Today was our our first full day in Monterey. For Walker’s sake, we’re attempting to stay [roughly] on EST for the duration of the trip. We planned on today being a slower day, with church in the morning and an activity TBD in the afternoon.
Polite Awakening
Around 04:45 this morning, I heard some stirring in our room. I rolled over, checked the time, and decided I’d sleep a little more. A few minutes later, I hear “Da-Da?”. Someone realized I was awake, and sleeping in his room for some reason. A few more minutes passed, and then we hear a much more adamant, “DA-DA!”. Eastern time, indeed.
Tiptoeing downstairs, we fixed ourselves some cereals and tried to keep a very excited Walker somewhat quiet while exploring all the “new” toys. Soon enough, everyone else joined us for “Sunday cereal”.
Coffee // Church // Potluck
Before our trip, we’d already made plans to visit the Pinkertons’ church up in Seaside. They headed out a little early because they were teaching Sunday School; meanwhile, Faith and I drove to Café Mia Brew Bar & Bistro in Marina to get a cup of coffee before the service started. After a very nice service, we joined the congregation for their weekly potluck, and got to meet some of the Pinkertons’ friends.
After church, we swung in Target to pick up a few supplies, and then drove back along the coastline to Monterey.
Trader Joe's // Alta
Back at the house, the kids had their quiet time. I ran out to Trader Joe’s to get some groceries (I’d volunteered to help cook this week). Unfortunately, as soon as I got in the store, they announced their point-of-sale system was having issues, and it would be a while before people could check out with credit card transactions.
Naturally, I decided I’d walk down the street to a bakery. Alta Bakery and Cafe was sold out of their breakfast pastries, but they did have a few tasty things remaining. I got a tomato-plum tartine, and two gougères (a cheesy choux pastry) to go. They also gave me a free cup of drip coffee, since it was close to closing time.
Alta Bakery and Cafe
Monterey, CA
Excellent pastries and cafe menu. Pricey, but high quality.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Back at Trader Joe’s, I was able to successfully complete my shopping run, and then drove back to the house.
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
Loading up two cars, we all drove south to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, the “crown jewel of the California State Park System”. This peninsula has fascinated many “big names” of history, including photographers Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, architect Frederick Law Olmsted, and a variety of filmmakers. The area was also the inspiration for the book Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.
On the north side of the park, we parked our cars next to Whalers Cove, finished off the tomato-plum tartine, and began our hike around the peninsula.
"...the greatest meeting of land and water in the world."
From the North Shore Trail, we could see Pebble Beach Golf Links across the Carmel Bay. We also began to see lots of wildlife (particularly birds), including a blue heron, cormorants, pelicans, and an eagle.
The trail continued wrapping around the north side of the peninsula, passing Bluefish Cove. Soon, we turned south near the East Grove, and began to see sea otters out in the water. If you look closely in the third picture below, you can see the Carmelite Monastery in the distance.
By Cypress Cove, there’s an interesting section where the trail actually goes over a natural bridge on top of a tidal cave. It’s hard to see from the two pictures below, but the water is actually coming in from underneath me at my 6 o’clock, opposite the large rock pile in the photo.
We continued towards the farthest outcrop of the peninsula to the area known as Cypress Grove, one of two existing areas where you can find Monterey Cypress trees. Further south, we could see the coastal mountain of Big Sur, and had another clear view of Pebble Beach to the north.
Past Headland Cove, we looked out across Devil’s Cauldron to Sea Lion Rocks, which were covered with the lovable, vocal marine mammals. Somewhere along the way, we also saw a few harbor seals, which are differentiated by their internal ears and shinier coats.
We hiked the loop around the Allan Memorial Grove, through the heart of the cypress forest.
At some point, we realized we didn’t have enough time to hike back to our cars and make it out of the gate by the mandatory 19:00 cutoff. William and I decided to run back to our cars, which were just under two miles away if we cut inland and didn’t wind around the coast. We drove back to pick up everyone else at the southern parking lot, and made it out before they closed the gates.
late Dinner
Back at the house, we fed the kids leftovers for dinner, and then we cooked a separate late dinner for the four of us. Anna broiled chicken thighs and made a salad; meanwhile I made gnocchi with fresh herbs from their garden.
We headed off to bed, tired but ready for another big day tomorrow.
Video
Here’s a short video from today’s adventures.
The Best Things we Saw Today
Isaac
The best thing I saw today was… “Point Lobos”.
The best thing I ate today was… “the tomato-plum tartine from Alta and Italian pasta salad at the potluck”.
Faith
The best thing I saw today was… “Point Lobos (especially Mary showing off her Arabic counting skills)”.
The best thing I ate today was… “food at the potluck”.
Conclusion
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Tomorrow, Faith, Walker, and I are branching off and headed inland to Pinnacles National Park.
– Isaac, Faith, and Walker
2 Responses
Beautiful…
Know you are enjoying the scenery, food and family!
Thank you for sharing your travels.