Sunday 22 March 2015

22nd March 2015 Postscript and last thoughts



Well I've been through the locations and added maps and a few more comments on where we were and travelled to now ..

Its pretty hard to distinguish one experience from another ... they were so many different types of experiences ...

However ...here are some links to some highlights ..

"The drive to Masterton over the mountains was unexpectedly one of the most epic of the whole trip ... apparently when the wind blows on these mountains the trains get blown off the tracks ...." see link  here and or click map caption :-

http://worldtripgr1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/18th-february-2015-picton-to-masterton.html
Masterton

Then of course there was Napier the Art Deco city rebuilt in two years in the depression to an extraordinary standard in the Art Deco style ..click  here  or click caption below

Napier

Stopped for a coffee and saw what was probably several $m of vintage cars by a cafe on their way to the Napier Art Deco weekend which was happening just as we were leaving ;-( .... here

We drove round the Corramandel Peninsula all the way to Auckland ... quite a spectacular drive  link here

The SS Missouri Memorial at Pearl Harbour was impressive link here

The Volcano Park at Hawaii was impressive ... the fact that you could stay in a hotel 1 mile from an active though rather sleepy volcano link here

In Hawaii the effects of the volcanoes was impressive if rather scary

Golf in picturesque Hawaii 

Helicopter ride over 'Jurassic Park' !

In San Luis Obsipo this hotel was rather wonderful and run by some pretty amazing people .. if you are passing do stay there ...link

Hurst Castle was an unexpectedly impressive masterpiece of architecture here

Then the stay at Monterey with its association with John Steinbeck

And last by no means least a big thank you to Gill for planning organising and paying for it all !!!!!

I keep looking back at this so please do as well ... at present I seem to be correcting the spelling mistakes ... but maybe a few more thoughts later ...



















Friday 13 March 2015

US 14th March 2105 Monterey and Cannery Row ...

..Stayed in the Monterey Bay Inn. Really rugged and primeval / nautical atmosphere about this place ... saved by the creation of the Steinbeck Cannery Row artisan/artistic flavour for it ...we saw sea otters and sea lions and pelicans galore ...plenty of diving here as there is a very rich food environment for fish ..  Saturday 15th March 2105  .. looks like there is large scale dive training going on here today, looks like a big dive club operating here..



View from the room looking over the picturesque bay but with certain illegal activities going on below ...pretty non the less


View from the room looking over the picturesque bay 

View from the room looking over the picturesque bay 

View from the room looking over the picturesque bay in the morning ..

Our very own seagull ...

View from the room looking over the picturesque bay in the morning ..

View from the room looking over the picturesque bay in the morning ..
View from the room looking over the picturesque bay in the morning ..

The respectable part of the reconstructer 'cannery row'

The respectable part of the reconstructer 'cannery row'

Sea Otters

Dive photography shop opposite www.backscatter.com

$20000 worth of waterproff SLR camera case

$20000 worth of waterproff SLR camera case

The story of the wild life in the bay

Sea Lions




Centre for the Big Sur area Coastguard 

Our hotel Monterey Bay Inn

The story of the canner area


Dead cannery 
The Fish Hopper restaurant recommended for lunch ( but not tried )

Cannery Row

The sory of the statue below combining John Steinbeck with the restoration of the facilities at Cannery Row

The statue

The statue

'Doc'

A detail from the statue


John Steinbeck

A detail from the statue
Last night


The 'Sardine Factory' excellent restaurant in the cannery row area




No sardines in sight ... all fished to extinction in the area unfortunately  
Street view


This was the route back to San Francisco ...





US 14th March 2105 Carmel Shopping and "17 mile drive" on Monterey Peninsula

This was a rather interesting shopping experience with a rather good outcome ... nice people ..... Robins Jewelry in Carmel :- ( 1 minute video )



Robins Jewelry 

Robins Jewelry 



Robin and Gill

Crazy Californai house on 17 mile drive on Monterey Peninsula

White sand and white sea mist  on 17 mile drive on Monterey Peninsula

White sand  on 17 mile drive on Monterey Peninsula

Purple is the colour ... on 17 mile drive on Monterey Peninsula

White sand  on 17 mile drive on Monterey Peninsula

10th March 2015 150310 Monarch Butterfly grove and Morrow bay ..

Visited Monarch Butterfly Grove near Pismo on the way to Morrow Bay .. a breeding and rest ground for these interesting creatures ... we visited out of season .. at the other time of the year there are millions of them in this grove resting before they migrate ...

Morrow Bay is an unprepossessing fishing town with spectacular coastal views ( in video ) ( 1 minute .. ) :-