The temptation was overwhelming and I succumbed to staying at a Quality Inn here in King City rather than the planned tent route at the San Lorenzo Camp Ground. What made me do it? After 15.9 miles of light mist all day with my jacket, I was nearing my destination when I struggled to stay off of the King's Highway (101), but suddenly found myself in unbelievable mud from irrigating the fields. My pace fell off a cliff--it took me an hour to go through three sections each maybe 100 yards long. To keep from falling in the mud I used the barbed wire to steady myself--mantra: what a mess! Then I dead ended at a couple of arroyo secos that caused me to detour a half mile each. All this made me succumb to the Quality Inn! Beside which, tomorrow is definitely camp-out night. I have to return to a subject from yesterday: the poor dead beans. Well, it was all meant to be. They weren't green string beans, but rather beans drying in the field a few days--really yummy with sausage, the field hands told me. Most of the day was actually walking through vineyards, but the scarecrow cannons sounded less and less as I approached King City. They were quite regular and loud yesterday--I had grown accustomed to them. Also shown are two pics of the last mile, the bike path over the Salinas River: left at end of bridge to camp ground, right to, well, you know what!

With nine missions behind me, my cumulative mileage stands at 345. I can honestly say, "I feel I'm into it."

Nearly all of today's 12.3 miles took me through vineyards. A Hahn vineyard irrigation inspector and I had a talk about their grapes. He clipped off a huge bunch of Grenache grapes for me to eat. With a Brix of 24, they were very sweet and had an alcohol potential of 24•0.55=13.1%--a little weak, and maybe that's why they were waiting a few more days. (See the pic.)

The drip systems aimed their precious drops of water within well-calculated reach of the roots. They glistened in the sun's rays as they dropped and I imagined them as part of an open-air symphony. Front-row seat and all at no cost. I just had to appear and agree to appreciate it--oh, did I ever.

Somewhat unsettling, perhaps even unexpected, was field after field of string beans that were dried out. I had no explanation and couldn't find one either. Regardless of the reason, it was proof that all doesn't turn out as planned.

At 12.6 miles, the walk meandered through vineyards where the Santa Lucia mountains are host to some 50 estate wineries. Although some vineyards were in full swing of harvest, others were still waiting a few days on account of their buyers. A name I had come across quite frequently is "Andy Boy," apparently the name associated with one of the largest growers here in the Salinas Valley, the D'Arrigo Bros. Co. Their history is fascinating--well worth one's time. The D'Arrigos have grown the cactus pears for quite some time, and interestingly, a nice volunteer at the mission (Kristen sp?) who gave me a ride from the mission to the motel in Soledad has an interesting connection. Her grandparents are the land owners where the cactus grow--probably hundreds of acres. It was remarkable to see row after row after row of cactus sprouting their prickly pears.

Mission Soledad, 13th to be established by 1791, was staffed by four lovely lady volunteers who knew about Steph, Ron Briery and his book that I've used for my routing, as well as the horsemen ahead of me. See the pics below of the mission and today's highlights.

Yesterday's push made today a tolerable 22-miler (vice 28) again on the de Anza Trail through our Salinas farming community. For 9 hours I experienced the hustle and bustle of harvesting operations. I saw up close many fields of broccoli, artichokes, romaine and iceberg lettuce, grapes, string beans, and fennel. In fact, as I entered Gonzales, workers were just getting off from harvesting fennel. They were beat, as I was, and we shared the moment--total empathy with one another, as we gave each other the victory sign.

Couldn't miss the opportunity to rest at Talbott Vineyards with a glass of their Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow signature wine--exquisite. I just wished I weren't as exhausted--it hit me harder than I wanted, but I was near the end of the day anyway.

Farm labor contracting is apparently central to much of the agricultural operations here in the Salinas valley (as it is in the Oxnard plain). Their biggest cash crop is lettuce, supplying 80% of the US needs--I find that amazing! And so I felt I was watching the beginning of the making of a salad. A few pics capture the agricultural theme of the day (lettuce, artichokes, and fennel).

Pushed hard today, 22 miles, mainly to avoid a tent stay at Laguna Seca and to get ahead of the power curve so I wouldn't have to walk 23 to 27 miles tomorrow (next motel is in Gonzales).

