Magical Monterey Bay CA

Twice, in 2020, I had the incredible opportunity to visit the magical California coastal city of Monterey Bay, located on the rugged central coast.  The town is not only home to some breathtaking beaches but also a historic old fisherman’s wharf, unique shops, wonderful restaurants, and a world-famous aquarium. This one-time center of the sardine-packing industry is so rich in history and celebration of the American author John Steinbeck.  It was so inspiring I followed my visit up by reading 4 of his novels.  Exploring the coast as far down as Big Sur and Hearst Castle, then the wine country of the Salinas valley added to the adventure

Hotel

We had a great room at the Cannery Row Inn. There was a gorgeous view of the entire bay and a small beach walking distance of the hotel. The room was large, with a fireplace. Located at the SE end of Cannery Row it was easy walking distance to be able to enjoy the historic street and quaint shops, ending at the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Highlight of the trip, for me, was the aquarium.  Monterey Bay Aquarium is world famous for its conservation work, and its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay. it was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest when it opened in October 1984. The organization’s sea otter research and conservation efforts are impressive, helping to repopulate these animals so important to the eco system of the bay. The aquarium is housed in an old cannery factory.  The exhibits were impressive, a large variety of sea life, with a big focus on jelly fish and a great white shark. The cafeteria and the gift shop only use sustainable products.   It’s also known for its Seafood Watch program, encouraging sustainable seafood choices.  I am anxious to return soon to see the new exhibit, Into the Deep, opening in April 2022

Old Fisherman’s Wharf

It’s a great place to walk around, a lot of interesting shops, many seafood restaurants, and numerous places to book activities like whale watching, fishing, and bay cruises.  We did do a whale watching tour when I was there in July.  We were out for a long time, saw lots of whales and dolphins, while enjoying a tour of the coastline and the bay.

We went to Monterey Fish Company where I bought an abalone from the Monterey Abalone Company, an in-ocean abalone farm, practicing sustainable aquaculture methods. I did attempt to eat it raw, and it was good, but tough.  I took the rest back to the room and cooked it up, after tenderizing it.  It was delicious!!

We also enjoyed a wonderful lunch at The Grotto Fish Market at an outside table enjoying the wonderful California weather.

Lover’s Point

Heading toward Pacific Grove, you will come across Lover’s Point!  It is very rocky beach, but with plenty of trails to walk and enjoy the ocean.  Parking can be difficult, but it is very popular for both tourists and the locals.

Point Pinos Lighthouse is in Pacific Grove.  It is the oldest operating lighthouse on the west coast, not surprising considering the rocky beaches of the area. It was closed of course, but I will be back! 

Another attraction I missed was the Monarch Grove Butterfly Sanctuary.  The butterflies don’t return until October.  Since learning of it I have studied the plight of the Monarch Butterfly. Maybe an October trip!

https://montereymonarchproject.org/

 I did also come across a plaque, commemorating the late country star John Denver.  On October 12, 1997, his experimental, amateur-built plane, crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Pacific Grove. I was a fan, back in the day.  Tragic loss.

Pebble Beach

Heading south, not far from Pacific Grove is Pebble Beach. Yes, it is the Pebble Beach of the famous yearly golf tournament.  It is a gated community, with 8 golf courses, huge mansions, and a magnificent view of the ocean for a good part of the 17-mile drive.  Even though it is a gated community, you can get a day pass, for a fee. It was quite an experience sitting at a beach and watching golfers on one side of the road and the ocean waves crashing just a few yards away. Spectacular! 

Interesting web page if you would like to see more about it.  https://www.pebblebeach.com/17-mile-drive/

Carmel by the Sea

A unique characteristic of Carmel-by-the-Sea is that there are no street addresses. Properties are identified, for example, as being on the “west side of San Antonio Street, 3 houses south of 12th Avenue”. In addition to this, many owners give their homes a name. We drove through town down to the beach area, parked and walked on the beach.  Very quant town, low key, and a beautiful beach area.

