Today’s route was an iconic one:  Monterey to Pebble Beach to Big Sur.

We left Monterey on the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail, quickly transitioning to residential streets in Pacific Grove – some beautiful homes.  At mile 5, we entered Pebble Beach on the famous 17-Mile Drive: $10 for cars, free for bikes!  There was very little traffic, so Barbara and I could stop and enjoy the vistas, both of the ocean and of the golf course.

Around mile 14, we exited Pebble Beach and headed into Carmel-by-the-Sea – actually didn’t go through the village but rather around along the coast.  Then at mile 18, we turned onto Route 1 – lots of ups and downs, incredible ocean views, generally considerate drivers, with few trucks, though some buses.  We crossed Bixby Creek Bridge and climbed a mile up to Hurricane Point.  We passed Point Sur and the Point Sur lighthouse, sadly not open for tours today.

At mile 44, we arrived at our overnight accommodations at the Big Sur Lodge, part of the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.  Barbara had mentioned a great restaurant 3 miles further along the road, so six of us climbed 2 1/2 miles up, then 1/2 mile down to eat a late lunch at Nepenthe.  Interestingly, several months ago we had been told about a bridge that had collapsed and might be rebuilt before our tour.  That bridge, the Pfeiffer Canyon bridge, reopened this past Friday – and we crossed it going to and from the restaurant. (Original info on the bridge: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/03/23/big-sur-final-span-of-highway-1-bridge-comes-down/

More recent information on the bridge:  http://thebigsurblog.com

No cooking allowed in the park, so we enjoyed a buffet at the Lodge for dinner, finishing off with a scoop of ice cream.

Garmin 50.28 miles, 9.99 mph, 4137 ft ascent

No Relive or photos tonight due to internet issues.

Tomorrow we will take a bus from Big Sur, back to Carmel, then around the Mud Creek slide to Cambria – it could be 2 years before that 20 miles of the coastal route is reopened.