Captain + Stoker Coffee, Monterey, CA

Spending the long Memorial Day weekend in Pacific Grove/Monterey recently allowed myself and the friends I was with to seek out some new spots. I brought my "standard" list of places, but they also did their own research and came up with some great new ones for any future visitors. One of those places is a coffee shop called Captain+Stoker Coffee.

For those of you not nerdy enough about bikes to know, the name of this shop is a reference to tandem bicycles. The "captain" on a tandem is the driver, the "stoker" is the person stuck on the back. In a sense, the stoker uses their legs to "stoke" the fire of the bicycle engine. Sidenote: this word, stoker, comes to bikes from steam ship or locomotive use - a person responsible for literally "stoking" the fire in the firebox to keep steam plentiful. Well, now that you know where the name comes from, you may understand why there are bicycles on the walls of this place. 

Not only do they brew up some great cups of java, but they also have become known for their avocado toast ("avo toast" to some). It contains most things you'd think of and some you might not - Fresh-baked sourdough bread, avo spread, crisp arugula, olive oil, pepper flakes, and a lime on the side to squeeze. Genius. They also have other flavors of toast, like PB+Banana and Cinnamon+Sugar, plus handmade sweets and baked goods. It was almost too much... to get over that, the 2nd day we went back we ordered almost one of everything. Smart.

Even their decor and lighting were cool, IMO...

No joke on the roasting works either, right there on premises...

Everything we put in our maws was tasty. I will be back virtually anytime I'm on the Monterey peninsula. Just go. If you're near, go.

Cable+WiFi+Cellphone vs. Cellphone-Only, Watsonville, CA

With my recent move to the top of, ok, middle ways up a mountain, I lost access to normal cable/WiFi providers (Spectrum, Comcast, etc.). They simply don't offer service this far up "the hill". Now, there are satellite cable & WiFi providers, like HughesNet, but they didn't save much money and, frankly, were jerks on the phone. You could also go the route of Dish Network or DirectTV, but it's not my property and I would feel a bit odd about installing hardware on someone else's property or building.

So, I sucked it up and decided I'd go old school. For $20, I'd buy a simple HD TV Antenna (from Amazon) and see what I got. Well, it turned out to be about 12 channels in English (slightly more than that in Spanish as well). CBS comes in, but no NBC or ABC. It's really basic, but for the positive, it did remind me of childhood and "changing channels" by hand for the family. Ah, it was a simpler time.

Well, soon after seeing my basic TV options, I inquired with my cellphone provider about their options for viewing content on my phone. I thought I'd at least be able to stay abreast of some content and be able hold a conversation with someone else if a cool reality show came up.

Lo and behold, AT&T had me on a plan that was 5GB of data (with Rollover) for $80/month. What I was not aware of until I inquired on my own is that they had recently redone their plans and had one called "Unlimited & More Premium", also for $80/month (based on a single user/phone line). I did loose Rollover data (which is basically moot if you now have unlimited data) plus I gained access to their Watch TV app, which allows for a single premium channel and 30+ normal cable channels (TBS, Bravo, AMC, CNN, etc.). This seemed like a no-brainer to me - Done.

I did some quick Googling and also found out how to get the content from my phone to my HDMI/Internet-equipped TV (a ~4 year old Vizio model). For Apple there are at least two really simple options. Being a single user with a single TV, I decided to go for the cheapest and most simple, Apple's Lightning to HDMI Adaptor, at an MSRP of $50 (more on price below). I can plug this into phone and TV, and also charge the phone while viewing content. It seems so simple and easy now - who knew? More importantly, do cable providers want us to know?! I mean, AT&T owns Direct TV. But I digress - quickly, other options to stream this content include using Apple TV to mirror content b/w multiple devices (TV, laptop, phone, etc.) or a WiFi-enabled option like Google Chromecast or the like.

A note on the price of this adaptor - Target sells it at the time of this post for $39. BestBuy sells it for $54.99. I think it's easy to see where you should purchase it. Finally, as far as extra costs, for this set-up I also purchased some longer charging and HMDI cords. This allows one to use the phone as a "remote" further away from the TV, and also work on a better cell signal in your space, if needed.

It has worked good (not great) so far. I would not say the signal I personally receive is amazing by any means (your cell service may be much better), and there are some times it works poorly. But, I've watched GoT epsodes to catch-up and the finale live without much trouble. RedBullTV came through great live and previously taped content. Movies and shows from most of the cable channels stream well enough to watch without much interruption. It's not HD quality and ease as from a cable box, but I simply remind myself how much I'm saving.

