A Short Drive Along Pebble Beach in CA

Well, the weather man tricked us again!  Clear and sunny? Nope!  More fog.  But that seems to be typical along the Pacific coast.  Only, today, it stayed that way and didn’t burn off.   Sometimes in our travels, we just have to accept Mother Nature the way She is and still enjoy ourselves.  But after looking forward to the southern Pacific coast again, we really were disappointed in the weather for the two drives we had planned.  But better weather is always just up the road.

A little bit south of Monterey is an attraction called ‘The Pebble Beach 17-Mile Drive’.   For $10, you can drive through the gated community along the coast.  The community is noted for the million dollar homes,  3 golf courses, and overlooks along the coast.  The road starts off by meandering through the forest and neighborhood.  We certainly did not see any million dollar homes that impressed us!  A few were very large and well landscaped but some looked old and could use some maintenance.  

Along the drive is the Pebble Beach famous golf course that hosts one of the PGA tournaments. The course goes right down to the water.  Sure looks better on a sunny day.

Then we reached the shore.  The beach area was really ugly with sea grass here and there, seaweed that had washed up, rocks, and not much of a view of anything after all the hoop-la about this ‘must see’ place.  We have seen far prettier beaches all along the east coast.  Even if it had been a bright sunny day, our opinion would not have changed.   

We continued to follow the map to the other overlooks.  Two of the overlooks were fenced off and closed because it is seal ‘pupping’ time, meaning the seals were giving birth to their pups.  At Bird Point was where things were interesting!  You could see large rocks off shore and they were covered with well over a hundred seals!  Of course, like other seal areas, they were loud!  It was fun to take the binoculars and watch them sleep or fight off others in the water to keep them from getting a share of the rock.  But they sure managed somehow to just pile themselves on each other! 

  

The entertainment was furnished by all the ground squirrels begging for food!  They were all sizes, from baby to adults.  They just scampered everywhere and would come right up to you as if asking “got anything for me today?”.  Cute!  The adult sitting up in the picture certainly looks like she has been well fed, or she my be pregnant.  The certainly were not shy!  The seagulls and other sea birds had their own rock! The white stuff certainly isn’t snow!  You can take a pretty good guess of what it is from all the hundreds of birds that have been nesting on it over the years!   UCK!!

  

The highlight of the drive is suppose to be the ‘Lone Cypress’ overlook.  Of course, there was so much glare from the low fog, that my pictures were not very good and neither were the views.  I am sure these views would be pretty on a sunny day.  The lone cypress tree has been on this perch for over 250 years.  It is fenced off to keep people away from it and has also been bricked at the bottom to help support it. The first picture is a copy of a prettier view.  Mine?  At least I have a shot to remind us that we saw it.  Alas, we didn’t get a very pretty view of Carmel Bay. 

 

Had we known what the drive was really like, we would have saved our $10 and spent it on something better.  But we had to move on and couldn’t stay in the area for better days.  I do have some really pretty pictures of our first stay in Monterey 10 years ago but was still using a film camera.  Gee, I could always take a picture of my scrapbook page so I have picture on my laptop!   

Big Sur, CA, Day Trip Along the Coast

Thursday, May 22, we woke up to fog and drizzle.  This was to be our beautiful drive down Big Sur for a 90 mile view of cliffs and the Pacific Ocean.  We listened to the weather man on TV and should have know better!  They just can’t seem to get it right.  All the weather we looked at on the internet said the day was supposed to be clear.  But since our time was limited, we decided we were going one way or the other.  We packed our picnic bag, as we always do on day trips, and headed to Big Sur.  It was chilly and we needed a light jacket.  The high was only about 60 degrees.  This is the second time we have taken the drive.  In 2004, we drove down to Hearst Castle, but decided not to go that far again.  Even though it was an overcast day, it is still an awesome scenic drive no matter what the weather.  Plus, even though it such a chilly wet day, the road was very busy!  I could only imagine what it would be like on a sunny day or a weekend!  Since this weekend is the Memorial Day holiday, I’ll bet the traffic will be bumper to bumper and you wouldn’t be able to find a spot to park at any of the overlooks.
Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the Central Coast of CA where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean.   The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south",  referring to its location south of the Monterey Peninsula. The terrain offers stunning views, making Big Sur a popular tourist destination. Big Sur's Cone Peak is the highest coastal mountain in the contiguous 48 states, ascending nearly a mile (5,155 feet) above sea level only 4.5 miles from the coast.  Portions of the route had several names and numbers over the years as more segments opened. It was not until 1964 that the entire route was officially designated as Highway 1. The picture below is what it should look like and the second is more like what we saw later in the afternoon.  
 
We stopped at just about every overlook as we headed south.  I don’t think we missed many of them!  Of course, I HAD to check out every view I could!  My camera never got a break! Doug had marked some of the more popular ‘must see’ areas of the drive.  The first stop was at Rocky Point and we hiked down from the road to the point below to get a better look.  The hiking all along the route is very popular.  You can see that is was foggy in the background.  At many of the overlooks, you can hear the sea lions even before you see them on the rocks! It was just past low tide and it is funny to see the sea lions stay on the rocks until the very last inch of rock is underwater.  They will nap on any spot they can find, even if it is a bed of seaweed!  
  

The Bixby Bridge is one of the most scenic and most photographed icons in Big Sur.  There is a huge parking area and you get an excellent view of the bridge and the road above the water.  In the 3rd picture you can see more of a dramatic view of the bridge and the mountains from another overlook.    


