Carmel is a tourist vacation village south of Monterey with one of California’s few dog-friendly beaches. Next to Carmel is world famous Pebble Beach with hotels, golf links, rich folks’ residences. Some of its 17-miles of roads made up California’s first sports car race course. When that became too dangerous and ended, then Laguna Seca race track was built about 10-miles inland.

Fort Ord was a WWII army training base along side the ocean just north of the city of Monterey. When it was closed in 1994, part of it became a county park encompassing the Laguna Seca race track, another part became CSUMB (California State University at Monterey Bay) and it also encompassed the towns of Seaside, Sand City, and Marina plus the public beaches.

One of the best and most beautiful roads on earth is in Monterey County just south of Carmel and runs to San Simeon along CA 1 or as its better know as the Big Sur Highway. Built along a ridge with mountains on one side and a long drop into the Pacific Ocean on the other. Cross the famous Bixby Creek Bridge, eat at Nepenthe, see Elephant Seals

So, first it was a little sports car racing, then a car show, then a vehicle auction that grew into the massive Monterey Motor Week of today. That includes cool things like a race car exhibit on Alvarado Street, Vintage Car racing at Laguna Seca (last year celebrating Shelbys and this year the Corvette), Cars on Ocean Avenue Carmel, tour of Big Sur including a lap at Laguna Seca, an Italian-only show called Concorso Italiano featuring Ducatis, Moto Guzzis, Ferraris, Maseratis, Alfa Romeos, Fiats, and Lamborghinis to name a few.

And, then there are the auctions. One of the largest motorcycle auctions by Mid-America is part of Pebble Beach’s festivities along with Goodings auction that has offerings that go for millions of dollars each. The Quail has the Bonhams vehicle auction. All are real first-class operations compared to the one that’s featured on the Speed Channel in my opinion.

In downtown Monterey, the Customs House State Hysterical Park is turned into an auction showroom along with parking garages, hotel lobbies, and the surrounding streets. Plus there’s the Automobilia Show of, what else, auto memorabilia at nearby Embassy Suites in Seaside or Gordon McCall’s Motorworks Revival Wednesday night extravaganza at the Monterey Jet Center. And not to forget the irreverent Concours d’Le Mons in Seaside. All of this is just the prequel to Friday’s The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering and ending with Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.