Feb 3-4 Monterey, CA

Feb 3-4: Monterey, Carmel and the Pacific Coast Highway
   The time at Pismo Beach left us sandy and dirty so we scheduled two nights at a hotel in Pacific Grove.  We planned to drive the Pacific Coast Highway south of Monterey along Route  1.  Mike was our official driver in his Subaru.  We did a quick tour through Carmel then headed south on the most picturesque road in California.  We were able to drive about 70 miles south to where the road was closed off then turned around and drove back to Pacific Grove.  As we drove south, the road twisted and turned around steep canyons and cliffs that fall to the sea. We stopped often to take pictures only to realize that the next turn would uncover an even more spectacular view. The juniper trees along the  road were often wind swept in an easterly direction giving them artistic shapes and forms.  The tall Eucalyptus trees with their long strands of peeling bark provided their clean, perfumery scent in groves along the way.  Often, the cliffs would fall sharply to the sea and other times the land gently rolled to the sea.  The fields on the hillsides  are  springtime green which is a dramatic change from our desert environment.  Some parts reminded me of the western shore of Ireland and other parts of the northern coast of Maine. We reached the end of the road and fortunately there was a quaint little place to have lunch overlooking the ocean.  About 10 miles of the road were closed off due to the mud slides.
   The return trip, although the same road provided a totally different view of the landscape.  We saw cliffs, canyons, trees, farmland that we did not notice on the drive south.  It is amazing how just a turn around can change one’s entire perspective.
   The day was full of sunshine and beautiful memories.