We set off early with only a 2 hour drive through some really pretty countryside. Monterey was decided on as our first of two overnight stops along the way. Monterey was is just outside Carmel by the Sea which is a very exclusive place to visit and the quaint little shops were interesting but certainly on the high end price-wise and if you didn’t have a dog on a leash you felt positively underdressed. Each of the stores had a dog water bowl on the footpath for the pooches. We wandered for a couple of hours and then headed back to Monterey for an early dinner at Chilli’s before retiring to the hotel. The food was great as was the hotel.

Day two we headed off down highway 1. The weather was clear and the drive again was very scenic. Today we were headed for Ventura which is only two hours north of LA. This is certainly worth doing and I would recommend this drive to anyone. The driving was not too difficult and there are lots of places to pull over to take pictures and a break.

A highlight was a stop off to view the elephant seal colony, although they were not what you would call energetic.

Tomorrow we fly to Abilene where we will stay for Christmas. Bring on the West Texas BBQ.