We woke up to gray, damp morning. Monterey is known for it's beauty and I told myself that I wouldn't let a little precipitation get in the way of seeing all I had to see. We drove about 5 minutes to get to the Highway 1 gate to enter the 17 Mile Drive. If you've never heard of this, it's exactly what it sounds like- a 17 mile tour of scenic coastline with 21 stops in Monterey. Before cars had become a way of life, horse-drawn carriages explored 17 Mile Drive starting from the famous Hotel Del Monte. The area only got more popular by incredible golf courses like Pebble Beach Golf Links that has been host to both amateur golfing competitions as well as five U.S. Opens. The U.S. Open will return at this course in 2019 to celebrate the centennial anniversary of Pebble Beach.
I'm getting ahead of myself. Follow me on this virtual tour of the 17 Mile Drive. Starting at the beginning:
#1, Shepherd's Knoll. This vista point gives a grand view of Monterey Bay and the Santa Cruz mountains. A view that was unfortunately squashed by the fog. I could see a little bit of the ocean and imagined how breathtaking it must look like in perfect weather.
#2, Huckleberry Hill: Named for the abundance of native huckleberry bushed, this is one of the highest elevations in the forest we were traveling through.
#3, Poppy Hills Golf Course: Poppy Hills, the first of many golf courses on this tour, is the home of the Northern California Golf Association.
#4, The Inn and Links at Spanish Bay: Missing a sign for this one and being a little too scared to explore the inside, I have two pictures of the outside of the inn that was built in 1987 by the Pebble Beach Company. This world famous resort and Scottish-style links course are famous for the bagpiper that closes the course each evening. What a job!
#5, Spanish Bay: Don Gaspar de Portola, a Spanish explorer, and his crew camped here in 1709 while searching for Monterey Bay. It's also where I get to dip my toe into the Pacific Ocean for the first time. Because there is some kind of hurricane stirring up in the ocean somewhere, the waves were powerful and high. I really underestimated how fast they were coming in and got a little more damp than I had intended for.
#6, The Restless Sea: This vista point is so named due to the turbulence generated by the submerged terrain off Point Joe. With the waves high and fierce, I think we got a perfect example of why it is called the Restless Sea!
#7, Point Joe: Early mariners often crashed into these rocks after mistakenly setting their course for this point, believing that it was the entrance for Monterey Bay.
#8, China Rock: Here and at Point Joe, Chinese fisherman built lean-tos against the rocks for their homes in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I didn't know what a lean-to is, so for those of you that don't either, a lean-to is a building sharing one wall with a larger building- or in this case a rock- and having a roof that leans against that wall- or rock; usually a temporary shelter.
#9, Bird Rock Hunt Course: This long-time site of the once popular equestrian hunt and steeplechase competitions was also used in the 1920s by the 11th Cavalry for riding and saber practice. Kind of an interesting practice course, I think.
#10, Bird Rock and #11, Seal Rock Picnic Area: The Bird Rock landmark is home to countless shorebirds and groups of harbor seals and sea lions. Even a mile offshore, you can hear the seals and sea lions barking at each other marking their territory. I guess that makes for an ambient surrounding if you'd like to have some lunch at Seal Rock Picnic Area.
I realize now that I think we missed #12, Spyglass Hill Golf Course. Maybe we just drove by it and forgot to take pictures? Sorry about that!
#13, Fanshell Overlook: This pure white sand beach below is irresistible to harbor seals, who each spring return here to bear their young. For that reason, it is close to the public during pupping season.
Our next stop was a bit of a drive. On either side of the road, Cypress trees stand tall and dominate the space. It's no wonder then why the next stop is....
#14, Cypress Point Lookout: For more than 100 years, this point has been a preferred view of the dramatic Pacific Coastline. It was beautiful! Also, it's 2015. You'd think I'd learn by now to get my fingers out of the way of the camera lens! Dumb-dumb.
#15, Crocker Grove: This 13-acre nature preserve harbors numerous species of native pine and cypress. The granddaddy of all Monterey cypress is located here, deep in the forest. It is named for Charles Crocker, who established 17 Mile Drive in 1881.
#16, The Lone Cypress: As one of California's most enduring landmarks, The Lone Cypress has prevailed on its rocky perch for more than 250 years. This icon is the living symbol of the Pebble Beach Company.
#17, The Ghost Tree: With a trunk bleached white from the wind, this unique Monterey cypress has a sinister, yet beautiful silhouette.
#18, Pescadero Point: In the same clearing as The Ghost Tree, this vista point offers views of Camel Bay and Stillwater Cove.
#19, The Lodge at Pebble Beach: Built in 1919, The Lodge is the heart of Pebble Beach and home to world famous Pebble Beach Golf Links. The Lodge itself offers a variety of dining and shopping options. From one of the dining areas, you can enjoy views of the sweeping 18th fairway and green.
At this point, Eliza and I were starving, so we decided to tryout one of the acclaimed dining experiences. Dressed for the weather and not for the occasion, we chose to eat at the Tap Room, which is basically a bar & grill. Even there we felt like we didn't quite fit in. I got a burger and it cost $17! It was delicious, but seriously, $17 for a burger? It's all part of the experience though right?
#21, Peter Hay Par-3 Golf Course: Named for longtime Pebble Beach golf pro, Peter Hay,
this par-3 course is open to the public and features a 30,000 pound bronze sculpture dedicated at the 100th U.S. Open Championship.
#21, Pebble Beach Equestrian Center: Guided horseback trail rides, riding lessons, boarding, and numerous major West Coast equestrian events are held here annually.
The end of the 17 Mile drive dropped us off in Carmel. However, driving into Carmel, it seemed like we had actually been dropped off in a fairytale village. The center of Carmel is full of shops, restaurants, and inns all with the most charming facades. It's no wonder that the full name of Carmel is Carmel-by-the-Sea; seriously, am I in a fairytale?
Our last stop of the day was Point Lobos State Park. We parked on the road and walked down to Whaler's Cove. Beautiful even in the fog and overcast, I can't even imagine was this must look like with blue skies. My favorite type of weather is actually what we experienced all day. I kind of felt this weather gave a better background to the sights we saw.
With every intention of experiences some of Carmel's world class dining experiences, it was an absolute mistake to go back to the hotel to relax. Come dinner time, Eliza and I were both so exhausted, we couldn't even fathom getting back into the car to go back to Carmel, even though it was probably a 15 minute drive. We saw a Vietnamese restaurant earlier in the day right by our hotel. It was just want we needed to fill us up and warm us from the insides after a chilly day! Full of spring rolls, pho, and thai iced tea with boba, we slept very, very well so we could start off the next day full of even more things to do and see!
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