Big Sur

Between Carmel by the Sea and San Simeon, Hearst Castle, there is a 90-mile stretch on Hwy 1 that is what they call Big Sur.  Famous for its views of the Pacific Ocean, rocky bluffs, sandy beaches, towering redwoods, and vibrant green hills the drive is amazing and spectacular.  There are many viewpoint turnouts along the way for some great photo opportunities.

A major attraction of this Scenic Highway, about 30 minutes south of Monterey is The Bixby Creek Bridge. Finished in 1932, it is 260 feet high, and is still one of the tallest single span bridges in the world.  At only 24-foot wide, it doesn’t meet modern standards which require bridges to be at least 32 feet wide to accommodate modern large vehicles. RVs can still fit across it though! There is a lookout point at each end of the bridge, usually very crowded, but worth a stop

One thing I did notice, after visiting here, was a scene on the TV series Big Little Lies opening credits.  Nicole Kidman’s character lives in Monterey but crosses this bridge to take her kids to school!!  And frankly the next town south is only a small village.  But that’s Hollywood for you.  The bridge has also been featured in some movies, commercials and even in the video game, Grand Theft Auto V.

Not very far from the Bixby Bridge is the Point Sur Lighthouse.  Looking at it from the highway, I knew it wasn’t ever going to be one I would visit.  The lighthouse is on a volcanic rock that extends out to the sea.  There is a good road up to a parking lot.  But the last part, about a ½ mile or so it is a uphill walk that takes you to the lighthouse.  It is described as a leisurely walk, and seeing how steep it looked to me, understandable, very leisurely! At the time of our visit it was closed, but now open for tours, but VERY limited to preserve the sense of isolation.  If you want to do the tour, be sure and check days and times before you go so you won’t be disappointed.

San Simeon

From the lighthouse we headed south again.  Highway 1 turns inland going through a beautiful, heavily forested area, that takes you to a small town the locals call The Village of Big Sur.  There are shops, restaurants. lodging and gas stations. We only stopped for a break, but I do remember one thing.  The price of gas shocked me……. $5/gallon!!!  (OK, this was 2 years ago, wonder what it is today?!)

Before reaching San Simeon, there is another lighthouse, Piedras Blancas Light Station.  It is managed as a historic park and wildlife sanctuary. 

We finally reached San Simeon to find that Hearst Castle was not only closed, but you couldn’t even get past the gate to get near it.  I did get to see it from a distance. Definitely something on my bucket list for someday, maybe my next visit Monterey Bay.  The scenic drive was worth the trip.

Wine Country and Salinas

We headed back to Monterey via the vineyards of the Salinas Valley, along Hwy 101.  It was about two hours of almost nothing but vineyards, that is A LOT of grapes!!  But it was beautiful.  The drive took us to the town of Salinas.  It is the hometown of writer John Steinbeck, so there is a museum honoring him. We drove by his childhood home, and there are some interesting historic buildings in the downtown area.  After this we headed back to Monterey.

North to Half Moon Bay

The next day we drove north, up to Half Moon Bay, about 30 miles south of San Francisco.  Just like Hwy 1 South, it is a scenic drive north of Santa Cruz, enjoying the gorgeous beaches and the crashing waves of the ocean.  There are a few quaint towns along the way. My favorite was Pescadero where we got to see the Pigeon Point Lighthouse. a still active lighthouse built in 1871 and is the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast.  

All along this area there are plenty of accessible beaches and some that require some downhill trails.  They are, though, perfect for a fun day at the beach! 

Rosine’s Restaurant.

While visiting Monterey Bay, we enjoyed many good restaurants, but I would like to mention one in particular, Rosine’s.  We went twice and loved everything about it!  The food is fantastic, the atmosphere is homey, service is above and beyond, and if you like cakes and pies, leave room for dessert.  But that isn’t easy!  I, of course had the Salmon Florentine, and my friend enjoyed the Chicken Fettuccini, delicious.  It is in downtown Monterey.  We parked on the next street over but was an easy walk to the restaurant.

Monterey Bay is easy to fall in love with, beautiful, historic, and great weather.  I am looking forward to going back soon for another visit.  And I would like to thank my friend and guide, Jim Hiliker for sharing his beautiful town, and county with me.

Anyone up for a road trip in the fall??