Down in Monterey

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coriander

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"The birds and the airplane did fly
Three days of understanding
Of moving with one another
Down in Monterey"


~~ Eric Burdon and the Animals (1967)

A short trip to the West Coast LOTFAP for a conference was planned back in March 2015. Unfortunately, that also coincided with my youngest son's final year twelve exams meaning Mrs C had to stay at home to mentor him throughout the stressful period. Exquisite timing meant that in October I flew out on day one of aforementioned son's first exam, and arrived back in Melbourne on the morning of this last exam: Mrs C NOT happy.

My trip took a decided turn for the better when the Qantas upgrade angel tapped me on the shoulder to tell me that I had been upgraded from PE to J, and that furthermore, the only seats she would offer me were in Emerald City. Wow! Off to a good start.

Taxi to Tullamarine airport at 7.30am, checkin at Qantas with a minor delay as the checkin person wasn't sure what do do about the note in the PNR about my CPAP machine. All sorted and soon through Immigration and the long walk through the shopping mall masquerading as an airport terminal with departure gates attached.

Into the QCclub and settled in with a glass of sparkling - decadence at 8.30am.

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I was looking forward to a cooked breakfast, but when I asked, I was told they went off at 9.00am.
Huh? It's only 8.40am.
A shrug of the shoulders closed the conversation.

Never mind, a tasty caffe latte and some fresh fruit would have to suffice.
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Departure was scheduled for 1020am, but was delayed because engineers weren't happy. What's jb747 say "I'd rather be on the ground wishing I was in the air than the reverse"?

No matter, flight was eventually called - walked past a Vietnam Airlines aircraft (I wonder if they do the 45 degree take-off with passengers?) -

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- briskly with some excitement onto the upper ramp into the A380 and turned LEFT - never done that before.

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CSM Don C greeted me by name and showed to my seat 11A. The front upper deck compartment on a QF A380 is an cosy 18-seat business class area.

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Now 11A is a brilliant seat: on the window with 2 windows, 2 bins and whilst there's a bulkhead in front of you I couldn't reach it at full stretch (and I'm about 6').

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The cabin was full (my TA had checked loadings at T-24 and had said there were 17 empty J seats so I'd been optimistic); a JQ pilot on leave was my travelling companion in 11B (with several of his mates scattered elsewhere around Emerald City).
 
Don presented me with a glass of Duval-Leroy champagne, took my jacket, presented me with my breakfast card as the pilot told us of another delay because of paperwork issues.
Push back finally at 1150h, take off to the north for what was to be the smoothest flight I have ever experienced.
Lunch and more champagne ensued. The CSM was excellent - made me feel like I was the only person on the plane.

First up was a salad served with a lovely warm and crusty sourdough bread, followed by Asparagus soup with croutons.

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My main was a Pan-fried snapper with caramelised fennel and roast garlic potatoes.

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Dessert was a Rhubarb crumble tart. All excellent fare.

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After lunch I settled to read my conference notes and pick the lecture stream I wanted to follow. The champagne glass was empty and the CSM asked if I wanted a refill. I said "there's a Taittinger on the menu, may I try that?" "No, there's no Tattainger on the plane, let me see what I can find". He whisked away my glass and walked off towards the front. Hmm.

Next chore was to change sims in my phone. I carry the t-mobile SIM and the sim removal device in an SD card holder to make this task simpler.

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What did you think of the Duval? Had it last year trans-tasman and wasnt a huge fan...
 
The CSM returned with a glass of champagne full to the brim. “Try this” he invited. “Mmmm, heaven; lovely lovely stuff” I mumbled as I savoured this golden drop. Turns out to be a 2004 Pol Roger, no less.
And it came in a magic glass that seemed to refill itself several times while I was watching my movie.

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After the movie, I settled in for a sleep –best I’ve ever had on a plane as I had my CPAP machine with me (bouquets to the wonderful folk here on AFF who told me about CPAP batteries and the assistance offered by QF to passengers). I had to remind myself that I was on a plane - there had been absolutely no turbulence or even the slightest bump since take-off.

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Landing at LAX, I was able to use the e-kiosk for my passport and was out the door with my bags 18 minutes after unbuckling my seat belt. Fantastic! I handed my bags off to AA and headed for the Admirals Club (AC). Exiting TBIT, I could see the progress being made on the TBIT-T4 bridge.

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Now the AC is a bit sparse when it comes to food and drink so I wandered down to the end to T4 where I’d eaten some wonderful Mexican food from a food truck parked there. Alas, the food truck was there, but devoid of Mexicans, food, signage, everything – just a bare metal truck near gate 46. Sigh. Oh well, into the AC.

I picked at the meagre offerings in the Club, all the while marvelling at the suits at the bar, knocking back Bloody Marys at 8.00am whilst talking on two mobile phones at once. It must be wonderful to be so important. Then there’s the lady with her dog on her lap – apparently a service dog, but I didn’t know Bichon Frises had enough neurons to be up to such a task.

