Tag: hiking

I was up early on the morning of Tuesday, May 13. My old body told me I needed to go for a run.

I followed this internal self-talk. I ran from the hotel to Otter Point in Pacific Grove. This is a part of the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail.

The trail had been dampened by some pre-dawn rain showers. That didn’t slow me or the other walkers, joggers, and bike riders who too were up early.

No matter where my eyes scanned, I had pretty views of the neighborhood and the bay. This run is not likely to leave my memory. The setting is too special. If I had the endurance and the time, I could have stayed on this trail all day. But another trail was calling me.

After breakfast, the Commander had us scheduled to start our exploration of the Seventeen Mile Drive. As much as I had liked the views from my run, the views for the remainder of the day would only become more incredible.

Much has been written about The Seventeen Mile Drive, I doubt I can add much to these praises. Let’s leave like this, if you are given the opportunity to make the drive, don’t turn it down.

I did not focus on the opulence of the homes or the famous golf courses. No, I focused on the determination of the Pacific Ocean, and the rugged coastline the ocean rolls into every minute of the day and night.

Marker 4 on the drive is titled The Restless Sea, and here is the commentary about this section: “The Restless Sea earns its name as one of the most turbulent sections of coastline in Pebble Beach. Waves are constantly converging and crashing into each other, likely caused by submerged rocks.”

Each marker has a story to tell and a point to make. Perhaps the most famous is The Lone Cypress.

According to one marker, the Monterey cypress almost became extinct along the coast. Fortunately, it didn’t as the trees grow naturally here. The popular trees can reach heights up to seventy feet and can live up to three hundred years.

Yes, there is something special about The Lone Cypress. I admire its loyalty. No matter what nature has tossed at the tree, the cypress has remained loyal to its solitary perch.

We made a short stop at the Pebble Beach Visitor Center. Next, we started working our way further south toward Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.

I’ll put this in the same category as The Seventeen Mile Drive—if you have the opportunity to visit Point Lobos, don’t turn the invitation down. Yes, you will walk more at Point Lobos, but those steps will reveal to you spectacular coastal scenery.

When we arrived at Point Lobos, the parking lot was full and closed. This meant we had to park along the shoulder of the highway that parallels the park.

We walked back to the entrance, took some advice from park personnel, and started our exploration. In truth, what happened was we were so enthralled by the beauty that we kept pushing ourselves further and further into the available trails.

Eventually, we worked our way to a stopping point and the walk back to our car, but neither of us regrets taking the time to explore. What we saw was nature at her best.

The ocean, the rocky shoreline, the wildflowers, an occasional appearance of wildlife, and the knowledge of park personnel added to the pleasure of the hike. Neither of us will forget this visit.

Back out on the highway, we made a stop in the parking lot of Monastery Beach and enjoyed our Pebble Beach sandwich in the car.

From there we drove back into Carmel By Sea for more exploring. The focus here was to locate some of the Storybook Houses.

Unfortunately, our interpretation of local maps was being challenged. Luckily, a patient, local resident sensed this, and he redirected our steps guiding us to our first Storybook House.

We strolled through the shopping district and made our way down to see the famous beach. Even though it was May, a few beach worshippers were present on this pleasant sunny afternoon. In a few weeks, I imagine this beach will be packed.

Our walk back to the car revealed more about the character of the town.

A plaque on a fence featured these words in bold print: LIV DE LIFE with this Emerson quote behind it: “The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.”

Another creative sign featured precisely cut letters from assorted license plates to form this colorful expression: Happy Go Lucky.

From Carmel By The Sea, we re-entered The Seventeen Mile Drive from the land side. We worked our way to The Inn at Spanish Bay.

The Commander navigated us to a sunlit, stone patio where she ordered a glass of wine and I had glass of beer.

We sat in comfort admiring the view.

Gradually, we inched our way back to the hotel.

After a respite, we walked back down to Cannery Row, and had dinner with a view of Monterey Bay at Louie Linguini.

Tonight, this trip was coming to an end.

Early tomorrow morning, we would say goodbye to this stunning California coastline and drive back to the San Francisco airport.

Thankfully, we survived the drive to the airport and the drop off of the rental car.

Inside our gate area, I stumbled upon a church friend, Susan King, who had been in San Francisco visiting a friend. Later she would get a good laugh watching me stuffing an over stuffed suitcase into an overhead bin.

Before we took off, the Captain of the plane for Breeze Airways gave what was maybe the best welcome aboard and here’s what to expect speech I’ve ever heard from a pilot.

