Back on Highway One!!!!!

We had a couple of nagging thoughts on our minds as we left San Francisco. The the first thing was going to be whether Mrs Garmin was going to start to talk with us and whether we would have any confidence in where she was sending us. And the second was going to be whether Highway One had been repaired. Apparently there had been a rockslide which had closed the road.

Well our doubts about Mrs Garmin were diminishing as we headed south over the Golden Gate Bridge and as we drove through the suburbs we thought our trip was returning a bit more to what we had planned.

Not that what had happened so far in California was at all disappointing. Indeed it was exceeding our expectations at every turn. BUT we didn't expect the turns to quite as twisty!! Oh well, hadn't we been lucky with the weather!!! (That's one for the Frost's)

We had made it back onto Highway One and back onto the coast

As you can see there was a bit of a wave and the sun was shining so what else do you do but stop for a picnic lunch at a park. And where else would you stop but at San Gregorio State Beach http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=529 Well of course one of our party had to go down the beach and test the water temperature the report was BRRRRRR!!!! So no swimming took place but it was a really nice place for lunch.

As we headed further onto Highway One our luck took a slight turn for the worse as we passed a rather LARGE sign saying that the highway was indeed CLOSED just beyond Carmel by the Sea. Oh well there's always something.


One of thesupposed highlights of this part of the coast is Pebble Beach Golf Course http://www.pebblebeach.com/golf . However as we didn't pack a set of clubs we had to make do with the drive around the gated community which surrounds the golf courses.  

Now this drive is included in many of the guidebooks as a highlight but I don't know whether the tiredness we were feeling or the disappointment of the road closure or the $9.50 for the 17 mile (30km) drive played a part in the fairly poor rating the drive received from these reviewers.The Golf Courses did look great but when your home town has a pretty nice course http://www.naroomagolf.com.au/golf-course.html and you aren't golfers it becomes difficult to get excited.
We turned back and headed inland towards Salinas where we could continue along Highway 101 and make our way to our destination for the night. San Simeon.

On the way however we did pass the sign to

Maybe the Kerrigans were looking in the wrong place!!!!!



And maybe we were as well but it was a nice drive. However it was nice to get to Bonnie Doon but it was even nicer to get to San Simeon and, even though any place to get anything to eat was closed, the room and the motel were great....