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Now the VERY BEST thing about the AC is the hot showers. I handed over my boarding pass and was given the key to my shower room.

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Wonderful hot shower, towels clean and dry, but not fluffy and had quite an industrial smell to them. Not to worry, a bit of EDT will fix that. Also no shampoo as such, just the dispensers for body wash on the wall.
I must remember to snaffle some small bottles of shampoo next time I'm in QC.
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Finally my flight to SFO was called and I headed to gate 44 where a bus, rather than a plane was waiting. I now know gate 44 is some distance away from T4. We boarded via a sophisticated and state-of-the-art aerobridge.
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Uneventful flight on an Eagle Embraer – very comfortable plane.

On arrival at SFO, I collected my bag and onto the people mover to the rental car station, handed over my voucher and was told to pick any car in aisle 3. I picked the one with less than 500 miles on the clock, settled myself in and opened Google Maps on my phone instructing her to direct me to the nearest gourmet food outlet.

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After a suitably satisfying lunch - double double burger and "secret" Neapolitan Shake , it was into the car and off to Monterey at a steady 80 mph on US-101, loving the rhythmic “thump-thump thump-thump” of the wheels on the concrete freeways, always evoking memories of previous US road trips.

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My hotel for the conference was the Portola Hotel and Spa: a comfortable 4-star hotel in downtown Monterey.

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I unpacked my suitcase: hmm, odd, the TSA lock’s gone. I opened it and my second soft bag that I keep for the homeward trip with extra shopping was missing. Also the power supply for my CPAP machine and a Powercube purchased for the trip. My $1000 carbon-fibre tripod and head and my $750 Nikon zoom lens were still in the suitcase. My first reaction was “oh b*gg*r, I must’ve opened my case to put something else in at home and forgotten to put the last three items back in”. I must ring home and see if I’ve left these goodies on the bed at home.

Aah, the wonders of the internet: in a few minutes, I’d located an online store in Texas that would ship to a hotel (many won’t) and ordered a new power supply (cheaper than in Aus, a new model that is more compact and only $12.95 overnight shipping). It was now after 6pm but I was assured I’d have it in the morning.

TBC.
 
A banana and an apple from the fruit bowl, a muffin snaffled from the AC earlier in the day, a few drinks in the bar, a brisk walk down to the fishing port in the cool night air and I would be ready for bed.

Wish I could say this was the view from my room, but alas! I had "city view" which, as we all know, is "neighbouring building" view.
However, this was the view from the lift lobby.

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I walked down to the Fishermen's Wharf which was deserted.....

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.... save for the night watchman, who didn't seem at all concerned.

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A lovely full moon and a still night. Time for bed.

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That looks really peaceful. Also looks the spot for some good seafood
 
The next morning, I awoke suitably refreshed and ventured out into a brilliant morning. Not a cloud in the sky and absolutely still, albeit a little chilly.

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I walked down to Fishermen's Wharf for a sumptuous breakfast at “LouLou’s Griddle in the Middle”.

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It is named thus because it is halfway between two other restaurants on the Wharf. Lou Lou's a typical US diner with stools along a long laminex bar with the cooks preparing your meal right in front of you. It is tiny by comparison with the other restaurants.

My meal was a "Seafood Reef Rider" – a delicious three-egg omelette with shrimp, crab, mushrooms, pico and and monterey jack cheese, cooked right in front of me and served with an unlimited supply of the hot brown fluid that passes for coffee in the US. This set me up for the day.

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Back at the hotel, reception informed me of a parcel delivery: my CPAP power supply! Amazing: Austin – Louisville – Oakland –San Jose –Monterey 6.30pm – 8.30am. There are some things you just gotta love about America - sales and service are definitely two of them.
 
Into the car and off northwards to Felton to ride the daily steam train at the Roaring Camp and Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad. The train gods were smiling on me as I arrived at the railroad’s loco shed.

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The Shay locomotive that was to haul the train (#1 “Dixiana” – a designated National Mechanical Engineering Historical Landmark.) was in steam, but beside it was a sister locomotive (Sonora Shay #7), being fired up today for the first time in over seven years after a major overhaul. Not a biggie to most, but wow! a wonderful bonus for a train tragic like me.

Tickets purchased, I boarded the train for the one hour round trip up into the magnificient redwoods that make up the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. The train winds its way up Bear Mountain with grades of up to 8% and in and around tall redwoods that are over a thousand years old.

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A large trestle that formed part of the line was burned down in the late 70s, and whilst they originally planned to rebuild it, the burned remnant is now an attraction in itself and is the reason for a series of switchbacks to enable the train to reach the summit.

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A Shay locomotive was commonly used right around the world in logging operations in the early parts of the 20th century. A unique drive system of vertical cylinders driving all wheels through a gear system gave these little locomotives great tractive effort for their size and an ability to maintain their footing on tight corners and roughly laid track.

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After pausing at the summit, the train returns to the station at the bottom of the hill. The complex drive mechanism can be clearly seen.

