Before leaving San Simeon we stopped to see the elephant seals who were equally cute and gross. There were thousands of them sunning themselves on the beach or ungraciously shuffling themselves over piles of other seals to get to or from the water. It was hilariously entertaining to watch, even if a bit smelly. We also saw the cutest little squirrel begging for someone’s donut…squee!
The N1 - California’s Great Ocean Road
With stunning weather, we continued north along the N1 stopping occasionally to take photos and send the drone out. This road is very similar to Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, just on a grander scale. We eventually came across Big Sur, which we thought we’d missed, and it was ridiculously hectic so we only stopped shortly before continuing on to Carmel.
Carmel by The Sea
We made a quick stop by the quaint little beach town that is Carmel. Being a Saturday afternoon it was crazy busy and a bit overwhelming so we didn’t stay long. It would be a lovely place to visit mid-week when it’s less busy.
Monterey
We arrived in Monterey in the late afternoon only to realise that we’d booked ourselves a room on the wrong side of town, we were staying off a street called ‘Playa Avenue’ and there were muscle car auto shops on several street corners. After finding a laundromat and feeling a little flat about the location, we jumped in the car and drove to the more convivial side of town. We stopped at the marina where we saw lots of seals then wandered along to Fisherman’s Wharf, pausing for a glass of chardonnay and one of the worst grilled cheese sandwiches we’d ever has (how do you get that wrong?!). We spotted more sea otters in the distance, frollicking with some paddle boarders, then headed back into the center of town for a late pizza.
