Weekend in Monterey

Remember how I said that there are endless places to explore in the Bay Area? Well, that saying was proven true yet again when I look a weekend trip to the Monterey Peninsula to explore. I had been down to the aquarium before, but it had been a while since I'd seen anything of the peninsula outside Cannery Row or my writers' conference at Asilomar.

The trip was short--just one night--but it was awesome. I hit the Gilroy outlets on the drive down the 101, and continued on my way with several bags in tow, which always makes me a little giddy. Dinner was at a hip Italian Place in Pacific Grove...

...which was quickly followed by a trip to Cannery Row for a Ghirardelli's Sundae!

We got two, of course: one carmel, and one chocolate. It wasn't gluttony, just necessity.

  

Cannery Row is fun at night, filled with twinkling little eclectic shops tucked in among stands of postcards and tourist keychains. I liked this particular place, decorated with Eastern-style lamps and home goods:

Thanks to air B&B, I had a comfy bed waiting for me in Seaside, complete with squawking chickens who got up much too early! :)

For breakfast, I drove down to Carmel and ate at Katy's Place, a quaint, cramped restaurant famous for its eggs Benedict. 

As delicious as they looked and smelled, very little can tempt me to forgo oatmeal in the morning, since I am an 80-year-old in disguise. (I got a taste of their famous eggs, don't worry!)

The walk down to the beach was delightful, passing all the boutiques and art galleries that give Carmel its posh feel. What a fun place to window shop and people watch. (And dog spot!)

The weather was typical Northern California perfect as I strolled up the sand toward Pebble Beach. 

I apparently had not had my fill of the coastline, because hiking at Point Lobos came next. Look me in the eyes and tell me this isn't exactly what you picture when you think about the Northern California coastline:

Historically, Point Lobos was an annual home of Portuguese whalers that hunted Grey whales December through May. I loved being able to stop in the little whaling museum to read all about the history. It makes me feel connected to a vast matrix of time and people, grounded in my area.

With my legs thoroughly worn out, it was time for a car ride, and the 17-mile-drive fit the bill exactly. All the stops along the way were beautiful: Pebble Beach Golf course...

...where I saw an otter in the wild!

He's the tiny speck just above the wave crest line:

The lone cypress, picturesque in its rocky isolation:

And of course, this uneasy warning sign at "The Restless Sea" lookout:

I returned home to Cupertino tired, sun-kissed, and revitalized.

You know, at first, I had sort of a bad attitude about living in the Bay Area. I missed my friends and family in Utah, and I missed how comfortable I was there. There are many adjustments to be made when one moves, and I felt like moving to the SF area had a lot more changes than normal. I'm still getting over the sticker shock out here; everything is just so expensive. Buying a house seemed like an impossibility, the streets were always crowded with people and traffic, I didn't have a network of people built up around me who made NorCal feel like home.

I am happily realizing that my attitudes have changed and are continually changing with regard to where we now live (and it's only taken 3 years...way to go, self).  Exploring the area has made me more aware and appreciative of the beauty and diversity at my fingertips. Wonderful and welcoming friends have rooted me to a community of sisters and families. This place that once felt like an old, sprawling, expensive city of strangers, is morphing into an area where my friends are, where beautiful things live, where my family has a future, where I am home.