Birthday in Northern California, Day 6: Highway 1

Although I didn't get to sleep in, I was extremely invigorated from the rest I got at the Jabberwock Inn. Those sleep number beds are great! The fog in Monterey was very thick today, despite news that a heat wave was supposed to come through and burn it away. I am not as depressed as I thought I'd be now that the celebrations are over because in a sense, I have one more day to explore then back to the comfort of home! Sitting on the window bench, enjoying the sounds of seagulls and smells of coffee brewing in the kitchen below, I witnessed the city come alive. I heard the bells ring at the school down the street and faintly a kid leading the Pledge of Allegiance over an intercom. Talk about nostalgia...

Breakfast was phenomenal! We started off with some wonderful coffee, an apple danish, an quiche-like egg dish with peppers and beans and lots of greens (served with salsa and sour cream), a side of fruit, and AMAZING orange juice smoothie. I will have to get the recipe for that. An elderly lady helped serve the guests, making sure everyone's coffee was always full and by the end I was wired on caffeine. I realized now it had been a few days of not having any coffee or caffeine due to the flu. Now it was hitting!

This morning I walked down to Cannery Row for one last view of the coast, dropped off the postcards at the post office, then headed up Highway One back towards San Francisco.

There is only one word to describe the drive - FOG. I was insistent that if I couldn't see the beautiful sights due to this thick mass of water vapor, I was going to stop at every little stop along the way. I visited some Artichoke and Strawberry farms, a creepy little pumpkin patch, and spent some time at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and Surfing Museum. The Boardwalk, though deserted and under much construction, made me excited for the up and coming Texas State Fair. I'm not quite sure why I love amusement parks and fair grounds so much. The Santa Cruz Boardwalk (being one of the few beach-side amusement parks left in California and being 100 years old at that), was definitely worth the stop.

(Views from the Santa Cruz Boardwalk)

At one point I stopped on the side of the road because I saw a discernible sign that had a hiking symbol near Half Moon Bay. After the rich breakfast and driving all day, I decided to pull over and go for a stroll. It was one of the more surreal experiences of the trip... walking on these huge cliffs with nothing but the sound of cars and waves crashing on the supposed beach, none of which you could see. The path had no signs and visibility was limited. I decided to take off my shirt as I had complete privacy. It was like my own little playground!

The day winded down with a drive back to San Mateo. I didn't quite want to leave nature, and even started to grow fond of the fog. In perspective I only left the city for less than two days but it felt like a week's escape. I spent the rest of the evening packing up and preparing for my flight the next day, watching classic movies on the television.



As a summary, my vacation was amazing. Though short and becoming infected with the flu, I proved to myself that I could push through it and see and experience some amazing things. I wouldn't make a single change, except to share it it someone else of course :-(. That will definitely be taken into consideration for my next travels. Until then, it's blogging and dreaming...

Birthday in Northern California, Day 5: Monterey & the Jabberwock B&B

I booked a room at this very well-reviewed Jabberwock Inn, tucked away near historic Cannery Row in Monterey, as a birthday present from my mother. This place was just amazing. The minute I arrived I was greeted by Dawn, one of the owners. She first gave me a tour of the place, showing me the beautiful little common areas (where there was always free freshly baked cookies laying out, complimentary teas and snacks, little Alice & Wonderland knick-knacks and later in the evening free wine and sherry). She pointed out the little garden that had two standard poodles, an oyster-shell Bouche Ball court, and wonderful landscaping. On the way up to my room, there was a secret closet that housed a refrigerator with complimentary soft drinks and juice for the guests. What a charming place!

My room was the Mimsy Room (from the poem Jabberwocky) on the third floor that overlooked the entire Monterey Bay with complete privacy. I learned from the other owner, Bill, that it's one of the most popular rooms, one in which his own mother wants to stay whenever she gets sick and needs to recover (which is exactly what I need after this flu!). I opened the windows to the sounds of seagulls and the smell of the ocean, only a few blocks away. There was a nice little window bench I sprawled out on and just watched the outside world. The weather was perfect.

(Photo One: Peeking out the window, Photo Two: View from the Mimsy Room, Photo Three: Jelly beans and scotch next to the bed!)