Started the day after a good rest at our cousin's, Keith and Catherine's. Keith dropped me off at Mission Carmel at about 8:45am--couldn't resist another peak at the mission. It's really quite beautiful and historically so significant. Then, the next 3 hrs. I spent retracing my steps from the day before. It just works out that way because of the mission's location. Once on Route 68, I was following the Juan Bautista de Anza trail again all the way to Salinas. As I pushed beyond 22 miles, I found myself near the point where my route was turning south--it had already turned dark. My plan was to call a taxi to take me to one of the no-star motels in Salinas, when a fellow offered to drive me into the city to a motel. What an act of kindness!

There were many beautiful scenes throughout the day, especially early on, but the one that took my breath away was the sunset behind me! Check it out.

After a comfy night at cousin Keith and Catherine's along with a hearty breakfast, I continued along the path leading into Monterey. Lots was happening with festival preparations for this weekend starting tonight. I passed through the Veterans Park, the default camping area about 6 miles before the mission. My route carried me through beautiful forests and eventually down through the famous 17-mile drive and on to Carmel's Scenic Drive (just had to have someone take a picture of me).

In all, about 12 miles to Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo, my 8th mission so far. It served as the headquarters for the other 20! A huge complex. Noteworthy is that Padre Serra is also buried here (just to the left of the altar), at the second mission he founded. The Basilica is undergoing a massive earthquake stabilization retrofit project, but it's still open for visitors. The complex is quite huge with exhibits giving a good flavor of mission life.

18 miles of walking through agricultural fields makes you appreciate the hard work that goes into the veggies that end up on the dinner table. So much that we take for granted! Once I hit the coast again, the path paralleled the Pacific Coast Highway on the left and the large sand dunes on the right. Ice plants seem to survive, even thrive in nature's harshness showing hues of red among the green. The picture is better than words. Like the San Francisco Presidio, Ford Ord has undergone massive transformation since the post was closed in1994. Parts of it now serve the community through the CSUMB, Cal State Univ at Monterey Bay, a state park, while other parts surprisingly are under the Monterey Presidio (that sounds like a "just kidding" closure) with a large housing area with commissary and PX and other services. The pic says it all. Last but not least, I get to stay with Rose's cousin Keith and wife, Catherine, and their two lovely children, James and Libby. Libby has already posed in her Halloween outfit, a black cat complete with scary claws. Looking forward to seeing Mission Carmel tomorrow.

Had a nice cushy 16-mile day with great walking weather. The route out of San Juan Bautista led into the famous Juan Bautista de Anza Trail (see pic). Really steep up and down and it made me think how difficult his 250 to 300 some travelers had it back in 1775/6. To add to the spirit of the Spanish times I ate at a Taqueria while I did laundry and ordered a huarache pastor--now I realize that's all not pure Spanish, but Indian influence. Then again, de Anza couldn't have made it without his Indian guide from Mission San Gabriel. It took a team. Here is a pic of my huarache and two buddies--a goal of this adventure is to meet the locals along the way and touch each other's lives, both learning from each other then moving on! Even a wave to a farm hand or a tractor driver counts. BTW at the start of de Anza Trail I met a local reporter who had interviewed the horsemen who are doing about half the route; their daytime job precludes them from finishing the trek in one swoop. And, I spotted their road apples--pic included to snow the steepness of the trail!

Perfect day for walking 23 miles--weather has turned cool with the marine layer covering the fields from noon on. My walk was heightened by seeing all the agricultural activities. Everywhere you looked you could see fields being prepared, harvested, sprayed, or just irrigated.

My routing was in error, so I found myself facing a crossing of 101. But even worse, once on the other side I would have had to walk along the freeway some 3 miles. I was squirming. Turns out, the Iranian gas station owner drove me to the RV park I had planned for. No room at the inn! This RV park helped me get room at anther one closer to San Juan Bautista, but at another 5 miles. I should have taken the bike route (129).

The folks here are wonderful--even invited me in for a pasta meal (a first). Here are a few pics of the mission and one of the RV park.

