Monterey, Santa Cruz, and New Bikes

 

Yes, on Friday, just three days after getting our bikes stolen I found a used one from a local individual, who was kind enough to bring it out to Laguna Seca for us to look at.

The frame is a bit smaller than my old bike, which is great because I’m not quite as close to the top tube when standing over the bike. I made some minor adjustments to the handlebars and seat and it feels just like the other, which I really liked.

Meet the new bike, same as the old bike, a Giant Anthem 29er.

That afternoon we went to Monterey for lunch at El Cantaro, a completely vegan Mexican restaurant. Our grilled pineapple and black bean burrito was really good.

We then took a walk on the waterfront, passing by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, along Cannery Row, and on to the municipal wharf, the highlight of our walk.

Several people told us we should not miss the aquarium, and I’m sure it’s a great attraction, but we’ve been to many others over the years and just don’t enjoy crowded touristy places like that anymore. There were busloads of kids all around when we walked by so we knew it was a good decision to skip it.

Cannery Row was quite disappointing, although we had heard it was very touristy so we knew what to expect. In fact we didn’t take any other photos. It’s just a typical street with souvenir shops, hotels, and restaurants. Sadly there is even a John Steinbeck Spirit of Monterey Wax Museum. He’s got to be rolling over in his grave, as they say. At least the city put up quite a few placards talking about the history of the sardine canneries along the waterfront, which were interesting to read.

The free live entertainment at the wharf was the best. This was the closest we’ve gotten to the California sea lions, a very vocal group, and much more active than the harbor seals we’ve seen.

Don’t try this at home.

Rain was predicted for Saturday, but before it started we took a walk around the track where there was SCCA racing. Those cars are loud!

Jim made some phone calls to bike shops and found a bike he wanted to look at in Santa Cruz, 45 miles away. A similar used one was also being sold by an individual in LA that would ship, but he wanted to look at it and check the fit. So off to Santa Cruz we went, in the rain. Just so happened the one at the bike shop was a demo, and they had reduced the price by $1,000, close to the price of the used one. The rain stopped just long enough for Jim to take a test ride, and he ended up buying it.

He hasn’t taken pictures yet but it’s a Giant Trance. After looking at lots of other bikes, we are both impressed with Giant. And we actually got to ride abut a 7 mile loop yesterday. The Fort Ord trails accessed from the Laguna Seca campground are great, although there is a lot of hill climbing. Of course that means lots of downhill, too. Fun!

Now after watching videos on how easy it is to cut bike locks, we have a couple new U locks along with the heavy chain we already had. Jim is still working on other ideas. If someone really wants the bikes they will find a way to get them, but we’re hoping we can hang onto these a bit longer.