The Cannery Row Adventure

Thursday 4/23/15
Our day started out early… Janice and Dave Evans, Ed and myself  picked up Liz and Shorty Guptill in Gilroy and we headed to Salinas for fuel for the cars and ouselves. We had a great breakfast at the historic First Awakenings restaurant. Once we were all fueled up it was back on the road to Hwy 1 to the Historic Cannery Row.
 *John Steinbeck's Cannery Row spotlights the legendary lane during its industrial heyday, but the street's true story begins long before canneries lined the former Ocean View Avenue. From Native American, Asian and European settlement, through the boom and bust of the whaling and sardine industries, to structural and economic despair followed by restoration and re-development, the tale of Cannery Row (renamed by Monterey officials 13 years after the release of Steinbeck's novel), continues to fascinate guests. Here, past and present influence the architecture, cuisine and attractions as Cannery Row continues to celebrate the unshakable spirit on which it was founded. Cannery Row is the waterfront street in the New Monterey section of Monterey, California. It is the site of a number of now-defunct sardine canning factories. The last cannery closed in 1973.

		Cannery Row VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

After Cannery Row we continued our adventure along the 17 Mile Rd where we drove the breath taking sights of Big Sur. There is a fee of $10.00 to do this drive along the 17 mile Rd.

		Big Sur  VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

*Jagged cliffs pummeled by surf line the Pacific Coast Highway along Big Sur, creating some of California's most memorable ocean vistas between Carmel and the northern tip of San Luis Obispo County. Jack Kerouac and Henry Miller found inspiration in its fog-banked canyons and meadows. Gray whales migrate past twice a year, and elephant seals bask on the sandy shores. Luxury hotels, restaurants and art galleries cluster in a six-mile strip, giving way to redwood-filled state parks on either side.
We saw some of the oldest Monterey Cypress trees in the country. So awesome…
Here on the coast we saw the famous Lone Cypress which is over 250 years old.

		Lone Cypress VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

and there was a Ghost Tree too…

		Ghost Tree VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 We ended our Big Sur tour at the Historic Bixby Creek Bridge

*Bixby Creek Bridge, also known as Bixby Bridge, is a reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch bridge in Big Sur, California. The bridge is located 120 miles south of San Francisco and 13 miles south of Carmel in Monterey County along State Route 1

It was starting to get late so we headed back home stopping for dinner at a small little Italian place in Monterey, which was totally over priced. Although we didn’t make it to Pfeiffer Beach, it was a GREAT day…

Until next time, Happy Trails and Safe Travels…

NOTE * taken straight from the web site...