| So from Monterey we headed up the coast to Santa Cruz where the
earthquake struck a few years ago. There were few signs. This could have
been an English seaside resort with the funfair and beach attractions. As
with other US seaside places there were far fewer people than we had
expected. Perhaps that is because the western seaboard even this far south
is still cooled by that cold current from in Alaska. |  |
 | At one time there
would have been more fishing here but not today. This aged example on the
pier was about the only reminder of the fishing there must have been from
here once. |
| The pier was a noisy place, mainly because the lower levels had
been occupied by a group of sea lions which, quiet when sleeping on the pier
supports, were very noisy (and graceful) whilst in the water. |  |
 | The Americans
just love their pickup trucks and also seem to love playing with the
suspension. This was a typical (and very clean) example in a hotel forecourt. |
| You are also never far from the trains. This was at a cement
works right on the coast. Although there were only about 10 wagons they
still had three engines. I'm sure there is a good reason for this..... |  |
 | Being by the sea,
and being prone to rocks and fog, the coast abounds with lighthouses. What I
couldn't understand was why you could buy display lighthouses in Kansas. |
| The coast as we moved further north towards San Francisco was
just as it had been a little further south and earlier when we were up in
Oregon. There were excellent sandy beaches which were empty of people. You
can still see the ever present mist in this and the next photograph. There
were a few hardy surfers in wet suits but there weren't many surfing waves
to give them any real sport. And no beautiful people to come back to. |  |
 | But it was an
attractive coast and the road really does hug the coast. It does go up and
down a bit and you can't take your eye off it for a moment. I'm not sure
whether it lives up to its hype, at least in this stretch. |
| But there are a number of seals and sea lions living wild in this
area. Some of them are natural comics and sometimes you can get really
close. Then they almost seem human. |  |
 | Most of the time
though they just laze around in small groups. This was a warm spot so
perhaps they were just soaking up the heat. And so up to San Francisco,
one of the few big cities we have visited, but one which warrants a page of
its own. |
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