Monterey coast

Although we have been in the area before we discovered so many things we hadn’t stumbled on before that we almost felt rushed. After paying a routine visit to the Carmel Hat Company so the Woman could get her hat fix, we were off to the Carmel Mission.

San Carlos Borremo de Carmelo Mission was founded June 3 1770, again by Padre Junipero Serra. The mission was named for Saint Charles Borremo of Arona (the Bishop of Milan Italy and patron saint of Bishops) and the Carmel River that flowed nearby. This was only the 2^nd mission to be founded by Serra and the 2^nd Spanish mission in California, established about 6 months after the first mission was founded in San Diego.

Of the 9 missions that Padre Serra founded Carmel was always his favorite. His Spartan living quarters were adjacent to the church, containing only a small writing desk and chair, a cot, his chest and a candle. Apparently he lived the same values that he taught.

The church is magnificent, certainly the most ornate of any of the missions we have recently visited. Apparently before settling on this location Serra had picked a spot on the Monterey peninsula, but the lack of fertile soil and abundant water caused him to reconsider, and he relocated his efforts to the Carmel River valley. Seeing the magnificent mission we can tell it was a good choice.

After reaching out and establishing the 9 missions on his watch, Serra returned to Carmel to live out his short remaining life. In accordance with his wishes, his tomb sits on the grounds of San Carlos Borremo de Carmelo Mission.

As you drive around these California seaside communities, even though they are very densely populated (can’t stand all the traffic!) there is a constant interaction with nature. In the middle of a dense residential neighborhood in Carmel this cute guy was taking a stroll warm afternoon. He seemed completely unfazed.

Not far from Monterey is Fort Ord National Monument. An active Army base from 1917 until 1994, Fort Ord was apparently instrumental in all major US military conflicts of the 20^th century. Apparently Fort Ord was the Army’s primary troop training facility during the Vietnam War. We are learning that as the needs of our armed forces change the need for massive land space has dwindled. So, not unlike the abandoned Naval base we saw near Point Sur which is now (except for the secret concrete bunker) part of the California Park System, large abandoned military facilities are often turned over to the BLM for management.

Obama designated Fort Ord a National Monument in 2012. There are no facilities in the Monument other than 86 miles of multiuse trails. While we didn’t see any equine use the day we hiked all over the area, we frequently bumped into other hikers, a lot of runners and even more mountain bikers. Apparently equine use is considerable here as Fort Ord had a significant cavalry presence, so we were constantly seeing watering troughs and graves of horses with valor. Being as close as it is to major population areas, we can see why it gets all the traffic.

We learned that nearby Castroville is the self-proclaimed Artichoke Center of the World. We also learned that the Globe Artichoke, the main species because of its size, is actually a thistle. The fuzzy purple starburst flowers we all know as thistle sit atop this delicacy – at least it is considered such by many. While 99.9% of all artichokes in the US are produced in California, and 75% of all artichokes produced in California come from the fields around Castroville.

While I may never chose to do this again, I decided I needed to try some locally grown artichokes as long as we were here. We found the Giant Artichoke family restaurant which surprisingly had a menu focused on the thistle. I ended up getting both the signature artichoke dishes – the steamed artichoke au natural, and the grilled artichoke served with chipotle ranch dressing, loaded with chunks of pepper. While the steamed artichoke was far more edible (not nearly as fibrous as the grilled), the grilled was so much more flavorful due to the chipotle ranch garnish.

The Woman found us a gem walking distance from Colectiva. Literally off the end of Moss Landing is the Monterey Canyon, a subterranean canyon that is even bigger than the Grand Canyon – it is just under the ocean. This canyon causes very cold ocean water from its depths to come very close to the shore. Apparently this results scientifically in an abundance of natural plant and animal life not seen in very many places.

I don’t know if it is the abundance of food that makes the local sea lion residents a bit on the hostile side. I assume that maybe they just don’t like all the people and the traffic any more than I do.

What is now known as the Elkhorn Slough used to be where the Salinas River emptied into the Pacific. Over the centuries the river found a different pathway to the ocean, but the old river delta remained, being filled instead with Pacific Ocean salt water. We went on a two hour boat tour of the Slough, seeing uncountable numbers of California sea lions, California seals (there is a difference), sea otters and migratory birds galore.

We learned that while not as variable as the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Elkhorn Slough has quite a tidal extreme. The variation from low to high tide is over 8 feet. So, while we had no problem navigating under the California Highway 1 bridge today at low tide, you can see that at high tide there would be no Slough tour running.

The Woman fondly remembered how in the Alaskan bays we saw mama sea otters floating on their backs with their babies laying above the water surface on their mama’s bellies. Apparently it doesn’t matter whether you are in Alaska or California, otter behavior is consistent.

This is the time of year when birds who summer elsewhere winter in Elkhorn Slough. We saw great blue Heron, King Fishers, Loons, multiple kinds of Egrets and lots of other species that we don’t normally get to see. My favorite was the Surf Scoter. This duck with a very interesting array of coloring on its face breeds in Alaska and northwestern Canada, but winters along the California Pacific coast. Captain Joe indicated that it is unusual to see so many of these gorgeous birds on a single tour.

A combination of a late lunch before watching Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl and geocaching to kill some time resulted in us stumbling on Colton Hall. In old Monterey, Colton Hall was the site of the 1849 Constitutional Convention where the California constitution was finalized and signed. In advance of statehood in 1850, it remains one of the longest collections of laws in the world.

 

Finally, we are finding that there are historic FOX theaters in most good sized California towns that date back to the Depression era. Salinas is no exception. While in some of the towns when 1,500 seat theaters were no longer in vogue, the theaters fell into ruin and many were demolished. Luckily in Salinas, like in Bakersfield, this one has survived. And like Bakersfield, it is now a live performance venue. Unlike Bakersfield, there was nothing playing here during our brief stay.

Talk to you soon!