Monterey Peninsula, January 1-10

What what a busy week!We encountered rain all the way from Moraga to Monterey  and arrived at the Elks Club  to find plenty of parking.  January can be a busy time on the Peninsula,  so I was a little concerned about availability but, I didn't need to worry.  Also,   the weather can be unpredictable with rain or beautiful sunny skies this time of year creating RV parking issues.

Usually, my visits to the Peninsula are short visits with my mom and some time spent with friends, and the day or two flies by so fast.  This time Joel wanted to spend at least a week visiting, and parking at the Elks Club was available at $18.00 a night.  (The other decent RV  parks in the area are $65.00 per night.  Ouch. )Anyway, this visit was going to be more like a vacation and there were lots of things on my list I wanted to do that I  usually never have time to do.

Joel has cousins and friends all over  the Peninsula and almost every day was spent visiting  his friends and relatives as well  my mom and brother and dear friends Wayne and Jennifer and Jim and Celia.  We did get some walks and bike rides in as well as supported many of the local restaurants.$$$$

There are so many good restaurants  in the area that it is hard to decide where to go.  A memorable dinner was had at the La Bicylette in Carmel with Joel's cousin, Becky.  The restaurant used to be called La Boheme and was owned by Jennifer's sister when I lived on the Peninsula.  La Bicylette was wonderful.  The food was excellent and the service superb. Warning..the price is not easy on the pocket book!****$$$$$

I love walking on the beach and no visit is complete without a few walks on Asilomar Beach which extends into Pebble Beach.

 Asilomar Beach in the late afternoon.

Near Bird Rock in Pebble Beach.  The weather was spectacular. Joel actually got warm!

 The surf was really high due to the recent storms.

 This crane did not seem to mind me intruding on his territory. That's one of the famous Pebble Beach  golf courses in the background.

 The sea lions and harbor seals compete with the sea gulls on Bird Rock in Pebble Beach
 You can legally ride your bike or walk through one of the  Pebble Beach gates and not pay the $8.00 fee (it might be more now).  The shortest way into Pebble Beach is to walk Asilomar Beach into Spanish Bay.

We road our bikes from  Lovers Point in Pacific Grove to the Wharfs in Monterey.  It's an easy ride on the bike path with lots of beautiful  scenery.

 From Wharf #1 looking towards the Monterey Bay Aquarium

 There were kayakers practicing kayak rolls in the ocean.  It was a little to cold for me to even consider this.

The harbor seals find all sorts of places to sun themselves.

There is even an nice ice skating rink near the old Custom House.

Usually, my trip to Monterey includes a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but even with my extended time I didn't have time for a visit there.  It's a wonderful Aquarium with ever changing exhibits.

 Joel connected with his cousin Becky and we drove down the coast to the Big Sur Inn for breakfast one morning.

While eating breakfast I notice these eyes staring at me.  The Inn is constructed of single wall construction..all wood and the knots looked like a pair of staring eyes.  Spooky.  Wonder what all they have seen.

The Big Sur Inn was established in the early 1930's as a stop over for travelers working their way down the coast.  It's a wonderful place for breakfast but also has rustic accommodations available for overnight stays....at a price.

 This is one of the cottages for rent at the Inn.

 It's very tranquil place.

After breakfast, we drove over to Pfeiffer Beach.  Its been a long time since I had been to this beach.  The last time was maybe 20 years ago and the road in was all dirt.  Now it is nicely paved.  Before there was no charge now there is a fee but the Golden Access card got us all in free.

I think what makes this beach so special is its extreme exposure to the ocean.  There isn't much shelter and though the day was sunny it was very cold and windy.

Another day we drove  to the far end of Carmel Valley off Chachagua Road and visited Joel's cousin Adrona and Carl.  Another day we caught up with them and had lunch at a nice authentic Mexican Restaurant in Marina.

Joel was also able to catch up with his old friend Virgil and at a different time David and Barbara.  I even had a chance to catch up with my brother and his wife for dinner.

As previously mentioned, this week went by way too fast! So many things to do and so little time.  Ten days at the Elks Club has been great but I'm anxious to move on to where I can look out the window and not see neighbors.

We are now heading "south" via Santa Barbara.  Our goal is eventually to make it to Quartzsite for the annual RV show.