InterContinental The Clement Monterey

... Monterey Crepe Company. They make delicious crepes!! YUM!

We are going to try to get out of here tomorrow afternoon. We will catch the tail end of the storm that is blowing through right now, but if we don't leave there is another storm coming up on its heals that we will hit dead on. So hopefully if we leave Wednesday afternoon we will miss most of the weather for the current storm and ...

... t think it is reasonable to charge the full fee when practically the entire park is closed! It was no wonder that there were so many cars parked just outside the park as the Waterfall trail is not far from the entrance and would have easily been accessible from outside the park on foot. Oh well.... let’s just see it as our contribution towards the rebuilding of the park.

Waking up in the middle of the redwoods in the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park was really something else. We had a nice shady spot, and were greeted to streaks of sunlight peeking through the giant redwoods. Awesome!

We headed for brunch at Cafe Kevah, along Highway 1, which is also ...

... weren’t supposed to stay for so long after all. As we came home from dinner, about 2 hours later, the Park Ranger’s van was still there, all lights a-blazing. But this time, we noticed that the windows had been broken and the boot had been popped. So I guess that’s what happened in the meantime! So ok... it seems like the owner has abandoned the car, and it is now being towed away. I would sooooooo like to go and ask the Park Ranger what is going on!!! It could be anything!

We went to Point Lobos State Reserve, not knowing much, except that there are plenty of sea lions in residence. However, we found out at the park entrance that sea otters are also in residence! So it became our mission to spot some sea otters.

We walked the Sea Lion trail, the trail at Whaler's Cove, the Cypress Grove trail and started the Bird Island Trail, without any luck. Shucks! I ...

... views towards the valley beyond.

The next morning we set off back towards the coast towards Monterey and, before long, we were once again swallowed up by the ubiquitous coastal fog. We hadn't booked ahead so we spent some time looking for a motel and the children were happy to jump in the (unheated) pool as soon as we’d unpacked.

The next day we’d planned to get to the famous Monterey Aquarium early but after ...

Today has been awesome!

We packed up and left our hotel in Santa Barbara at 10am. We drove up the 101 for an hour or so and then stopped at a town called Cayucos...it was such a weird little place!!! It was like stepping into a Western movie! Little old saloons...like the Wild Wild West but just off the freeway! lol.

After a drink and wander around there, we carried on up the 101 until it ...

... and everything's that might bigger, bolder, louder, the buildings, the vehicles, the people .. I stopped and asked a young lady for directions and it took me ten minutes to unpick myself from her answer! I got the low down on just about every square inch of San Fran, where not to go, where's hot right now, where's a rip off, where she was going to dinner, what her hopes and dreams were .. Gosh, your from New Zee land. Wow that's like for far from here mom.. Oh yea she ...