Adventures with kids and a guy named John

Steve Smith

Call our road trip “Travels With John,” for it was to discover more

about John Steinbeck that our family headed north on a recent weekend.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Steinbeck’s birth. During his

66 years, he wrote 29 novels, including “The Grapes of Wrath,” which

today still sells 300,000 copies annually. Steinbeck received the

Pulitzer Prize in 1940 for “Grapes” and the Medal of Freedom from Lyndon

B. Johnson in 1964.

Our first night was spent in Cambria, a deceiving 280 miles from our

home in Orange County. Our room at the Fireside Inn was hard to come by

on the Presidents Day weekend, and we paid the premium price of $199. But

as with most real estate, we paid for location, location, location, for

steps away from our motel door was Moonstone Beach, where we found

thriving tide pools and views to die for.

With a fireplace, whirlpool tub and vaulted ceiling, our spacious room

was more suited for a lovers’ hideaway than a family romp, but on short

notice -- we booked it that morning after someone canceled their

reservation -- it suited us well. A heated pool, large outdoor hot tub

and a continental breakfast took some of the sting out of paying that

price for what is essentially a motel room.

We dined that night at the Moonstone Beach Bar and Grill, which was

competent but had no particular attraction in the evening. During the

day, however, the restaurant has a large heated patio with umbrellas that

makes it irresistible. We were told that a quarter-mile down the road,

the Sea Chest was the place for the best food on the beach, but the wait

was far too long.

The following morning, after our hungry children got every nickel’s

worth of the free breakfast, we headed north to Hearst Castle. This was

my first trip -- and the first for the kids -- but my wife had been once

in high school.

Our tour began with a 40-minute movie explaining Hearst’s motivation

for building his “house,” which was followed by the “experience” tour,

one of four guided tours available. Hearst Castle is worth building a

weekend around.

If you go to Hearst Castle -- again highly recommended -- be on time.

Our movie started precisely at the announced time of 10:30 a.m., our tour

started on the dot at 11:40 a.m. and ended at exactly 1:15 p.m. as

promised. This tour so captivated our children, they forgot about food

the entire time.

Leaving Hearst Castle, we faced the choice of every traveler headed

north to Carmel or Monterey. Do we drive a few miles south, head back to

the highway and take the straighter 130-mile trip, or do we head up the

coast and risk the stomach-jostling coastal route? The coast shaves 35

miles off the trip, but the price we faced was two kids who were likely

to turn green in minutes.

We risked the coast and were rewarded in less than 10 minutes with a

close-up view of hundreds of beached elephant seals. Barking, rolling

around, sleeping or flipping sand, the seals were one of the highlights

of our trip.

The coastal route proved to be no match for our cast-iron stomachs.

The road was windy at times, but not nearly as much as either my wife or

I recalled.

In return, we were reminded why so many people migrate to California

year after year, for it is hard to believe that there is any more

beautiful sustained stretch of road anywhere in the world. Sheer cliffs,

expansive beaches, green hills and rugged mountains combined to make this

stretch of Highway 1 a memory for life.

Our lodging turned out to be one pleasant surprise after another. At

the Monterey Bay Inn, chosen off the Web because it appeared that every

room had both a balcony and a view, we again scored a fabulous location

at one end of Cannery Row. The Monterey Bay Inn is adjacent to a beach

favored by seals and otters, two of which greeted us minutes after our

arrival.

Our room had both a balcony and a view -- which they all appear to

have -- and another continental breakfast as well. This one, however, was

assembled to order and delivered to our room. Inside the room, we had

special touches such as robes, binoculars and a refrigerator.

The best treat, however, was the hot tub. Located on the roof, it has

a 180-degree view of the bay. Even on a chilly evening -- especially on a

chilly evening -- there may not be a better place to end the day.

Outside of downtown, Monterey is still quaint. Here, Cannery Row meets

the world-class aquarium along a superb strolling district not yet

affected by the cookie-cutter capitalism that Steinbeck shunned.

Steinbeck is here too. Not just in the many businesses named after

him, but in the nooks and crannies of the canneries and along the

waterfront where the ghosts of the dockworkers haunt the Cannery Row he

described in 1945.

It is no wonder that Steinbeck returned to Monterey. Simply put, the

trip to Monterey is beautiful and worth every mile of the drive.

* * *

If you go: The Monterey Bay Inn is recommended. Call (800) 424-6242.

For Monterey and Steinbeck centennial information, call the Monterey

Peninsula Visitors and Convention Bureau at (408) 649-1770 or visit

www.steinbeck.org.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and freelance writer. Readers

may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at (949) 642-6086.