It isn't a stretch to call John Steinbeck one of the country's greatest novelists, and for his stories' backdrops he rarely looked farther than his own backyard - a rural farming community and a fishing village that are better known (and better off) because of his tales. Between MontereyCounty's "Steinbeck Country" and the 10,000-mile journey with his poodle, Charley, there is no shortage of places that inspired the author, or where he inspired readers.
1. Steinbeck House, Salinas {utriangle}
Yes, the National Steinbeck Center is the main attraction (and a required stop), but if you want a hearty soup and sandwich in the house where he was born and was raised, walk two blocks west to this restored Victorian. The nonprofit Valley Guild has been serving lunch there for decades to pay for the home's upkeep. 132 Central Ave., (831) 424-2735 (reservations recommended), steinbeckhouse.com.
2. Pike Place Market, Seattle
In 1960, Steinbeck was on the meandering trip with his poodle detailed in "Travels with Charley" and stopped in "the old part of Seattle, where the fish and crabs and shrimps lay beautifully on white beds of shaved ice and where the washed and shining vegetables were arranged in pictures." We're guessing he would still recognize it today. First Avenue and Pike Street, pikeplacemarket.org.
You can talk about Cannery Row (renamed after the book) all you want, but Steinbeck wouldn't give it a second glance today compared with the headquarters of marine-life research and learning that is the centerpiece - also a monument to his best friend, Ed Ricketts. Afterward, walk south on the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail to nearby spots for tide pooling. 886 Cannery Row, (831) 648-4800, montereybayaquarium.org.
5. Humboldt Redwoods State Park
On his "Travels with Charley" trip, he spent time in what might be the state park (no one is absolutely sure), admiring the coastal redwoods he called "ambassadors from another time" - and trying to get his poodle to piddle on one (going so far as to attach a branch from another tree to the sequoia trunk). Visitor Center: State Route 254, between the towns of Weott and Myers Flat, (707) 946-2263,www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=425.
3. Fremont Peak
Hike to this highest point in the Gabilan Range, the mountains Steinbeck describes in the opening to "East of Eden." The 3,169-foot peak is the best spot for a broad view of sprawling Steinbeck Country, from the produce fields of the Salinas Valley to the shores of Monterey Bay. Fremont Peak State Park trailhead: Off of Highway 156, 11 miles south of San Juan Bautista on San Juan Canyon Road, (831) 623-4255, www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25096.
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