Tuesday May 1, 2012, 32 miles (51 km)
Total so far: 499 miles (803 km)
Today’s ride takes us from the little village of Carmel-by-the-Sea, to Monterey, including part of the famed 17 Mile Drive. Cars pay a fee of $9.75 for the privilege of cruising this scenic route, but on bicycles we roll in for free!
The south end of the road is narrow and without good shoulder or a bike lane. It is home to the extraordinary mansions of the rich and powerful folk that can afford to live in this neighborhood. Early in the morning, there is not much traffic, and we roll past the gates of the cavernous homes and fantasize about the people who live inside. The occasional Bentley or Ferrari passes us, but in general we have the road to ourselves.
It isn’t long until we arrive at the Pebble Beach Golf Resort. We decide to ride in and take a look around. The Hotel (The ‘Lodge’) certainly looks like a nice place to hang out. At the back of the lodge is a pier, and we ride to the end of the pier to take a look around.
Leaving Pebble Beach behind, we continue on our way north. Despite that 17 Mile Drive is clearly marked with a bright purple center line specifically intended to keep tourists from getting lost and wandering into the surrounding neighborhood, I manage to get us off the route on the way north. We get off 17 Mile Drive and cruise through the neighborhood streets. It means we are missing some of the famous landmarks on 17 Mile Drive, but we will see them on the return ride, and the streets here feel much safer. The neighborhood streets eventually lead us back to 17 Mile Drive near Spanish Bay.
The north end of the 17 Mile Drive is much more cycle friendly, with a nice bike lane and wider lanes for cars. The views of the ocean are spectacular as we roll past some famous land marks – Seal Rock and Spanish Bay.
At the north end, the 17 Mile Drive exits into the town of Pacific Grove. Sunset Drive is a great road with wide lanes and a wide bike lane that runs along the ocean through town. The wind has picked up steadily and as we ride this stretch, we really feel the cold, strong wind in our faces.
Finally we arrive in Monterey. The Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) was founded in 1984 and is located on the site of a former sardine cannery on Cannery Row. We look around town a bit, before picking a convenient place to get out of the wind and eat something warm for lunch.
Fueled by warm food we head back out into the wind for the return ride to Carmel. The miles roll by quickly as the wind, now on our backs, helps push us past Pacific Grove and back to The 17 Mile Drive.
This time, I manage to stay on the road. The south end of 17 Mile Drive passes some of the most famous views along the road.
The houses along this stretch of road are even larger and more imposing than those at the north end.
Because of its fantastic views, the 17 Mile Drive is a very popular tourist destination. In the morning, the road was relatively quiet (and we skipped a large part of it on our alternate route). But on the return, the traffic is very heavy. There is a pretty steady stream of cars and frequent trucks belonging to the landscapers and construction crews that keep up the mansions. Most intimidating, are the gigantic tour buses that can barely fit around the tight turns and narrow lanes on this part of the road.
When we see a bus approaching behind us, all we can do is bail out to the grass shoulder or into a driveway. We nervously complete the last few miles of the ride while playing dodge the tour bus. We are glad to exist the gate in Carmel and return safely to our car.
We strongly advise anyone who is planning to ride this route to ride the south end of 17 Mile Drive in the AM, when traffic is light, and to use the alternate neighborhood route in the afternoon to dodge the tourist traffic.
A quick drive back to our hotel and we are happily looking forward to dinner…..