move Bruce's jaw to support his O2 sats.  We highly recommend them.  It's Dental Del Rio in Los Algodones.

This is the dentist, Dr. Barragan, Bruce, and the PR guy, Ceasar.

We drove straight back, so nothing really to share on the drive back.  I knew he wouldn't feel like stopping anywhere on the way back, so I didn't plan for any stops, with overnights just north of LA and in Redding before making it to Puyallup.  Back home for processing photos and catching up on writing and planning the next escapades.

Deja Vu in Monterey, California

After a little rest, Bruce came home.  The kids and I picked him up from the train station and shortly thereafter, he and I headed out to Mexico to get him some dental work done.  This time, there was some unrest in Tijuana when I was making plans (not so much when we went down), so I made the plans for Los Algodones, just across the border from Yuma, AZ.  So we headed out on a sauntering trip south.

The first time I pulled out the camera was in Weeds at the rest stop.  Mt. Shasta always looks very lovely from this angle.

We drove all day, stopped for the night in Redding, and finally hit the coast and Hwy 1 in Santa Cruz.  We stopped at a marina and got some fresh fruit and watched somebody fly an octopus kite for a few minutes.  Traffic was horrid for a while, so the rest was good.

This time going through Monterey, I was ready for the changes since I had seen them before.  Some of the first changes are the dunes by the bay.  Back in the 1980s, when I lived in Monterey, the beach area between Monterey and Santa Cruz was flat from mining and small beach craft tearing them up.  They have apparently let the dunes rebuild themselves with the help of planting vegetation to help protect them from erosion.  We stopped in Seaside to look at them.

Once we got checked into the hotel and settled in, we headed to Fisherman's Warf for dinner.  We picked Abalonetti's, and there were lots of things that were familiar.  When I lived there and went to the warf on my own to eat, I would usually just pick up something from a kiosk.  I remember the first time I got fish and chips there and was dive bombed by the seagulls.  I knew to protect my food after that.  The only times I went into a sit-down restaurant, I had a date.  The first date I had in Monterey was to Fisherman's Warf.  I don't remember the name of it, but it wasn't at the end of the wharf, and we ate facing the land.  Apparently, Abalonetti's has been in business at the same place since the 1950s.  I'm thinking this might have been the place I had my first date in Monterey.  We had an appetizer of calamari - the nice, tender calamari I've only found in California.  Then Bruce had the sample plate and I had sand dabs.  Delicious.

This is where the cliff I used to sit on used to be.  You can see a few of the rocks that are left.  Asking around, I was told the rocks were starting to fall and it was leveled primarily for safety.  One day, I might walk the "new" promenade that took it's place.

This is the little piece of beach that runs in that little space between where the cliff was and the wharf.

After dinner, we walked along the wharf and watched these guys for a while.

It was cute when one of them hauled out and then got back in.

And we saw gulls, cormorants, and pelicans on one of the rock piles from the old cliff.

The  next morning, I got up and went searching for some old haunts.  I started out with the beach at Carmel-By-The-Sea.  We used to have bonfires there, drink, and hang out.  We didn't really do much swimming because of the undertows.  It's the first beach I ever spent the night on.  There have been some significant changes.  First, there are no longer any bonfires allowed.  I talked to an old surfer who had been hanging out on that beach since the 1980s.  He said the community had really significant controversy about the bonfires.  Apparently, as the housing got closer to the beach, the smoke became a problem.  Residents even measured it to prove it to the city.  There was also a problem with people just kicking sand over their fires to put them out.  That was what we did.  I don't remember anybody bringing water up to pour on it.  Apparently, that doesn't put it out well, and a kid got burned on hot cinders.  They put a boardwalk up and planted vegetation to support the dunes. 

The surfers are still there.  It wasn't a very good surfing day.  It took several tries for this guy to get his wave.  The guy I was talking to was watching this guy to decide if he wanted to suit up and go out.

After hanging out on the beach, I went back into town and just walked along the streets.  I remember going in and out of so many art galleries.  They are still there, and I enjoyed them just as much as I did before.  There is no photography allowed in the galleries, so no pix.  I still couldn't afford any of them, though. 

The bell in the middle of the street is still there.

There is also a bakery that says they have the best cannoli outside of Sicily.  I had to try it.

I didn't have chocolate in Sicily so it may not be a fair test.  This was very good, but I think it was better in Sicily.  The pastry was lighter.

After spending a good portion of the morning in Carmel-By-The-Sea, I decided to take a ride to the Presidio to see what all had changed there.  The first change was that the gate on Franklin Street is now only open at certain times.  I wasn't there at that time.  So, I went around to Lighthouse Rd and entered through the Pvt Bolio gate.  There were a few black-tailed deer grazing in yards.  They were not in herds.

This is the barracks I lived in.  It hasn't changed on the outside.  I didn't try to go inside.  It does still house the Army.  When I was there, the Marines were in the basement.  This yard is where I went to my first end-of-the-world party.

