Monterey

The main reason for spending two nights in Monterey was to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is widely billed as one of the best in America. I don't know who is responsible for cultivating that general opinion, but they've obviously never been to AQWA (Underwater World). It didn't help that we were there on Veteran's Day, the 11 November public holiday, along with every school-aged child from the area.

Jellyfish

Sardines

The Sea Otters were easily the (only?) highlight, and unlike anything we've ever seen before. These marine mammals were nearly hunted to extinction for their thick fur - there are only a few thousand remaining off the Californian coast today, all of which are descended from a single colony of fifty discovered near Big Sur in 1938.

Sea Otter

Sea Otters

The most exciting thing that happened in Monterey was Daniel nearly getting eaten by a raccoon after dinner. We were walking back to our Motel along a footpath next to some trees. I, being closest to the trees, spotted the creature and announced "look, there's a raccoon just there." Daniel's reaction mirrored the way my mother reacts when she comes across a snake. He jumped, screamed, grabbed my hand and tried to pull me into the middle of the road. Perhaps he thought the oncoming traffic posed less of a threat than the terrified raccoon, which had now retreated further into the tree and was trembling as it watched Daniel flailing his arms in panic. Poor little thing. The Raccoon, that is, not Daniel.

Mendocino to Monterey

I woke up in a world of pain this morning - as soon as I tried to roll over my back seared and snapped me out of that groggy moment in which you're not yet awake. Daniel just smiled smugly and said I'm not the cowgirl I thought I was. Luckily, all I had to do for the day was sit in the car for near on eight hours and gaze upon more coastal scenery.

Part of California State Route 1

At one point mid-afternoon, after I'd been typing and not concentrating on the road, I looked up and realised we were many miles inland and no longer on the 1. I'm a little incredulous at dear Daniel's lack of a sense of direction - he can't even manage to stay on the one road, the 1, the one we're taking in the one direction for hundreds and hundreds of miles! It's lucky I'm somewhat fond of him... He had no idea where he'd left the 1, but it ended up being a relatively scenic detour through farmland and past lots of cows (I love cows).

Later than planned, when the light was already beginning to fade, we caught our first glimpses of the Bay Area. We were to pass through San Fransisco before returning some ten days later after returning our hire car - it's simply too expensive to park.

The Bay Area

We did, however, get to drive over the famous Golden Gate Bridge. It really is the most beautiful colour, but our camera (or the person wielding it) didn't capture the light very well.

Driving across the Golden Gate

From the outskirts of San Francisco the road was flatter and wider, which we appreciated as we lost the sun not long after passing over the Golden Gate. We made it to Monterey a couple of hours after dark, which meant we got to appreciate the sunset along the way.

Lighthouse

Horsing Around

This post is dedicated to Gretchen, Ben, Claire and Doug, whose extremely generous wedding gifts made this awesome day possible - thank you so much!

Didjeridoos aside, we stayed in Mendocino because it was close to Fort Bragg, where Ricochet Ridge Ranch is situated. We'd looked at going horse riding in a few different places, but this particular ranch seemed to have an excellent reputation so we booked a private, four-hour trail ride that would take us through the forest and along the beach.

Before I rang to book I asked Daniel if he had any riding experience - I had to let the ranch know so they could pair us with suitable horses. The conversation went as follows:

"Not really, but I'm fine - horses don't scare me," he said.
"Have you been on one before?"
"I think I went on a pony ride as a kid. No problems."
"Right."

Needless to say, when we got there and they brought out Cloud, a rather large white mare, he turned a vivid shade of green and all the bravado of the earlier conversation disappeared. I was to ride the feisty Voltaire. He's fifteen or so now but didn't come to the ranch until he was five and at that point had not been gelded (chopped). According to our guide, this meant he'd had plenty of time to learn and retain typical male behaviours (sulkiness, unnecessary aggression, showing off, general disobedience etc). It took me a while to stop being too timid and actually take control of him - Daniel was/is much easier to break.

