Day 12 – March 24, 2016This morning was a simple bowl of cereal, as my tummy has not enjoyed a heavy breakfast lately. Besides I am doing my best to cut down on my calorie intake. It is difficult with temptation on every corner, but I am learning.
We loaded up, went to the gas station and two women drove up to us in a white Mercedes 500SL and began some sort of sob story about needing money, which they figured very fast that Han was not going to listen to them, so they drove over to the next victim. They were obvious scam artists. When we pulled out of the gas station, they went the opposite way and we began our trip on Hwy. 58, then all of sudden we see them in our rear view mirror and it caused us to pause. They went around us but stayed right within the speed limit. So much so that we started thinking that the car was possibly stolen. Anyway, I have a permit to carry and always take along my P238, which we promptly pulled out of the front of my suitcase and placed in the middle console. Nowadays, I suggest always carrying some sort of protection, but also know how to use it. We truly hope we never have to use it while the women drove off somewhere near Bakersfield to find more people to con I suppose.
Today brought more mountains. Imagine that? LOL What was so unique however, is that they all looked drastically different from one another, even those in the same area on opposite sides of the highway. The vegetation was also unique and changing constantly. Petite fields of yellow and purple flowers covered parts of the mountains and the farther west we drove into California, the greener the landscape became. We saw our share of orange groves, cabbage, miles of vineyards and peppers. Trucks carrying loads of cabbage heads kept littering the highway with bits and pieces.
There were also miles upon miles of wind energy turbines on top and the sides of very large foothills and thousands of large and small oil rigs that stretched farther than we could even see. We also came upon an area in the desert where airlines store temporarily uneconomical airplanes not in use, because the dry desert air prevents them from rusting.
I finally found what happened to the SS Minnow from Gilligan’s Island. It is in California along Hwy. 58.
We happened to also see the happiest cows everywhere we looked, or at least that is what the commercials want us to believe, however they did look darn content.
We stopped at a Denny’s for lunch, (because there are so many of them in this part of the world) and to find internet connectivity, to make the choice for our nightly stay. Our destination was Carmel By The Sea but all the lodging I checked on was sold out and we came to the conclusion it was due to Easter weekend. When on the open road, one has a tendency to forget the holidays.
We started searching in the surrounding areas and came upon a cute little motel called “Seaside Inn” which had seahorses in their motif, so I was sold. Made a reservation online and got back on the road.
Once we arrived in Monterey the traffic became ridiculous. I think it is beautiful so far, but surely would not choose to live here. We were happy to find the motel and it was just as cute as the photos. Family owned, not a chain, just as pictured on the website and more personable.
Lodging choice: http://www.seasideinnmonterey.comSeaside Inn is very comfy. We received a lovely corner room with two bedrooms, sitting area and bathroom. Two TV’s, fridge, microwave and every amenity to make your stay enjoyable was waiting for us. I thought at first the traffic from the road would be a problem, but it quieted down as the evening wore on and it was fine. The beds have extremely soft sheets and felt lovely to the skin. The front desk person (who I believe was an owner) was very nice and made sure we were happy with our room.
The breakfast is a little limited but you are sure to find something to hold you over until lunch. I had a chocolate muffin and it was quite good and moist.
We would definitely stay here again and suggest this sweet, cute petite motel to all our friends. It has safe courtyard parking and immaculately landscaped gardens, while it is located only 12 minutes north of Carmel.
I find myself changing towards the idea of hotels versus motels and am beginning to appreciate the smaller unique inn stays. They are simply more interesting.
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