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I am booked at the IHG Monterey in June........looking forward to it.
 
Floating on air after this ride, it was back into the car and heading back southwards towards Monterey and beyond. I stopped at a supermarket for some essentials (breakfast cereal, fruit, etc), then as I resumed my journey southwards, I noticed some movement in a tidal lagoon beside the road at Moss Landing.

Quickly pulling over, I watched a family of sea otters put on a show just for me, diving into some culverts and retrieving food and old cans etc. laying them out on their tummies – s sort of makeshift lunch table to sort through and consume anything edible.

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I continued my journey southwards on Highway #1, motoring on straight through Monterey and Carmel and onwards to arguably one of the great drives of the world – the Cabrillo Highway to Big Sur. I've driven this stretch of road several times "in the olden days" when QF only flew to SFO (aaah, the days of QF3 and QF4) and I had to get to LA, but have always done this stretch of road in the morning or midday.

This time I had planned to be here in the (late) afternoon and with nowhere to be (like LA), I could take my time. Pro tip: drive this road north to south..... you'll be pulling over frequently to admire the view and you won't need to cross the road (though I did "chuck a couple of 'u'ies" to go back to a parking bay). Generally speaking, if you see a gravel 2-3 car parking space, pull over as you'll mostly get a great photo op.

Less than 20 minutes out of Carmel, feast your eyes on this:

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Photographic possibilities at every twist and turn, necessitating frequent stops along the way. No "nanny state" fences here or signs warning/advising you not to fall off the cliff - get as close up and personal with the edge as you wish:

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Oh, and then the real scenery starts :) !

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(we'll see why there's a house on the hill in the background soon)
 
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The first big bridge you’ll see is the Rocky Creek bridge. You'll see it a couple of miles before you get to it. There's a non-descript parking bay with no view, but always a couple of cars there; a five minute walk down to the cliif edge and standing under the Monterey Cypresses you can take in the view with seagulls wheeling above, the wind in the branches above and the waves rolling in from the Pacific and crashing onto the rocky shore. This is why I wanted to be here in the afternoon - and as you can see, I was blessed with perfect weather.

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Back into the car and I pulled up at the bridge itself. Once again, no signs; common sense and a degree of self-preservation to keep you safely back from the crumbly sandy edge of the cliff. Notice the house I mentioned before perched high on the hill......

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When you turn around, you can see the sort of view the householder on the hill has to put up with on a daily basis. Sigh. But wait, there's another house in this view on the cliff top who must have to look at this bridge and a view down the coast.

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Double sigh.
 
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Moving along I soon came to the iconic and famous Bixby Bridge at Big Sur – apparently the highest concrete single arch span in the world. A heavily populated carpark is located on the north side of the bridge. Signs warn you of a steep slope and to stay back; the second sign advises you not to litter the beaches (in case you fall down, you should clear away the evidence?).

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A couple of months after my visit a pair of BASE jumpers jumped off the bridge........ and were never seen again. A GoPro found on the beach indicated they'd landed ok but perhaps in the water and had drowned. This is certainly a spectacular bridge.

This bridge was also witness to one of my few scary LOTFAP moments. There's a dirt road (the old Coast Road) that winds inland from the bridge along the Bixby Creek. I ventured up along the road watching the rear view mirror to see if I could get a different shot. As I approached a large steel sliding gate near the top of the creek, I was motioned to a halt by two men in black uniforms (no insignia) armed with semi-automatic rifles; in the background near the gate a suited person was operating a drone. It was "suggested" that the road was closed and I was "advised" that the highway would be a more appropriate path for me to take. Very polite, but very firm, one on either side of the car. I turned the car round and drove expeditiously back towards the bridge, halting halfway down the road to get the following shot (maybe I shouldn't use the word "shot" :shock: !).

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Meh, it was getting late and the conference welcome reception beckoned me, so I turned back onto the highway and headed back to Monterey.

The welcome reception was held in the trade display: one of the major sponsors was an Australian company, iM3 - good to see them doing well in the US in a niche market - certainly punching above their weight.

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After the reception a dozen or so of us kicked on and moved on to the Monterey Fish House for dinner – Thursday night, who needs to book? We decided to take pot-luck without ringing ahead and called a few taxis.

To our horror, the restaurant was absolutely packed save for one table with a “Reserved - Sean” placard on it. The door angel looked at us as we all trooped in “are you Sean?” “aah, yes ” someone replied “I guess so (subtext:we’ll be anyone you like!)”. "Oh good, we were hoping you wouldn’t be late!” Without any further ado, we took our seats and very quickly placed our food and drink orders to minimise our chances of being turfed out (of course, none of us was a "Sean").

Castroville (just north of Monterey) is the centre of artichoke growing in California. The chef’s special was thus appropriately his “Artichoke Special” and wow! It was delicious….. lots of different very fresh-tasting seafood, pasta and maybe even some artichoke (it looked like the chef had basically thrown a bit of everything in the kitchen onto the plate).

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PS: Never did find out if the party of Sean turned up.
 
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