The row of buildings that all look like this is where I spent most of my time.  These were the language classroom buildings.  When I was there, these were mostly Slavic languages (Russian, Polish, and I think there were some Czech classes closer to the tape lab, which is now the EEO office).  Now they are Asian languages, and Russian is the only Slavic language still taught there.  Russian is only taught "up the hill" in the cultural center now.

Soldier's field is where we did PT (physical training).  If I remember correctly, it was 16 laps around the turf for two miles.  It's filled with tents in preparation for Language Day now.

When I went to the Franklin Street gate and turned around to leave (because the gate wasn't open), I saw this sign.  I don't remember any designation for Old Town Monterey back in the 1980s.  It's not really something I would have paid much attention to back then, though.

I tried to go out the Taylor Street gate into Pacific Grove, but it is permanently closed.  They even have a sign telling they're studying the idea of taking down the traffic light at Taylor and Prescott since the gate from the base is closed.  Traffic was light up Prescott, but I didn't get any pictures because parking was into homes.  I drove around looking for my old apartment, but I can't remember what cross street it was on, and nothing looked similar.  I'm sure it's been torn down by now.  I moved out in 1983.  But the first Safeway I was ever in is still there at the top of Prescott.  It was a very emotional day down memory lane.  This was the first place I lived as a legal adult (after boot camp), the place where I met and married my first husband, and lots of other firsts.  I stayed away from Cannery Row, which I learned the last time has become so over-popularized and meant for tourists, being pretty much unrecognizable from back in the day.

We got up the next day for a long, 17-mile drive, starting with breakfast at Denny's, just down the street from the hotel.  Lots of funky cars out in the parking lot.  I went out to ask what was going on because of course, I'm not shying away from talking to strangers.  This was a stop along the Rally4aCause Foundation, or as one of the drivers put it, a way to take a tax-deductible drive down the coast and raise money for a new cause each year.

Since we weren't parking and taking bicycles in, we went in through the Carmel gate.  I don't remember paying to get in, but I didn't have a car, either and was riding with somebody else.  At our first stop, Shephard's Knoll, we met a man who lived there who was walking his dog.  I asked about home visitors and the entrance fee, and he said they pay $500 a year for the "privilege" of being able to have guests that don't have to pay.  They turn in the guest's name to the entrance shack, and their guests show ID and get to come in for free.  This turnout was supposed to show an elevated view of the Bay, but I couldn't find it.

Our next stop was Huckleberry Hill, and you can find your huckleberry here.  Lots of bushes.  Nothing ripe, though, because it's way too early in the season.

The California scrub jay is one of the few jays that doesn't have a crest on his head.  He sure is pretty, though.

Surfers were taking advantage of the waves in Spanish Bay.  They appeared to be having more luck than they did yesterday in Carmel.

This turkey vulture came up while I was scanning the rocks for oystercatchers by The Restless Sea, the fourth turnout.  This section wasn't as restless as others.

Cormorants on a rock

A seagull coming in to join them.

One of the many golf courses along the way.  This one is at Point Joe.

There were lots of daisies at China Rock.

And this is where we got the biggest wave crashes against the rocky shoreline.

Lots of sea lions at Bird Rock

We finally found the birds - cormorants and pelicans and one lone sea gull

And on land, one photogenic squirrel!

From the beach at Seal Rock, you can hike to the Gingerbread House, which is maintained by the Pebble Beach Company.

We finally made it to the most iconic part of 17-Mile Drive, the Lone Cypress.

It's not really alone.

And the Pebble Beach Company has worked hard to keep this cypress tree on this rock.

I really liked the Ghost Trees at Pescadero Point.  The sand and salt have stripped away the outer bark of these trees and killed these branches.  Then, the sun bleaches them.  They're pretty cool.

The rest of the drive is pretty under-impressive.  There's the visitor center, a couple of golf courses (including Pebble Beach), and an empty field.

We went to dinner at the Chinese restaurant where I first learned what a carafe was because my date ordered us a half carafe of wine.  The tables don't even seem to have been moved, and if memory serves, my date (whoever he was) and I sat in this same booth.  I asked the lady, and she said the building has been a Chinese restaurant for about 75 years, and that she and her husband bought it about 20 years ago.  China Garden on the corner of Munras and Webster.  While we were there, a bus with a group of Chinese tourists came in.  She seated them at round tables with lazy susans on them and put multiple dishes on it.  So, they feed tour groups here the same way they feed Western tour groups in China - family style.

I'm glad Bruce is pretty secure in our relationship.  Even though I couldn't remember a lot of the names of the guys I dated, I did talk a lot about dates while we were in Monterey.  We'll be heading down the PCH in the morning, and though I've been on the PCH a few times, more with Bruce than with other dates, this time, we're doing things I haven't done before or have only done with Bruce.