I decided to walk down to Cannery Row, the historic namesake of the Steinbeck novel I have yet to read. The area had become extremely commercialized and developed and it was very difficult to get access to the beach or even a view of the shore. I wonder what Steinbeck would have thought of all this. It reminds me of many places I visit that just don't hold the charm that they either used have to or were intended to have (like Bricktown in Oklahoma or the Strand in Galveston). I did manage to see an otter or two by the beach, they were so cute!

(Photos of the shoreline in Monterey)

On the way back I bought some extremely cheap pizza and some liquor, although I wish I'd had waited since at the Jabberwock a couple of the guests as well as Dawn and John were mingling in the little indoor porch area, eating appetizers and drinking wine. I noticed the dry erase board that had the names and origins of all the guests. There were couples from Long Island, London, and Berkeley, and we all chatted that evening about things to see around the area, photography, Irish music, Obama, accents, TV Shows, NYC, and beyond. I was so appreciative to have people to talk with on my birthday and to be in such a welcoming warm place. The sun set and we all retired to our respective rooms.

I spent the last remaining hours of my birthday laying on the window beach writing postcards to friends and taking a nice little shower. The fog crept in and soon you could not discern details outside for more than a block away, which was great for me because that meant lots of privacy. It started to get cold, despite being wrapped in some blankets, so I closed the windows and headed off to my sleep-number bed (which I had never experienced). I had a night cap of complimentary Scotch and jelly beans which was provided at the bedside and had a great night's sleep.

"My wife cried when we left, what else can I say" - Review about the Jabberwock.

I am a little concerned with my psyche tomorrow. The day after my birthday is sometimes depressing, like the party is over. My day is over. We'll see how it goes.

Birthday in Northern California, Day 5: Big Sur Beauty

Happy Birthday to Me!

I rented a car this morning and headed off to Monterey blasting New Wave and Alternative music playing on one of the local radio stations. The weather was perfect, I was feeling much better, and there was not a bit of traffic. Driving on 101 South the valleys eventually rid themselves of houses and civilization and I could smell cypress and pine from my rolled down window. Freedom and celebration for me!

Nearing the Pacific, I saw the dreaded sea mist / fog start to creep in. At first I thought it was smoke from a forest fire with the strange brownish tint but after much asking around I eventually learned this was par for the course. Since I made very good time, I decided to drive past Monterey to Carmel and beyond to Big Sur. At about that time the radio station receptions completely died except for one channel that had this strange british voices talking about Abba and getting sick on mussels. Completely bizarre but I had no other options. I zoomed through Highway 1 as there was really nothing to SEE due to the very thick fog. Highway 1 I learned is not the place to drive fast and I almost scared myself a few sharp turns.

I drove on past Garrappata State Park, past seemingly beautiful views. I was on a mission to see two sites I remember from my childhood that caused my insane fascination with Big Sur. First stop was the Henry Miller Museum in the Big Sur Park. Surrounded my tall trees, this little cabin store had a few new features, including a gigantic stage and some art work in the back. I bought a commemorative book for my father, who introduced me to this when I was little, explored around out back, and finally relaxed and listened to a local guitarist play acoustic Beatles songs. I think Henry Miller would have been proud of this place.

(Photo One: Henry Miller Museum, Photo Two: Me playing among the art in the back, Photo Three: Clovers in the back area!, Photo Four: The Bathroom)

The second place of interest is this wonderful little restaurant overlooking the coast called Nepenthe. Parking was brutal as was the wait. Apparently I was not the only one who was a fan of this place. I ordered myself a Bloody Mary and sat out on some cushions and stairs and soaked in a bit of the sun shining through the fog. I met a man named Noel who asked so very politely to borrow my phone to make a call, to which I agreed and the person on the other line eventually wished me a very Happy Birthday. Worth the risk of helping out a stranger right there! While talking to this lady friend of his, he joked, "If I die young, tell my mother I was gay!" Not sure what that meant but it was humoring.

(The patio at Nepethe / Bloody Mary Time!)

I stopped along the way back to Monterey at a few 'vantage' points just so I knew there was a damned ocean out there through the fog. I don't know what attracts me so much to this area. Perhaps it's the violent beauty of the ocean battling the coastline... of the forest inching it's way to the very edge of the sea. The California fauna that stays vibrant all year long is so very different from that of Texas that a patch of wild grass I could investigate for quite some time. Next stop is the infamous Jabberwock Bed & Breakfast.

(a good peak I had of the Big Sur bay through the fog)