Voltaire

The ride began up in the forested mountains (or very large hills), from where we could see down to the beach and along the coast for miles. We rode through the redwoods before heading back down past the ranch and onto the beach. From there we could see colonies of seals sunbathing on the rocks offshore, and there were at least two whales playing beyond them.

For the most part we walked, but we had a few good trots - once Danny worked out how to post he was brilliant. I was lucky enough to get in a small (involuntary) canter when Cloud managed to get in front of Voltaire and Voltaire was not having any of it. I may not have looked particularly graceful, but I managed to stay on. To be honest, I would have loved a deliberate canter, but we had to stay at Daniel's pace...

By the end of our ride Daniel was feeling much more comfortable, but I have no doubt he was pleased to get his feet back on the ground. He prefers the company of smaller, more cuddly animals.

Like the cat that got the cream

Hopefully there will be more (significantly better) photos to come, as we were accompanied by equine photographer Shawn Hamilton. She was researching, photographing and writing an article for Trail Magazine, and she has very kindly said she will send us some of the photos she took.

Killer Cali

We crossed the border into California not long after leaving Gold Beach, OR. It's not somewhere that I'd been particularly excited about visiting - I guess I assumed it would feel too much like Perth, too beachy, too familiar. But when we drove past the 'Welcome to California' sign it was a momentous moment - we had entered one of the most ubiquitous places in the world, and our stereo was blasting Californication by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Today we would transfer from the 101 to the start of California State Route 1, the parts of which are known as the Shoreline Highway, Cabrillo Highway and, most famously, the Pacific Coast Highway. We would travel down it until we reached Los Angeles.

The 1 begins just outside of a small town called Leggett. There we drove into a tree. Then we drove out the other side. I think I've already mentioned just how many things in America are drive-through - apparently trees are among them.

The Chandelier Tree

I'd love to show you a more complete photo, but it took me five frames to get from the bottom of the tree to the top. This Giant Sequoia (also known as California Redwood) is 315ft (96m) high, has a diameter of 21ft (6.4m) and is up to 2400 years old. Wow. We drove through a few Redwood forests down the coast - these magnificent trees make you feel so small and insignificant, especially in their abundance.

To get to the coast from Leggett the 1 took us through Redwood-covered mountains and the road seemed perilously high and winding. It was a good thing Daniel couldn't see through the trees - I could, and it didn't help that I was on the outer edge of the road. No photos from that section, for I was hanging on for dear life. It was nice to finally hit the coast again, although it wasn't a much easier drive thereafter. Our first impression of the 1 was that it's hard work. The scenery is spectacular, but it's tough driving - small, winding roads, steep gradients and hairpin turns.

Also in abundance along the coast is visible marine life. It was a still, clear day and we kept spotting water spurts out in the ocean. They were, of course, whales. Apparently they migrate up and down the coastline, mainly humpbacks and blues at this time of year. We stopped to watch one for a bit - oh how I wish we had a monster telephoto lens. Alas, ours had to do.

Whale

We'd booked accmodation in a small coastal town called Mendocino. Only 900 people live there, but it's on a headland and such a beautiful spot. It was founded in 1850 and many of the town's buildings are Victorian. It's a popular spot for weekending from the Bay Area, and it also felt like a hippie wonderland. We stayed here:

It's called the Didjeridoo Dreamtime Inn and Meditation Center. I didn't just make that up, but now you understand why we had to stay there. It's run by Charles, his wife Mary and his business partner Miranda. They're lovely, interesting people. Charles makes didjeridoos and Miranda plays them, very well - she played for us over a home-cooked, organic breakfast one morning. I didn't have the heart to point out to her that in Aboriginal culture women don't touch, let alone play, didjeridoos, as it's bad luck to do so and they supposedly make women infertile. We were upgraded upon arrival (no doubt for being Australian - that blew Charles's mind) and our room was gorgeous. Conversation over breakfast was great - we had a fascinating chat with Charles about the state of America, environmental issues and its healthcare system (or lack thereof). If you ever find yourself in Mendocino, I can't recommend it enough.