This is my all-time favorite bicycle path, and yesterday we rode it again. Always a delight. The weather was simply spectacular – a light breeze (even well into the normally more blustery afternoon) and temps in the low 70’s.

The trail goes from north of Marina all the way down to Lover’s Point. If you don’t mind some auto traffic, you can go further south along the wonderful coastline that traverses Pacific Grove and even 17-Mile Drive.

Like all bike paths, it’s non-vehicle roadway – pedestrians, cyclists, skaters, etc. but no motorcycles or cars at all. Smooth asphalt the entire way, and mostly level with a few brief climbs. It starts out pretty lonely and a bit wild, then runs along the old Fort Ord military reservation (now park and refuge land), and then the populated zone of Seaside, Monterey, Cannery Row, and so forth. Something for everybody and a truly diverse ride.

We parked at the Fort Ord Dunes State Park lot – it’s convenient but a bit hard to find the first time. The access road winds through the ancient peeling barracks of the old fort, now chain-linked off and available only to graffiti artists and other rodents. Leaving the parking lot, the Park road parallels the Coastal Trail path for about 4 miles southward.

South of the park area, the beach dunes and path intermingle, with the bustle of Monterey still in the far distance.

The abrupt sandy clay of the shoreline cliffs provides some nice updrafts for hang-gliders. This guy was gently working the light breeze, staying what seemed perilously close to the cliffs, ground, and us. Several times he passed by almost close enough to touch.

In Monterey, all manner of sights are available. At the harbor, the seals find the smallest scraps of rocks exposed by the low tide. They haul out and perch apparently by magic to nonchalantly sun themselves. As a nice back-drop, the stark white watercraft offer their crisp contrasts with the sea’s deep blues.

Past Cannery Row, a group of aspiring artists made their best efforts to capture the beauty of the cove above Lover’s Point.

Looking back north from Lover’s Point, we and another couple enjoyed the wonderful scenery before heading back home.

As we returned to the car past the old Fort, the ammo bunkers huddle down in the distance. These all faced away from the sea, to protect the contents from shelling by enemy invaders.

Another relic of the Fort, an enormous firing range – marked now only by the aging range observation tower.

We’ve ridden this trail many, many times, and it’s always a treat and, in some way or another, a new experience.