Hanging Out in Monterey

1/10/05 - More Repairs to the New Motor Home
We drove the coach down to Morgan Hill last night and stayed at the Maple Leaf RV Park. This morning we got up early and took the coach to Alpine Recreation for some warranty service work. The main problem was that the front heat pump was not putting out heat anymore. They spent most of the afternoon deciding whether to fix or replace the entire unit. The dash heater was a much easier repair. When the RV Corral replace the heater control valve they forgot to plug in a wiring harnesss. We also had them check out some squeeks (always a headache in an RV) and some other minor things. We left at the end of the day not really knowing what was to be done with the heat pump.

1/11/05 - Lunch in San Juan Bautista
Today we went back to Alpine and were told to leave the coach. So we took the toad to San Juan Bautista (Map) and had a great time exploring Mission San Juan Bautista , some of the shops and having lunch at Jardines (some of the best Mexican food anywhere). When we returned to Alpine, not much had been done. So we returned to Maple Leaf for the night.

Prickly Pear Cactus, San Juan Bautista

1/13/05 - Monterey RV Park Search
Yesterday we spent the day relaxing and moving the coach to Milpitas (Map) (just north of San Jose) where we had an early morning appointment to have the turbo charger hose that has come off twice looked at. Bay Cities Diesel were very friendly and had us taken care of by about 10:30 am. So we decided to head for Monterey.

We had a few possible places to stay in the Monterey area, so our first stop was they Laguna Seca Raceway which has a fairly nice RV Park/Campground. We chose a site and were in the process of settling in when the Park Ranger came up and informed us that there was a two dog maximum. He did not seem willing to negotiate about this (even though three of our dogs are little Chihuahuas) so we left, a bit dissappointed.

The next possibility was a county park in Monterey and so we parked the coach and went up to check it out in Scout. We were glad we did because the park did not really have room for a 40 ft RV and the road was pretty windy too. So then we decided to check out the Monterey Fairgrounds RV Park. We had a little trouble finding the park but finally asked the right person and got past the security gate. It is a small, fairly nice park, which was pretty full, so the only spot they had for us was partially covered my a big tree. After trying for a half hour to get an Internet connection, and being buzzed by a small plane taking off fromthe adjacent airport, we decided to leave and find something else.

Aloe Plant in Bloom, Marina Dunes

We got to Marina Dunes RV Park about 6:30 and discovered the office closed. There seemed to be some sites available but not listed on the board would accomodate a 40 ft Motor Home. So we left and pulled over near the freeway onramp to consider our options and try again for a satelite connection. As we were waiting for our Internet connection a car pulled up beside us and asked if we were looking for a place to stay. We when said yes, they indicated there were a couple of spots at the Marina RV Park that were availavble. Apparently they worked there and had gone out to dinner. So we returned to spend the night at this very nice campground. The worst part of our stay there was that we were backed up to the freeway and it was a bit noisy.

1/15/05 - Moss Landing
Yesterday we drove up to Moss Landing (Map) and checked out the RV Park at the Marina there. It looked pretty good, so after a good lunch at Phils Seafood Market, we moved the coach. We spent the rest of the day exploring strawberry fields and Artichoke country. Then we had a very good Mexican dinner at The Whole Enchilada in Moss Landing. (move to correct day)

This afternoon we got up and drove back up Hwy 68 toward Salinas to explore some of the places we had passed in the coach a couple of days ago. We had a great time taking pictures of tall figures of farmers, a great mural of a Produce Stand, a real produce stand, and the Pasadera Estates & Jack Nicklaus Golf Course.

Great Mural of a Produce Stand

1/16/05 - Pacific Grove & 17 Mile Drive
Today we drove down to Monterey (Map) again and spent a couple of hours getting my wife's glasses adjusted at Lens Crafters. Then we checked out Cannery Row, Pacific Grove and 17 mile drive. My favorite part was the sunset on Seventeen Mile Drive near Pebble Beach .

1/18/05 - Monterey's Fisherman's Warf
I washed our car and the lower part of the coach today. Then we ran the dogs at the beach near the Moss Landing Marina and had lunch at the Fish Market. Then we went to Monterey, stopped at Lens Crafters again, spent some time at Lovers Point and then had dinner on Fisherman's Warf.

1/20/05 - Carmel
Yesterday we spent another beautiful day exploring Carmel (Map). Here are some photos of the Carmel beach you might enjoy.

Today we decided to go back to Morgan Hill where the rent is a bit less expensive and wait for the parts to arrive for our coach.