Day 4 - Pebble Beach & Point Lobos

On Day 4 of our Big Sur trip we traveled down 17 Mile Drive and hiked around Point Lobos. Wow! The views were amazing!

 

We paid an entrance fee and drove past all of the beautiful houses, beaches, and the famous golf course at Pebble Beach. The weather was overcast and a bit chilly.

 

 

But we were still excited to be at the Pacific Ocean.

 

 

This part of the Pacific coast is known for its kelp forests, that is why so many otters live here. Here are some close ups of some the kelp that washed up on the shore. Otters wrap themselves in this stuff so that they can float around and sleep in the water. Living the dream! :)

 

We found this little treasure laying in the sand.

 

 

The rocky coast line was just beautiful!

 

We stopped in Carmel and took a look at the mission. It was a lovely, historic building.

 

The afternoon we spent at Point Lobos was probably my favorite outdoor adventure on the trip.

 

The spot was just spectacular!

 

Here is Dan on our hike.

 

We loved listening to the waves crashing along the shore.

 

 

 

Here I am, enjoying the sights and sounds of Point Lobos.

 

 

The vegetation was really rugged and knotty.

 

 

 

We really need to get a selfie stick! Haha!

 

There is a famous little rock off of the Point Lobos Reserve that is filled with sea lions and seals. We couldn't see them very closely but we could hear their noises all the way to shore. :)

 

I am telling you that this place was just magical!

 

We love Point Lobos!

Monterey Trip - Day 3

Day three of our trip was spent in Monterey. What a beautiful city!

We got up early, left our campsite at Sunset Beach and arrived in Monterey where we started our morning with crepes. No better way to start the day! These were delicious. I had a sweet banana and nutella combo.

 

 

Daniel decided to go savory with avocadoes and tomatoes. Also very yummy!

 

We spent the morning at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. What an amazing place! Here we are at the aquarium overlooking the bay.

 

 

They had the coolest jelly fish on display at the aquarium. The exhibit was just beautiful! The lighting and background music was just magical.

 

 

 

I could have watched these creatures all day long!

 

There were schools of thousands of sardines and an incredible Open Sea exhibit.

 

We saw penguins.

 Otters diving through kelp forests.

 

 

 The sharks were awesome!

 

 

Check out this nautilus!

 

Here is a cuttlefish!

 

After our time at the museum, we grabbed a quick lunch and headed out on the town. We needed to check out the pier, look for wildlife and see Cannery Row!

 

We walked by many canning company buildings.

 

 

And, in the places were the canning buildings were no longer standing, there were markers in the sidewalks indicating where the businesses used to be!

 

 

 

 

Here is Dan, taking some time to pause by the bust of John Steinbeck who wrote many books about life in California, including Cannery Row.

 

 

Here is yours truly at the shore. :)

 

We saw lots of wildlife at the pier including seals sitting out in the sun.

 

We also had a close up view of a sea lion. 

 

 

What a cool experience to get this close to a sea lion! 

 

 

 

After our time with the sea lions and seals, we walked down the pier and stopped to have a quick drink. As a side note - I popped the umbrella from Dan's fruity drink in my purse and gave it to Lucy as a souvenir. She thought that it was the coolest thing ever! Haha!  

 

 

 We walked through town, did a little shopping and admired all of their great statues and sculptures. Here is one of the cannery workers taking a lunch break.

 

Dan and dolphins. 

 

 

Finally, we stopped for a delicious dinner including shrimp pasta and artichoke ravioli! It was fantastic!  

 

 

It was a really fun day. If you are ever in Monterey - the Aquarium is a must see! The exhibits are beautiful. Also, you definitely need to stroll down the pier. It was incredible to see all of the seals and sea lions just lounging around. :)