By My local bike group is part of the larger Almaden Cycle Touring Club (ACTC) from San Jose. I’ve been meaning to branch out farther afield and go on other ACTC rides, and Friday was my chance because they were doing what looked to be a fun ride in Monterey. My friend Kris from Morgan Hill was also going so we were able to carpool over.
The ride started in Sand City which is next to Monterey on the coast. There is a paved bike path that runs along there (the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail, 18 miles long, which starts in Castroville). We took that to its end in Pacific Grove out on the Monterey peninsula, then took coastal roads in Pacific Grove around to the start of 17 mile drive which runs through Pebble Beach to Carmel. We then took local roads in Carmel, then had a lunch break there. Then we looped around on the coast in Carmel till we ran into a different Pebble Beach entrance further inland, and took 17 mile drive back to Monterey, then on back roads back to the start, for a total of 37 miles. This took a long time because we made a lot of stops at historic points and scenic outlooks, which made for an enjoyable day. There were a lot of tourists out on such a lovely day.
Monterey Harbor From A Fishing PierCannery RowRocky Shores in Pacific GroveThe Lone Cypress. It lost one of its branches in 2019 (see here)From a pier at Pebble BeachCarmel BeachAnother View of Carmel BeachThe French Hotel, where Robert Louis Stevenson stayed in Monterey