And is there a cost savings? Is it significant? You friggin' bet there is! Here's how it breaks down for my bills over 12 months, below. This also means my new "hardware" (antenna, cords, and Apple HDMI adaptor) is paid off by then, as one-time costs.

If you find yourself in a multi-person dwelling, out on your own, or simply tired of paying for cellphone, cable AND WiFi, I think you might want to look into these new styles of "viewing content". #merica

Ranch Milk Mexican Grill & Craft Beer House, Watsonville, CA

I don't know how I feel about this place, but here's some viewpoints.

Positives:
- For starters, at about 5:30PM on a Sunday, it was not busy at all. I got in just before the dinner rush and I was eating shortly after. They definitely had a good to-go crowd come in too. It was getting busy once I was eating.
- The food and drinks are cheap. No matter how you slice it, the Mexican offerings are all reasonably priced (in comparison to all options in the region) and the beers are very modestly priced too.
- The food and drinks are very good quality and value. I liked everything I put in my mouth and felt it was worth the prices I paid, if not more.
- They have a good number of local and not-so-local beers on tap. Gotta be something for everyone, right? They had all the beers scrolling on a LCD screen, with prices and IBUs. I believe it was two full screens with about 24-30 beers in all.
- They have a patio. Even in Northern CA, sitting outside can be a boon to your night.
- They have ice cream! I mean, if that doesn't seal it.

Not so Positives:
- A restaurant with lots of art, stuffed animal heads, etc on the walls can be perfectly kitsch really easily (like the Wooden Nickel already posted here). The same kind of stuff, not done as well, looks like a hot mess and clutter at best. This place is the latter, IMO. They have stuff all over the walls (lights, posters, artwork, merchadise for sale, etc.), but without much sense to it all. I thought it was just someone trying to use free brewery give-a-ways or literally trying to hide holes or wires in the walls. Even the name seems like they tried to cram everything in it... why not mention the gas pumps too?
- Oddly laid out. Perhaps this is the vibe they're going for, but there's an old "market" and gas station in front of the restaurant as you walk in. I get this is part of their history, but again, it simply feels cluttered for no reason.
- Weird bar. The bar itself is about 5-feet wide, which is ok, but when the bartender can't place a drink in front of you, it might be too wide. There are also two levels to the bar, it steps down slightly nearest the patrons. How about one solid bar top, in a normal width? While you're upgrading the bar area, I'd also love a foot rest down by my feet in front of the bar too.
- The rest of the decor is just as uninspiring. I think some of the old things can be cleaned, updated or upgraded to make this place really good. I don't think it would take much.

Having said all of the above, I'd still go back for it's lowkey vibe, cheap prices and solid service. They all seemed like nice people working there.

Mount Madonna County Park, Watsonville, CA

This place is no joke, keep your head on a swivel.

They have a very  handsome covered gathering place and a very cool open air auditorium...

 Walk down here...

Bam, seats!

Agua por su caballo. Nice to see a "hitchin' post" still has a place in the world too.

You don't see these much anymore (not much cell service in the park either, so this is gooder).

Not something you see in every county park, and if I were an archer, I think I would be pretty stoked by this "disc golf style" archery range (last pick of course map). And I know what you're thinking too, so let me answer it now, no crossbows. Nuts.

I've camped here, "hiked" here (what defines hiking vs. walking anyways), and I still haven't seen all this park has to offer. I'll be back.

Litterbugs, Watsonville, CA

A few weeks ago, I brought a shopping bag out on a walk/hike with me. I'd decided to pick up trash along the way. The route goes up a pretty well-used one-lane road to a large county park. I thought maybe I'd get 6-12 big items I noticed on a previous walk.

Picking up trash and recycling (and certainly NOT throwing litter out of your vehicle) is something we learned pretty well as kids. Our Mom was living "reduce, reuse, recycle" way before it was even a thing. Combine that with an anal-retentive person's penchant for cleaning and the way my eyes can notice almost anything that appears out of place and I turned into a very busy trash-grabbing pedestrian on this walk.

