Road Trip: Down the California Coast

We woke up early as always and started a fire in the little woodstove.  We had no internet or even cell service, so our morning ritual of sipping coffee and catching up on the goings on in the world was cut short.  I know we made fun of the Inn in our last post, but it was actually a very pleasant experience, and the people running the place (especially Teresa) were delightful.

Instead of “tippy tapping” on the internet, Claire made our own entry in the guest book.  She laughed one more time about some of “in depth” entries that previous guests had made.

We walked down to the beach in the early morning mist.  One of the seven cats who inhabit the Inn followed Claire like a dog.  Where she went, the cat followed.  The sand was much darker than in Oregon, which made it feel less pristine, but the rock outcroppings where spectacular.

We had breakfast with the other quests, and then were on the road again!  We stayed on the coast until we got north of San Francisco and then cut inland through Oakland to avoid the city traffic.  We then cut back to the coast and rolled into Carmel by the Sea around dinnertime.  Claire checked us into the Carmel Inn & Suites; nothing fancy but right in the middle of town and the rates were reasonable.  The room is large and decorated like your grandma’s parlor.

We had dinner last night at a well-reviewed Mediterranean place called Dametra Café.  The meal was excellent.  Claire had a steak, and I had a Greek combination plate that included lamb, a chicken kabob, hummus, and a Greek salad.

After dinner we strolled around town a bit.  This is clearly a place where the well heeled come to shop.  Just another day on the road for us …

Why yes, i will have some wine…

We met another retired couple …

Hanging with our new friends

The main house at the Inn

Breakfast at the Inn

A girl and her cat …

Walking on the beach

They said the cat’s name is “Scraper”

View of the Inn from the beach