Fun Day – July 18, 2018

In the past few days here in Monterey, its been very foggy in the morning until around 10 or 11 a.m., so we decided to delay starting our activities for today until 11.  Just as we were getting into the car the sun started to shine and we were so proud of ourselves for making such a brilliant decision.  We headed to the famous 17-mile drive following the coast and into the Del Monte Forest.  What pictures we would be able to get and share on the blog!  As we got closer to the gate onto the drive (where you have to pay $10.25 by the way), the fog started to roll in and we began to feel less and less smart.  Oh well, can’t fight Mother Nature.

The first stop with a view of Monterey Bay and the Santa Cruz mountains was a total bust.  The second stop on Huckleberry Hill and supposedly the highest elevation in the forest was equally dismal.  Down the road and at a lower elevation things picked up at the Inn & Links at Spanish Bay.  This is a Scottish-style golf course with all the heather and vegetation in the rough with several holes right at the waters edge complete with a bagpiper that closes the course each evening.  The following pictures are for all our friends who are golf enthusiasts.

Further down the drive at Bird Rock, we saw all kinds of seals, sea lions and sea birds covering several rock formations just off the coast.  At first we could only hear the barking, ( very familiar from our stay in Oxnard) and then with the help of binoculars we saw the hundreds of seals and sea lions all over the rocks and swimming in the bay.  What a sight!

More golf courses and stops and then the iconic Lone Cypress used by the Pebble Beach Company as their logo.  The cypress tree is sitting on a rocky perch and has done so for over 250 years.

We stopped for a short time at the Pebble Beach Resort and Jim took this picture at the 18th hole,

then on to Carmel-by-the-Sea for lunch.   Famous for many reasons, not just Clint Eastwood being Mayor at one time, but not what we expected.  Interesting facts:

No Street Addresses – everyone has to go to the post office to pick up their mail.  Each house is known by its name, such as Sea Urchin, and its considered bad luck to change the name.

More than Dog Friendly – Rated the #1 Dog Friendly Town in America.

Permit Required to Wear High Heels – To avoid liability on its uneven walkways because of tree roots, they require wearers to get a permit which was made an ordinance in 1963.  Police don’t enforce this, but its still on the books.

We had lunch at the Forge in the Forest with outside dining of course.  This building was originally built by a internationally known ironsmith and they maintain a fire and his tools inside. With all its history and charm, we agreed that Carmel-by-the-Sea has nothing on Mount Dora.

After walking around a little bit, we decided to move on and go to Big Sur since we were so close.  There were two things we wanted to see, the Bixby Bridge and the Big Sur Lighthouse.

The Bixby Bridge is the number one most  photographed bridge in California because of its design and magnificent setting.  It was completed in 1933 for $199,861 and is 360 feet as the longest concrete arch span on the California State Highway System and one of the tallest single span concrete bridges in the world.

The Point Sur Lighthouse sits on a 361 foot tall rock at the head of the point.  It was established in 1889.  We didn’t realize it, but we would have had to make reservations to walk the 1/2 mile to the top of the rock to visit the lighthouse.  Ah, so sorry we couldn’t go, Jim.

Then on to Big Sur the town only to find it consists of two motels and a general store.  By now we were tired and ready to head home anyway.  Our Fitbits were saying 15,000 steps and 44 flights of stairs.  Getting back to the hotel took 1 1/2 hours because the traffic on US 1 looks like a parking lot and travels about 2 miles per hour late in the afternoon.  If I didn’t know better, I would swear we were in Los Angeles.