Walked only 17 miles, but because of the near-90 deg heat, I felt little accomplishment. Every hour I stopped somewhere to buy a cold drink of sorts. Tonight is my first stay ever at a KOA--nothing but good reports. After pitching my tent, I walked down to the hot tub--it felt great! Who says an 800-mile walk has to be all work and no relaxation?

Had a wonderful downhill walk through dense redwoods (not our giant ones) from Redwood Estate to Scott's Valley. Then for the last half (after Scott's Valley) the path was on old roads that paralleled the State 17. Santa Cruz greeted me with some pretty warm weather!

The mission, founded in1791 as the 12th, has a colorful and violent history--much too lengthy to even touch on here. The original mission stood where today's Holy Cross Catholic Church stands. In 1931, a Gladys Doyle proposed and funded a half-size replica of the original mission--see the pics below.

22 miles first along the Los Gatos Creek Trail, over nine miles of opportunities for walkers, cyclists, jobbers, and you name it (even saw a unicycle) to huff and puff. There were hundreds, maybe more. Then came the uphill part crossing over the Santa Cruz Mountains, part of our coastal range. I huffed and puffed up 2200 ft--grueling but amazingly beautiful scenery. After 12 hours on the road, I got permission from some tenants on a Christmas tree farm to pitch my tent. It was a balmy, starry , and full-moon lit night near 12-foot tall trees ready to adorn some spacious living rooms--it was magical. Although mountain lions share this habitat with humans, none came to visit. My last line of defense was a high-powered night light I intended to move quickly from side to side and make lots of noise--surely that would have so confused the animal, it would have gone after a less confounding meal!

Here's the pic of Mission Santa Clara:

Arrived at Mission Santa Clara at a bit after 3:00pm (17 mi). Beautiful mission and on top of that they had a wedding going on. After spending some time in he mission thinking of its beauty, I read about its history. First mission to be named after a woman! And this mission became Jesuit later on promising to found a school and thus it sits in the middle of Santa Clara University today.

Am staying with Claudia's cousin, Kevin , and his wife Diane--lovely family. A big BBQ is scheduled.

Day 6 led me to the departure from the Camino Real in Mountain View where I stayed at a cozy motel just across 101 from Moffett Field. It was all familiar from our days at Lockheed Martin and living in Sunnyvale.

Day 7, according to Siri, was only going to be 12 miles, but turned out to be another 20, just like day 6. Today and parts of yesterday took me past companies rooted in the lore of Silicon Valley: Google, AMD, Dell, Juniper Systems, Lockheed Martin, on and on.

At 2:00 pm Claudia joined me to tour Mission San Jose--nice museum, but little there from the original mission founded in1797. This 14th mission was totally destroyed by the great earthquake of 1868. The photos of the current church are of a reconstruction in the 1970s.

Although only 10 miles into the day and while resting at a Starbucks, I am recharging along the way with all the humor I see-it's everywhere! A shoe in the middle of the Camino Real, obviously it had try to flee its owner's dastardly tortures, gets hit by a car; a front door to an office suite marked Magrittelike, "This is not an entrance"; and then there's the whole thing about the "moral compass app," whose existence is being denied on signs on top of taxis. Oh, it's a great world we live in--humor--the ultimate natural additiction!

How thrilling to walk the king's road itself! I picked up THE Camino Real as I left San Bruno, but seem to have gotten caught between motel clumps. They aren't uniformly distributed, meaning that I had to walk more than 25 miles to get to the next "clump."

My two favorite sites along the way are on these pics (the bust of Fra Serra is at St Mathews Church in San Mateo).

After a good visit with the daughters and their families, I rode the ferry back to Sausalito to continue the walk through historic Fort Baker. After a climb up to the Golden Gate Bridge (which celebrated its 75th BD), I crossed it in the early morning fog (see photo) and passed through historic Presidio. Lots of memories (e.g., in a hospital here as a teenager and commissioned in the US Army by the Presidio). Mission Dolores is the only one standing as it originally did--rather incredible! Several pics are of Presidio.

Great walk, but because of a few routing issues, I walked about 5 miles extra needlessly. So when I arrived in Sausalito I had already clocked over 20 miles, and ended up taking the ferry to San Francisco, now staying with Chris/Douglas for the night. Much of the walk was on roads with narrow shoulders-the pic below says it all.