Two days In and Around Big Sur

On the 11th day of our California adventure we left Yosemite and drove across the state to Monterey. It was a 3 hour drive. Once we got to Monterey we first grabbed some sandwiches' from Ike's before heading to Point Lobos State Park. There is an entrance fee to enter the park via car but free if you just walk in. 

In the parking lot one of the park workers had a informative booth set up about the animals in the park and those that can be spotted in the waters. She also warned us about poison ivy. We walked the Cypress Grove Trail, Bird Island Trail, Sea Lion Point and stopped outside the Whale Cabin Museum (which was closed)

The boys got a sheet from the nice lady about the plants and wildlife in the area.

Above is one of the many harbor seals we spotted.

That is bird island and it was covered with cormorants. 

We decided to call it an early day and check in to our hotel. We were staying at Monterey Hotel and Spa. We freshened up and rested for a bit before heading out for dinner. We ate at a fun Hawaiian place called Hula's.

The next day we headed to Big Sur. There was a section of the PCH that was closed due to the storms so we couldn't drive the whole way down but we still saw plenty. 

We started the day with breakfast at the Old Monterey Cafe

Our first stop was the Garrapata Bluff Trail.. we hiked up Soberano Trail first then went down a flight of stairs to access the Garrapata Beach.

The waves were insane here.. we didn't let the kids do anymore than get their feet wet. But there is just something about the crashing waves... you can watch them all day.

The iconic Bixby Bridge. It is a reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch bridge and one of the most photographed bridges in California. It was really stunning. When it was completed in 1932, it was the highest single-span arch bridge in the world, and it remains one of the tallest.

We stopped for lunch at Big Sur River Inn. This was the perfect place to stop for a break.. if not for the food which was good then for the stream.

 

We got some ice cream from the blue bus after lunch and sat in the ice cold stream while eating it. 

Then on to our final stop, Pfeiffer Beach. It is very easy to miss the turn off for this beach. They only allow a certain amount of cars at a time. The drive to the beach is long and windy.. we almost though we might be going in the wrong direction and it's a one lane road so we had to squeeze to one side multiple times in order to make enough space for other cars. But we finally got there and it was so worth it!

One of the things that makes pfeiffer beach so unique is the shade of purple in its sand, erosion of the cliffs above, which contain Manganese garnet rocks is the reason for this phenomenon. 

The beach had cool rock formations and the water was calm enough for the boys to have some fun. 

That evening when we got back to the hotel we were wiped so got cleaned up.. soaked in the hotel hot tub for a bit and then ordered thai take out. 

The next day we headed to Carmel by the Sea. It was a chilly morning. We head breakfast at From Scratch located in the Barnyard area.

Afterwards we headed to the central Carmel area. You want to aim for Ocean Ave and between 6th and 7th street. 

We luckily were there when the farmer's market was open. I had never seen this many different types of mushrooms!

and then we wandered around. This was by far the cutest town we have ever been to. 

and then we visited the secret garden leading to the Pilgrim Way Community Bookstore.. this is a must see but you have make sure you enter from the secret garden.. it makes the whole experience so much more magical. I made a reel here.

We poked our heads into some galleries and cute shops. There were so many options. 

After spending a few hours exploring Carmel we headed back to Monterey to explore it's downtown area. 

We walked down to the wharf and an insane amount of seals. We weren't really hungry enough for lunch so we stopped to get some nachos at Nacho Bizness

They were ridiculously good. The place had great art up on the walls and the US Open on the tv which gave all of us some time to relax. 

Across the street was an old fashioned arcade.. it was hard to pass up. The kids played, we drank our coffee, I read and M caught up on his overflowing inbox.

A quick refresh at the hotel and then we headed out to explore Cannery Row in Monterey. First inhabited by Native Americans, then settled by the Spanish, it later became home to many Chinese, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese immigrants. The very first cannery, the American Tin Cannery was developed in 1927.You can read more about it here Did you know Steinbeck wrote a book called Cannery Row? Just added it to my audio book list. I have only read one Steinbeck.. East of Eden and while it was a long time ago I remember liking it. 

Today there are no more canneries and the row is much more touristy and also home to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. 

Our first stop was the antique mall.. I wish we would have gotten a better opportunity to explore but we were there no more than five minutes when they called closing time.

 

We also discovered this really cool candle store.. the website is here if you want to check them out. The outer core doesn't burn so you don't have to worry about the design melting away. We spent a long time debating on which candle to buy.. everyone had an opinion. 

We had dinner at Lala's. It was not good. But it had a great view of the water, a girl was having a photoshoot for her quinceanera down on the beach, a dog dove into the water fishing out balls his owner threw and we spied two fishermen one on the rocky shore and another in the water. It was a lovely sight. 

We ended the day with a ice cream sundae from Ghirardelli's.  

Next we wrap up our California adventure with our final stop, San Francisco. 

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