To say this place is dog friendly is an understatement. You could say the aptly named, Barley Hound, caters to canines.
In fact, the dog menu looked quite enticing—steak & rice, chicken & rice served on a Frisbee. How cool is that?
I stopped in for some afternoon refreshments after a full day on the trails (Goldwater Lake MTB and Granite Basin hike). It seems they take care of their human patrons too—the salmon lavash and margie did not disappoint. I’ll have to return with a canine companion for a full meal sometime soon.
The Barley Hound Gastropub is near courthouse square at 234 S. Cortez Street, Prescott, AZ. Check it out when you’re out and about in Prescott.
Stay tuned for my top picks of places to stay and eat and for more of my active escapades in and around Prescott.
I’m crushing big on Monterey right now. Got back last night from a magnificent adventure, which included cycling two of Monterey’s top 10 rides – the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreational Trail and Pebble Beach’s famous 17 Mile Drive. (In 1 day.) I did both routes in one day because I was running out of days. Wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, because these views are made for savoring, stopping, having lunch and general leisure enjoyment. But if you’re into distance and running out of vaca time, just do it. If you only have time for one, take the 17 Mile Drive / Ride.
The Monterey Bay Coastal Recreational Trail (paved bike path) runs from Pacific Grove to Castroville, the artichoke capital of the world, following the route of the old Southern Pacific Railway. Except for a few minor exceptions in Marina –it’s nearly 100% car free, which means absolutely carefree cycling with spectacular dunes and coastline views along the way. And, when you head north to Castroville, you practically have it all to yourself. Biker’s bliss for sure. (Except for the couple mile section between Marina & Castrovile where you share a frontage road with some 18-wheelers…) Easy to cut out this section, but then you’ll miss out on the “Choke Coach” – see below.
Length: 18 miles, 1 way (36 miles total) – or any distance you like (many just do the a short ride 2.8 miles from Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey to Lovers Point, Pacific Grove).
Difficulty: This is a beginner to intermediate ride – mostly due to length. It’s flat for the most part, rolling for the other part with really only 1 “hill” of note.
Looking up the Coast Near Sand City
Never let them see you sweat? No, lol, windy day, holding my hair out of my face.Old Fort Ord, Firing RangeViews of Monterey From the Highest Point on the Bike Path
Rolling Farmland, Near MarinaRiver View in Marina
Artichoke Food Truck in Castroville – good spot for a bite at the 18 mile turn around. I passed it up in the interest of getting both rides done.
Start or end point in Pacific Grove, unless you’re doing 17 Mile Drive too
Pebble Beach’s 17 Mile Drive
It’s just a couple miles to get to the start of the 17 Mile Drive from Lover’s Cove in Pacific Grove. You’ll cruise through beautiful Asilomar State Beach and follow the signs to stunning 17-Mile Drive – view spectacular seascapes and mansions, along one of the most beautiful golf courses in the world. By Cypress point, the bike lane ends so you have to share the road for a bit. The driver’s here are very respectful of bikers. How refreshing!
Difficulty: Beginner to intermediate ride – mostly due to length. It’s mostly flat with a couple climbs.
Pebble Beach’s Iconic Lone CypressStill smiling despite going up a hill I didn’t need to at mile 50ish.
(I didn’t have my Garmin with me so I’m guessing my day’s total was between 60-70 miles, counting taking the local “bike route” up to Spyglass Hill and back down instead of staying on the 17 mile drive bike lane. I was getting a little giddy at that point. The bad news is, I ran out of battery on my phone so my pictures are limited. The good news is you get to discover it for yourself.
I worked up quite an appetite and thirst on my back-to-back bike adventure, which I sated at Domenicos on the Wharf. I was a little skeptical of heading into the tourist zone here, but it proved to be the right call and the perfect finale to my day. Great happy hour, service and food. I slurped down a refreshing margie and devoured a splendid house salad (best I’ve seen) and grilled artichoke – all of which were wonderful. Cheers to a beautiful day in Monterey. (No pics because my phone was charging.)
Hybrid bikes are $25 half day, $35 whole day. Road bikes, $35 half day, $65 whole day. (If you’re going further than 20 miles, I’d recommend going with the road bike.) They also have kayak rentals and SUP for more fun in the sun.
Had the good fortune to travel to Japan on business and to stay in the luxurious Prince Hotel, Minato, Tokyo. My bathroom and room had tremendous view of Tokyo tower (aka Eiffel Tower knock off). I have never been in such a large or luxurious bathroom – huge walk in shower, deep jacuzzi bathtub and enough room left over for a small dance party. Seriously, the bathroom seemed more spacious and outfitted than the room itself. In case you haven’t heard, the Japanese have a thing for outfitted toilets (heated seats, warm water spritz wash (biddett & hot air dry, etc…) and deep soaking tubs. We Westerners could certainly learn a thing or two from Japan and improve our WC experience…
The bathroom was so big, I couldn’t get it all in 1 photo.
Tokyo Tower view from the shower, tub or throne.
While I was in town for business meetings, I still managed to sneak in a couple strolls and a quick run around the area to take in a few of the nearby scenic highlights.
As my Japanese grand finale, I indulged in a sushi dinner at Hamashiba restaurant in the hotel. Forget everything you’ve heard about hotel restaurants – this one is superb. The sushi is outstanding, by far the best I’ve had and no doubt, will ever have. The maguro / tuna was absolutely exquisite and it was a treat and once in a lifetime experience to watch the master sushi chefs at work. Was it expensive? Duh. Was it worth it? Absolutely! (The company didn’t pick up this one.)
Sumptuous sushi assortment
Magnificent maguro & yellowtail
Sayonara!
Garden and City views from my room at The Prince
Oh, and it looks like the sole homeless person in all of Japan was sleeping under my window at The Prince.
Stay tuned for adventures in Kyoto and Hakone…Arigato.
Executive Chef, Sean Temple was on his way out after a long day behind the range when he walked by the bar and caught a snippet of our conversation with a local. We were chatting about who had the best food in the area. Sean joined the conversation and suggested we stay for a bite. The local had never dined there so he couldn’t weigh in. And honestly, we were a bit skeptical as the Warfield is a distillery, brewery, and restaurant…
On the Loose Live 