We headed out this morning with maps and a few ideas. Our first stop was the famous 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach. Beautiful oceanfront scenery, spectacular houses, manicured golf courses and even some wildlife. I really wish I had taken pictures of all the huge, ornate gates people had at the entrance to their property.
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| The road starts up high in the woods with occasional views of the ocean below |
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| Deer on the golf course - safe from hunting here |
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| Tons of elephant seals and sea lions - what a racket they made |
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| Can't say as I've ever seen a squirrel on the beach |
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| The golf course is so precisely mowed that it looks like velvet |
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| That famous "Lone Cypress" tree |
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| The cypress trees are so gnarled and beautiful |
We walked around the town of Carmel-By-The-Sea and did a bit of window shopping. The town can be described as expensive and charming at the same time and it bills itself as a dog friendly place. We did see tons of critters but they were mostly the small, ankle biting kind. We had a delicious lunch at the Village Corner Mediterranean Bistro where we both had amazing eggs benedict dishes. Mine was made with turkey, avocado and grilled tomato and my sister's veggie benedict was made with avocado, spinach and mushrooms. We obviously made a good choice because we got seated just before the mad rush and most people were clearly locals. We also started to joke about how many "bistros" we had seen in our travels and challenged ourselves to try eating in at least one bistro each day.
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| Oystercatcher by the pier in Monterey |
After spending a bit of time wandering around in Monterey we headed back towards Carmel. We decided to head out into the valley and find some of those wineries our waiter recommended last night. We visited two and thoroughly enjoyed the wine at both, purchasing several bottles.
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| Delicious Viognier! |
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| The guys at the Bernardus tasting room were hilarious |
I took a few pictures of the Carmel River Inn and environs when we got back.
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| Pretty sure the contac paper and dishes have been here since the 40's |
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| Gardener's shack |
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| Wish I could remember the name of this plant - we saw them everywhere |
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| We were wondering how there was even room for a bed in this tiny places |
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| Look at the size of that perennial geranium |
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| The California Chukar Quail were wandering around every day |
Tomorrow we are headed north to wine country!
You stayed at some of the most charming places! Be sure (like you have time!!) to write them up on tripadvisor.com
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