Travels with haRVy

We have visited Monterey, CA before so we made just a quick 24-hour stop this time around. We walked around the historic (but touristy) Cannery Row area and then took a bike ride along the beautiful Pacific Grove coastline.

 All the old sardine factory buildings now house tacky gift shops, restaurants, as well as an aquarium.

Examples of the shacks the sardine factory workers used to live in.

Based on a recommendation from Marti and Peter, as well as other fellow travelers, we decided to take a break from the coast to head over to Pinnacles, America’s newest national park. On our way we stopped at the historic village of San Juan Batista.

Need some religion? Check out the mission.

A place to stay perhaps?

Or, how about some property?

The drive to Pinnacles National Park along Route 25 was extremely picturesque and reminiscent of the Old California often depicted in paintings and movies. Miles of green rolling hills dotted with oak trees, expansive ranches with grazing cattle, and a gentle country road with NO traffic!

Our first glimpse of the actual pinnacles.

After a nice quiet night in the campground, we packed a lunch and headed out for a hike, which turned out to be one of our best ever. We traveled up through rock caves, had lunch next to a reservoir built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and hiked back down the rim trail where views and wildflowers were abundant.

Al commented, “It’s a bit like Joshua Tree on steroids.”

The caves here were mostly formed by rocks falling into, and getting caught in, narrow gorges.

Headlamps required here.

To provide scale I include people in the photos above and below. Can you see them?

Hurray – it’s wild flower season again!

Panoramic of reservoir and pinnacles by Al – click to view larger.