I filled the entire shopping bag and then some. Here's a smattering of what I picked up:
- 3-4, 40oz beer bottles, kudos big drinkers!
- 12+, aluminum beer cans, all crushed by foot to hold more in the bag
- 2-3, 12oz beer bottles
- A handful of the mini "airline" liquor bottles
- 1, Co2 canister, presumably from a cyclist (these are not at all recyclable, please get a hand pump)
- 1, Sports Gel wrapper, the Untapped brand, also likely from a cyclist.
- 1, Crushed & broken plastic hubcap, more like 20 pieces of a hubcap
- 1, Trojan wrapper, opened & empty, bowm-chick-a-bowm-bowm!
- 1, Microfiber cloth
- .75, Red Solo cup
- 1, Starbucks hot cup, Grande
- 1, Starbucks iced cup, Venti
- 1, Blanket (I have to go back for this)
- 1, Six-pack can ring keeper, white
- 1, Petzel headlight lithium-ion battery (I'd picked up the crushed mount/headstrap about a week earlier)
- 20, Various pieces of plastic/mail/debris/paper/etc.

And this was collected in only 2/10 of a mile! Almost no distance at all. And in case you were wondering that same thing I was - "Where did you throw all that trash, MK?" The county park has many large trash bins in the park, and they post-sort and recycle all items after leaving the park. If I hadn't seen this sign, I might have walked it all back down the hill for the trash at home.

Oh, and there was one more king can for me to grab IN THE TRASH BIN! Lovely.

And to address some of your fleeting thoughts - Yes, as soon as I got to the park & dumped the "loot", I washed my hands thoroughly.

Since I had a lot of time while walking, I began to think about the mind of a litterbug. Why do they do this? What could make them stop? Etc. Here are three of my categories:

> Accidental Litterbugs
These litterbugs don't know that they're littering, and I like to think they'd go back and pick it up if they did know. Of course, I'm sure some of them are littering on purpose, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt in this case. An example of this litterbug could be: You're careening down the mountain on your bike (it is fast and bumpy) and your headlight falls out of your back pocket or fanny pack. You never knew you lost it until the end of your ride. Same could happen to the energy gel wrapper or the Co2 canister. I think it also happens to the car hubcap - around a tight turn, your hubcap pops off in the middle of the night as you're heading home. You don't even notice it's gone. Days later, many other cars pulverize this hubcap into dozens of pieces on the side of the road. Ok, fine, I get it. The last group are people that have actually thrown away their trash, but the garbage person handling their trash lets some of it inadvertently blow away during pickup. Kind of straddling this "accidental" line, but ok.

> Avoid-Trouble Litterbugs
This took me a few minutes to figure out, but I think I can at least understand this litterbug. You've got a 40oz beer bottle in your car, maybe are underage, and simply don't want an open container in your vehicle once down the mountain. So, you chuck it out the window as you go down. You're getting rid of the evidence. I mean, there are actually more serious violations happening with this litterbug than littering, but ok, I guess I understand this one.

> Lazy Litterbugs
In my opinion this is the worst type of littering offender. This is someone that's simply too lazy, ignorant, stupid or a combination thereof, to put their garbage in a trash can. I actually really dislike this type of litterbug and cannot understand what they're thinking. As someone that can understand not wanting trash in my own car, I cannot understand why you can't simply put it to the side for the rest of your (short) drive and dispose of it once home or at your destination. Lazy.

So, what's the solution?
I've had some time to think about that too. I thought about purchasing a ghillie suit (Google it), sitting in the woods near the sides of the roads and leaping out to catch people in the act. That might get the wrong kind of response though, especially if they're packing heat. I thought about buying a bunch of motion-activated game cameras (used by hunters) and catching people in the act, then handing the footage in to the police. Not only is the cost prohibitive, but I'm guessing the police have better things to do. My last gasp attempt at a solution is pretty simple and I suspect will work - place some county garbage cans at the small turnouts on the road down the hill. Hopefully people who are already stopping and already removing trash from their cars will simply place it in the proper receptacle.

In any case, let's hope most of our worlds litterbugs are the first kind, and not the last. Of course, as I drove up this route the following Monday morning, I noticed new trash, but it turned out to be only a plastic bag that had blown in. I went back for that blanket and bag, and wound up with a whole other shopping bag filled with garbage (some was really hiding the first time I collected). Sneaky trash.

Visit Northern CA

If you need some reasons to come out to California for a visit, here's an excerpt of a recent email I sent to friends, helping them with ideas for their trip. If any of it perks your interest, we can work on your visit next. It's written in a pretty shorthand method, but I think you'll get the idea.

Hotels

Monterey - Portola, I've stayed once, it's decent in the rooms, much liked because of its location to the wharfs, downtown, and ocean (as in Pacific)

Carmel - Mission Ranch - likely booked up, but could be worth a call, especially if you have time to plan

Monterey - Colton Inn - no frills, but reflected in the prices. You also may not spend a lot of time in the room... too much time sightseeing! 