One of the most unique places we stopped at was Pfeiffer Beach.  We took a 2 mile one lane road through the woods and down the side of the mountain to the parking area and then hiked about 1/4 mile to the beach.  We must have spent at least an hour there fascinated by the rock formations formed by the furry of the ocean waves.   One young lady was kind enough to ask if we would like her to take a picture of us.  Aren’t we cute sitting on the log together?!? Yep, I wrote the date in the sand! You can see Doug decided to rest while I took LOTS & LOTS of pictures!
   
 

Further along the route you get a pretty view of McWay Falls.  You can hike down the side of the cliff on a wooden catwalk but it just looked to steep for us and we had other places we wanted to see.   You can see falls just a little tot eh left of the center.  The water in that area is just a beautiful color! 

Well, time for lunch!  We were a little disappointed that there were not hardly any picnic areas.  We found this one at an information area.  You can also see the guests that came to share our picnic lunch! The Steller’s Jay even liked our lemon cake! We even saw a few deer that afternoon. 
 
 
It was getting to be late afternoon and the sun FINALLY decided to come out for just a bit as we headed on back to Monterey and it gave me the opportunity to take better pictures from some of the same overlooks.
  
 
Just great scenery and a great drive!  So glad we decided to take the drive again after so many years.  

A Day On The Bay-Monterey Bay That Is

We loaded the bikes onto the back of the truck today and headed down to the docks.  It was a bit cool with a few clouds but a great day for a bike ride.  We took a 3 hour bike ride along the bay on nice 2 way paved paths that took us all the way back to Bubba Gump’s, where we were yesterday.  It wasn’t as busy with traffic and people today so that was nice.   Most of the piers are now lined with small shops and places to eat.  The streets right on the waterfront are set up to draw the tourists in with all kinds of  places to take your money!  The bike paths are a block from the main streets, so you are not trying to ride your bike on busy sidewalks.  There are several little city park areas where you can view the water and just enjoy being outdoors. 

We first headed towards the dock where we heard the most noise from the seals.  Goodness, they are loud!   How many more seals can fit on the platform in the picture?  Some of those guys were vicious in trying to keep other seals from getting a spot.  It was fun to watch them.  What a life, just sunbathe, swim, eat fish!  I think some of the restaurants must feed them the left over seafood! 

 

We then continued on towards other areas to see if we could find more seals.  All along the way, the scenery is just so pretty.  You can look out over the bay and to the north  and see the Santa Cruz Mountains in the distance.  You can see them because of the curve of the bay and the direction Monterey faces.  Such pretty blue water!  Boy, there sure are LOTS boats in the harbor!  Cha-Ching $$$$$$!  Somebody has money! 

 

 

We took a break and this seagull decided to pose with us!  Of course, they are everywhere! This guy looks pretty healthy from his California living.

 

And, yes, we found more seals.  Notice the cute black pup in the center of the picture.  They all were just taking their mid-morning nap. 

 

What a nice way to start off our stay in Monterey……

 

  

Monterey Bay and Lunch At Bubba Gumps

It was a pretty day for our drive to Monterey Bay, CA, and we drove past so many farms!  We were still in the valley and we commented that we have never seen so much farmland!  We are talking tremendously larger farms probably run by corporations, like Green Giant, which was stamped on boxes on a truck that passed us.  Just field after field and rolling green covered hills right up to the base of the mountains.  A person has to see it to believe and comprehend it. 

 

We only had a 2 hour drive today so we were in no hurry.  To reach our destination we drove through a the lower part of the Santa Lucia Mountains to reach the Monterey Bay peninsula .  I got glimpses of the Pacific Ocean!  We are finally really on the coast!  We have some great sightseeing planned! 

   

The first  European to discover Monterey Bay was Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo on November 16, 1542 while sailing northward along the coast on a Spanish naval expedition.  The present name for the bay was documented in 1602 by Sebastian Vizcaino, who had been tasked by the Spanish government to complete a detailed chart of the coast. He anchored in what is now the Monterey Harbor on December 16, and named it honor of the Conde de Monterey , then viceroy of New Spain.

We are staying at Monterey Pines at the Navy Post Graduate School.   The campground is a bit old and could sure use some upgrades.  The campground is right next to a pretty golf course.  Boy! Not a fun parking job today.  If you look at the picture below, on the left is a wooden post with boards, a sign, and a rock behind the sign.  On the right is another sign and you can barely see a permanent grill beside the RV.  Could it be a more difficult sight to back into when you are 37’ long!!??  Geeze! I hate these kinds of sites because frustrations kick in and we have to laugh when it is over because we have such different personalities and we each have OUR OWN WAY of what to do!!  But we got set up and it will be MUCH easier pulling out!  As I waited for Doug to check us in, this pretty little bird landed on the truck mirror 3 different times, just looked at me, and posed long enough for me to get a picture.  I love his pretty colors.  Also, this place is swarming with ground squirrels!  Of course I have to chase after them for pictures!!  Me and my animals!

 

 

Since we hadn’t had lunch and it was mid-afternoon, we decided to go to Bubba Gump’s for an early meal.  Remember the movie?  There is a bench in front of the restaurant with a replica of a pair of Bubba Gump’s tennis shoes he wore in the movie.  We ate there 10 years ago when we were here.  Monterey is a big tourist attraction and the whole Cannery Row was packed and busy!  And it isn’t even officially summer yet!  Cannery Row is the waterfront street.  It is the site of a number of now-defunct sardine canning factories.  The last cannery closed in 1973. The street name, formerly a nickname for Ocean View Avenue, became official in January 1958 to honor John Steinbeck and his well-known novel Cannery Row.  Now the street consists of shops, eateries, galleries, etc., with access to walkways along the water.  There is a huge marina and lots of expensive boats $$$! There is also a nice park and biking trails by the water.  Lunch was good! But VERY pricey! Guess location really is everything! 

    

The temperature will be in the 60s all this week with breezes and blue skies.  Beautiful days ahead!!