One bite into an apple-wood smoked sausage from the Corralitos Market, and you will understand why the small store is a favorite stop for people enjoying a twisty ride through the Santa Cruz Mountains. Located in Watsonville, at the junction of some fun two-lane roads, the market has been serving freshly smoked meats for over fifty years.
Montrio Bistro, Monterey California, Spring 2011. While in search of a venue for our pre-wedding dinner celebration, we stumbled upon a cozy little red brick, two-story eatery called Montrio Bistro, tucked comfortably into a quiet downtown strip known as Calle Principal.
Envious is the first word that comes to mind when I think of anyone that lives, breathes and rides the surrounding areas that make up this vast state of California and has the pleasure of experiencing first hand the trifecta that is Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur, on a regular basis. For those who may not know, these (at least for me) are three of the most charming points in the shortest distance that line central California’s curvaceous Pacific Coast Highway and are truly spellbinding, each in their own way, in either direction.
Wine tasting isn't usually on the menu for motorcyclists, but olive tasting? Bring it on! Jeanne Cooper reports for SFGate that "Inland spots on the Central Coast such as Carmel Valley, Corral de Tierra, Paso Robles and Edna Valley are blooming with olives as well as grapes, and olive oil tasting rooms are sprouting up. And just as the region's wine tasting rooms remain a more low-key, less commercial alternative to those in bustling Napa and Sonoma, the Central Coast's olive oil experiences are equally inviting to the novice and expert alike." Read more at SF Gate.
If you love a good mystery, then you must visit the world-famous “Mystery Spot” just north of Santa Cruz. There, you will witness feats that seem to defy gravity and distort perception.
The sensual assault of the California coast never fails to amaze me, stimulating all five constantly... the smell of sage on a hot day mixed with salty fresh smell and taste of the ocean is sublime.
As if Hearst Castle wasn't attraction enough, summer brings adult male elephant seals home to mate, loudly and with commitment. Ride a little more than an hour south of Big Sur for this larger-than-life nature channel show, live and loud. Hearst Castle's not a bad stop, either. For that matter, Cambria's nice, too... oh heck. You know the feeling. Just keep riding and exploring.
For visitors to this pristine piece of the Central Coast, San Simeon and Hearst Ranch - without the famous castle - offer a vision of early California that any Golden State lover will find irresistible. Coastal trails wend through egret, pelican, fox, deer, coyote and turtle habitats; cattle graze on sun-bleached hillsides; oak groves give way to evergreen forests and cypress stands; and beaches teem with galumphing elephant seals... In June and July, thousands of male elephant seals return to San Simeon's beaches to molt. Come early in the season and you'll beat both the castle throngs and the worst of the summer fog. Read more about Hearst Castle and the San Simeon area in SF Gate.
I'm a literary junkie, and never pass up an opportunity to visit important writerly sites. One of those is the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur. Even if you're not a literary buff, it's a great place to just sit on the porch and watch the world go by. SF Gate has a great story on this cultural gem with lots of photos, plus information about events.
The Henry Miller Library is a library only in the sense that it is full of books. Books for sale stacked on tables, early editions hanging from the ceiling, more stored in back. The archives of Miller’s writings, letters and rare manuscripts are held off site in safe, climate-controlled storage. The library's most important function, according to director Magnus Toren, is as a sanctuary — for Henry Miller fans, lovers of the arts, and local residents. Read more about it in SF Gate.
Walking in a redwood forest high on the list of things to do when you're visiting Northern California. Save the Redwoods League provides an interactive map that lets you click through to find the forests, where you can look further into 36 different redwood parks. You can also look up parks by location or zone. Clicking through further you'll even find out things like how many miles of trails exist, whether or not the forest has a campground or visitor center, and highlights of that particular forest. Make sure that visiting a redwood park is part of your Northern California journey! (Please note that "Southern" forests on this map means the southern forests in Northern California.) Click on the map to launch it on the savetheredwoods.org site.
For 40 years (since 1971) motorists meandering the scenic Big Sur route along California’s Highway One have been stopping at the Big Sur Coast Gallery to view the large collection of American art and sometimes to purchase said works. Now, the Big Sur Coast Gallery Café has upped the ante, encouraging people to stop not just for the art but to enjoy a new menu devised to celebrate the best seasonally inspired food from California.
Continue reading on Examiner.com Art and food both worth a stop at Big Sur Coast Gallery - San Francisco Culinary Travel
View Coast Gallery Big Sur in a Google map.
