Carmel, Monterey and 17-Mile Drive

Posted by Sparky on January 16, 2013

On Saturday the dogs got bored. They said, “Look, Dad – it’s not raining! A nice sunny day, kinda warm temperatures, a full tank of gas… Please, Dad, can we take a ROAD TRIP?”

(Those of you who know my dogs recognize this as pure fiction. They would never say “please”.)

So I grabbed some water for the dogs (but none for me, which proved to be a mistake), strapped the dogs into the back seat and sallied forth on a trip to Carmel, Monterey and 17-Mile Drive. I plotted a course that would take me south through Gilroy, over to Carmel, along 17-Mile Drive, into Monterey, then back north through a winding mountain pass and up the valley through Morgan Hill. Round trip distance: 145 miles.

Monterey Loop

The dogs were right: it was a nice day for a drive. Crystal clear, brisk, light traffic. The journey to Monterey was carefree, with no problem with directions or traffic. When we got to Carmel we found a place to park the monster truck on a side street and went for a walk. Carmel (or, to the snobbish, Carmel-by-the-Sea) is a sleepy town that appears to offer nothing but art galleries. The dogs and I wandered around for about 40 minutes and did not find any place to get a cup of coffee. The dogs got a water break; I got nothing.

But the pups enjoyed the walk because it seems that people who like art galleries also like canines. There were LOTS of dogs on the street.

Failing to get my coffee, I loaded the dogs back into the truck and went in search of 17-Mile Drive. It was not hard to find as it has its own exit off of CA 1. There is a $9.75 charge to drive the route if you aren’t one of the mega-millionaires who lives there, but it was worth it, just to get the photos (see below). There is a lot of great scenery on 17-Mile Drive. But no coffee.

It took about an hour to drive the 17 miles because we made so many stops. I am happy to report that the dogs enjoyed their first view of the Pacific Ocean and even felt a little salt spray. So Cha-Cha, our little Puerto Rican street waif, has now seen the Caribbean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. How many dogs can say THAT?

We next hit Monterey, in search of Cannery Row. And coffee. Didn’t find either. In retrospect we got close as I saw Fisherman’s Wharf, which is very near to Cannery Row. But I was getting a caffeine headache and decided to head back. So we drove up CA 1, over the mountains on CA 152 (Jett would have hated it – lots of turns, including many 15 mph hairpin turns) and down into Gilroy, then up through Morgan Hill and back home.

A good drive. But the coffee I made when I got home was just as good.