There are so many hotel rooms in Monterey, it's obscene

Restaurants, all in Monterey (below, for now)

Alvarado Street Brewing - see below.

Mission Ranch - see above. Even for dinner, this place has views for days. They have sheep in a meadow. The crowd does skew older, but that's likely a testament to the place's longevity and hold in the community. They have a piano bar too. I'm not kidding

Revival - like a new hipster ice cream place, but good too

Hula's - I mean, a tiki bar is fun - c'mon!

There's a pretty vibrant modest downtown in Carmel-by-the-Sea too. They have tons of places to stop in and try. Their downtown promenade makes a wonderful and simple afternoon or evening (shops, eats, etc.)

Breweries

Santa Cruz/Soquel - Beer Thirty - I have not been yet, but I do hear people love it

Monty - Alvarado Street Brewing - I very much like the food, solid brews, but sooo many hoppy ones, which I'm not a fan of

Coralitos Brewing - tiny little spot, with a great big front porch. Often has a food truck out front

Watsonville - Wooden Nickel - hole in the wall, but so choice b/c of it. Good food, normal brews on tap

Like most of the US, there are many more breweries all around, most I've never been to yet

Wineries

Morgan Hill - Clois La Chance - I've never been to one yet here/locally, but they all look good/wine-ish. This one is a fave of boss/friend. Most of them have tasting hours F-Su, if not all week.

Hiking/Nature/Etc

Monterey - Monterey Bay Aquarium!! This is a huge draw in the area, and well-worth the trip, IMO. It is pricey, about $50 for an adult ticket, but the money does go to supporting their programs and ocean research... plus the sea otters  

Pacific Grove - This city is next to Monterey (you'd almost not know it's a new town). There's a very simple flower garden walk along the ocean here, I could easily spend an afternoon sitting on or near their beach and walking the coast. They have food and beer near too

17-mile Drive - this is a toll drive along the ocean, from Monterey to Carmel. It's very picturesque and affords opportunities to get out of the car and see the ocean. The price is modest per car. It also "ends" at Pebble Beach Golf Course, which is impressive and has their own fancy restaurant as well. 

Point Lobos - picturesque hiking, I've never been yet, always heard good things, little drive south from Monterey

Carmel City Beach - it's so great! Most of the beaches here can vary in quality by day and by weather. I've never been one to hang out all day and play beach volleyball with my shirt off (insert college buddy name here), but this one is so wide and such a variety of folks, can go at anytime. Sundown is very pretty.

I can do this all day. Let me know if you need more ideas. Bring your sunblock (or buy it when you arrive, TSA be damned).

Wooden Nickel, Watsonville, CA

If you just moved the entirety of your worldly possessions, spent the rest of the day setting up a new space, and forgot to eat lunch... this is the place.

As I was walking in, I got a strange feeling I might no fit in here, but as soon as I walked in the door, my fears were allayed. This is just a good ole local hole in the wall, in the best sense of the phrase. I loved the decor, patrons, staff, and food/drinks almost as soon as I walked in. It just felt perfect that day.

I waited a few minutes for a stool at the bar to open up (not really tons of seating or a very big place). Once I sat down, everything came to me as it should. Drink & food? Yes & Yes.

I went with their Nickel Burger as a first shakedown meal for the place. You get the sandwich, fries, house-made coleslaw, and a little piece of cake, with every order. 

The burger was very very good. Great bun, cooked well, and fresh toppings too. I'd easily order it again. The fries were not to my liking. They had the texture and taste of those shoestring potatoes out of a can. I'm not sure how they did that, but I'd prefer a normal "non-dehydrated" French fry. Coleslaw was fresh and tasty. I think it had cranberries in it, nice. The cake was merely a bite or two, but kind of a nice little topper on the whole meal.

If you happen to be near Watsonville, or maybe driving through, I would definitely stop in. In fact, I know I will be back in soon, now that it's in "my backyard".

Recent Update: I've already been back, the dish below, Caesar Salad w/ Skirt Steak Teriyaki, was not removed from my olfactory memory after the first visit. The guy next to me had ordered it. I had to go back for it. This sign caught my eye that night too...

Steak and salad were very good. I'd pass on the bread next time. Kind of really dig that little piece of cake with every meal still. It's about two bites, nothing fancy, served on an orange slice, but feels worth it.