We departed Fisherman's Wharf early as we wanted to tackle Lombard Street (the windy section) before it got too crazy. As we got to the start there was only a few cars with lots of walkers so it was a breeze. Slowly we zigzaged our way down the oneway road smiling for the walkers taking photo's. If you are ever in San Fran and want to drive it - do it early! We then made our way through the streets southwards to start our coastal journey. After missing a turn because Google was not clear we found ourselves on a sketchy oneway lane with homeless people living under a freeway - they didn't seem bothered by us though. We eventually got onto the freeway we needed and started south on highway 280. With beautiful scenery on both sides, San Francisco bay to the left and hills to the right it was easy driving till we got near San Jose. Here we headed inland to find Big Basin Redwood Forest and some big trees. It started out easy but the roads gradually got narrower and windier. With Tesla's flying past like it was a race track and cyclists coming in the opposite direction we eventually got to the rangers station. The next challenge was to find a park as many other people had the same idea. We found a spot in the over, over, over, overflow section, yep it was a good walk back to the rangers hut to get the park pass. Here we did a 1km walk to see some big trees. I have to say they do make our trees look average (what we have left I guess). It was an interesting walk around learning about the history of trees in the forest. We saw the 2 biggest trees in the area called the Father and Mother of the Forest. They were massive!

The drive out was better than the drive in, with wider roads and not as windy. We drove through a town called Boulder Creek which was like an old western town. The Sherriff's office was timber as were most of the other buildings. It was a pretty spot. As we got down to the coast we then hit the highway again for our cruise into Monterey. A beautiful coastal town with a harbour and lots of character. After checking in we went to the foreshore to see the sights and find some food. Matilda was keen to dine at the Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant, but realised life is not always like a box of chocolates. Instead we went to Coopers Pub. No beer from home, but they did have local brews and good pub meals. Penny had steak and mushroom pie, which had chunks of steak, Emily and I had fish and chips, big pieces, mum had a chicken pie, dad had pork steak and Tild's had a burger. They served meals with seasonal vegetables. For the first time this meant more than 2 types. There was broccoli, squash, carrot and zucchini. It was nice to have a variety with the meal. It was here I discovered that Pebble Beach Golf Course was close by. This got me thinking, could I squeeze a round in? We do have time in the morning. I looked up the details, yes it is a public course, the number 1 public golf course in all of America, tick. Cost, $550 USD for 1 round, $95 USD for a caddy and $95 USD for hire clubs. After getting the courage to start the conversation with Penny I soon realised this was not going to happen. I love golf, but that is a bit too pricey for a hit - even for me!