Cruisin’ California – Part 3

(A blog series on the adventures my wife and I enjoyed during our honeymoon.)

Our travels took us to some truly beautiful places on this particular day. 17-Mile Drive, winding through the Monterey Peninsula, was very much one of the highlights. Wow.

This drive is absolutely worth the few bucks that you pay to travel it. Along the way you are treated to beautiful ocean views, a chance to gawk at some visually stunning homes that you’ll never be able to afford but yet are still fun to check out, and some really sweet golf courses. I mean, really. Check out this hole!

Plenty of photo ops along this drive, including the area near the Lone Cypress. Basically, you drive for a a few minutes, then stop and take photos. Repeat. This was great with me, as I love taking pictures. My wife was patient with me and just enjoyed the views while I was busy snapping photos left and right. Thanks, babe!

Another highlight of the day was being able to not only visit, but also walk out to the 18th green of Pebble Beach Golf Links. Seriously? I had no idea this was allowed, but kudos to the folks who run the course for allowing it to happen. So much golf history here! Hallowed ground for golf fans. It was fascinating to be able to stand just a few feet away from the place where major championships have been won and where the legends of the game have walked and perfected their craft.

We wrapped up our trek on 17-Mile Drive and then headed to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. More beautiful views! Why not? I mentioned the strong winds in the previous post, and that was definitely the case here.

Elevated hikes at this park lead you to panoramic vistas, where you can see the waves crashing against the rocks, below. You can also nearly blow over when the winds are as strong as they were that day! The park ranger said it was easily the strongest winds of the year that day. More good waves to photograph and enjoy, though! We loved this place and I’d definitely recommend it as a stop on your journey.

We wrapped up the night in Carmel and enjoyed a meal at Affina.

Nice vibe in there, the waitress was very friendly and helpful with our various questions and we had some nicely cooked steaks. One of the side items they served with the steaks – sunchokes. Ever had them? It was a new food for both of us. Not bad.

Afterward, we stopped at a candy store for some sweet treats and took a leisurely stroll through downtown Carmel. Another great day in California.

More to come in the next post…you’ll see another breathtaking bridge, waterfalls, seals, and a seaside sunset. Check back soon and have a great day, everyone!

Cruisin’ California – Part 2

(A blog series on the adventures my wife and I enjoyed during our honeymoon.)

We woke up for the second day of our journey through California, feeling energized and ready to explore the coastline. First things first – breakfast. Enjoyed a good (free) meal at the hotel; we particularly enjoyed the variety of fruits and nuts available to make the morning yogurt quite a treat!

Off we went. As we made our way toward the ocean, we passed through a charming little town called Half Moon Bay. Half Wild West, half boutique is the best way I can describe the town. We loved it. My wife said she could live there, for sure. (This was just the beginning of our proclamations of potential future residency at the many towns and places we visited, during our trip.)

From there, we “officially” started the journey south, down Highway 1. It didn’t take long for us to find an amazing view – and for us to pull over to stop and stare at it.
This place was cool, and because random adventures are always a good thing, we (well, I) decided that climbing down the (very) steep and tall ravine to get down to the beach was a good idea.

Other than the fact that you needed a rope to keep you from sliding down the ravine at some points, it was a totally relaxing walk down to the sand. That dripping sound you hear is the sarcasm, rolling off of that last sentence. It was quite a descent.

After we made it down there, we saw another couple going through the same “discussion” halfway down, as to whether or not it was worth it to keep going. They opted against it. I told my wife I was proud of her for rocking it out and making it all the way. 🙂

One thing to point out about the first half of this trip is that the winds were rather strong. By that I mean, 25 mph sustained winds at times. It was crazy windy out there! The upside of that – huge waves, and some cool photos we wouldn’t have been able to get if it had been calm out there those days.

One of the best examples of that was our stop at Bean Hollow State Beach, a little turnoff just off of Highway 1. I really liked all of the jagged rocks out there and we found some other interesting looking ones while walking along the shore. As for the waves…oh, man they were amazing. What a great show. Free entertainment…so cool. Check out the slideshow, below!

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We made our way to Santa Cruz that afternoon…

…and hit the wharf for some lunch with a view at Riva Fish House. It…was…delicious. Check out these fish tacos, and also the fried zucchini.

Never had the latter before, but am going to try to make it at home sometime. Meanwhile the fish was super tasty and the aioli was a nice touch, on the side. California was definitely living up to its reputation as the place to be for good fish tacos.

Said hello to a few sea otters, or seals, or whatever these guys were, hanging out by the pier. From there, it was off to Capitola, just down the road, where we stayed that night.

Our lodging for the evening was the Monarch Cove Inn. Cozy little bed and breakfast, with individual little buildings and rental units and some nice views of the Pacific. The town itself was a memorable sight, as seen (below) during our walk down from the B&B that evening. Only 84 steps down the hill to get there – and we didn’t even need ropes to climb down this time, haha.

It was a great day.

Don’t miss part three of this special series, featuring spectacular sights and scenes from 17-Mile Drive, a stop at one of the world’s most famous golf courses and an evening in Carmel. Much more to come!