Freakin’ big fish before the freakin’ Big Sur

Today I have done something I’ve never done before - whale watching. At the very civilised hour of 9am we board the boat that will take us out on the bay in search of whales - mostly humpbacks but a minute chance of a killer whale. Of course it was bloody freezing - which I thought I was prepared for....

After almost an hour we spot a tiny glimpse of a humpback - every passenger rushing to the side elbowing others out of the way.  Peter and I ended up going to the opposite side of everyone else and still managed to see enough without the pushing. All up in 4 hours we apparently saw 11 humpbacks - including what I will call a half-breach. 

Back at Monterey we grab some take away chowder for lunch and weave our way through the throngs of begging homeless to jump back on the bike. 

 Back on the road heading south along Highway 1, we pass heaps of pumpkin fields - acres of pumpkins laid out  with people wandering around making their purchases for Halloween - it’s like a fete with rides and novelty stalls.  Like I said, they take this Halloween thing seriously over here!

We finally hit the Big Sur - 71 miles of mountainous winding road following the California coast - the ride of my life!

The road is busier than we expected for a Monday but the pace was really good and consistent and the views were stunning. Every second car was a convertible (about bloody time) mostly Mustangs or Comaros.

I managed to download more music on my phone so I sat back for my armchair ride listening to the Eagles, some 80s hits and more bloody Adele!

The weather is absolutely perfect still and we reach San Simeon in time for happy hour and for Peter to get in a run before dinner where we see something for the first time all trip so far........vegetables!