Remnants of thundershowers were around the Richmond area as we descended into the landing pattern, but our landing was smooth.

We grabbed our bags and worked our way to the shuttle van to return us to our parked car.

The only downer of our trip unfolded between the driver of the van and an airline employee who admitted she had a lousy day.

These two individuals grumbled over where the airline employee wanted to be dropped off. The tenseness between them was disappointing.

This tiny confrontation brought me back to reality. That magnificent California coastline was far away on the other side of America.

I wonder if the personalities of the van driver and the airline employee could have been soothed by a single pretty California vista?

That’s hard to know, but I know that my old brain and soul will forever cherish what California shared with me and the Commander, the best trip planner in the world.

It might be hard to see it at times, and often we do our best to destroy it, but we still live in a beautiful world.

For that I am grateful, and I must constantly remind myself to do my part to take care of this world.

After breakfast, we quickly gathered our belongings and headed toward checking out.

In the parking lot, the Commander Supreme made her final checks, and our journey to the Point Reyes National Seashore started.

We traveled the back roads of California toward the visitor’s center. Wisps of low clouds, lots of twists and turns, rolling hills with pretty land, and massive redwoods greeted us. Occasionally, we encountered brave bicycle riders on these narrow roads that offered very few straight sections for easy peddling.

Upon our arrival at the Bear Valley Visitor Center in the Point Reyes National Seashore, we were greeted by a few quietly grazing deer in the rolling pastures around the building.

The visitor center has extremely helpful national park employees. No matter your questions, these knowledgeable and patient staff have the answers.

The center also has a nice layout of effective displays giving visitors a glimpse of what they might encounter during their visit.

From the visitor center, our goal was to visit the historical Point Reyes Lighthouse. The ride to the lighthouse was remarkable.

I’m sure I will repeat myself, but no matter where our eyes took us, we were greeted with striking scenery.

I didn’t expect to see beef and dairy cattle grazing on this magnificent land. But occasionally, we’d come across a weather battered farmhouse with barns and out buildings scattered around. I wondered about the loneliness that might brew in this isolated beauty.

If you travel this road, you will come across the historic KPH Radio building. Set off the road, you will walk a straight path lined on both sides with magnificent Monterey cypress trees. This tree-lined walk toward the building will never leave your memory.

It’s not long before we reach the parking area for the lighthouse.

According to the National Park Service, the Point Reyes Headlands ‘jut ten miles out to sea.’ This probe out into the Pacific Ocean creates a potential nautical challenge for ships venturing north of San Francisco.

In 1870, this lighthouse was constructed to serve as a warning to ship captains and their crews. In 1975, the United States Coast Guard put to rest the first light. A new automated light was installed adjacent to the original lighthouse.

To truly encounter this magnificent lighthouse, visitors must descend 313 steps. This requires an alert patience in going down and coming back up, but the challenge of the walk is worth it. You will not want to stop taking pictures.

Additionally, park rangers are on site to answer questions and guide you. It is worth a chat alone to hear about the extreme weather conditions that impact Point Reyes.

On the steps back to the parking lot, we paused a couple of times, caught our breath, and admired the view.

We regrouped in the parking lot, and from there we made stops at Chimney Rock, South Beach, and briefly explored a trail that were an ideal habitat for elk. And in each of those treks, wildflowers greeted us.

Again, I reminded myself of the people who had the vision and the will to preserve this priceless national park.

As we worked our way out of the national park, we stopped at the Tavern X Market for a sandwich. After lunch, I noticed the sign ‘Happy Trails’ hanging over the parking lot exit. Hopefully, the traffic gods would grant us ‘happy trails’ during the remainder of our afternoon driving toward Monterey.

Now following an interstate route, we skirted past Oakland. From a distance, we could see its attempts to re-invent itself, though graffiti was still a dominant nuisance in some stretches.

Occasionally, the traffic snarled with slow downs, but we kept moving.

The closer to Monterey, the more frequently we began to see the impact of farming on the outskirts of the Salinas Valley. But when we left the interstate, the farming communities really came into focus. Sure there was equipment, but I was more drawn to the richness of soil.

That soil reminded me of deep shades of chocolate and roasted coffee beans contrasted with healthy rows of green. Those fields were a tribute to the artistry of the farmers and their farmhands who year after year grow our nutrition.

Approaching the city limits of Monterey, the waters of the Pacific changed the backdrop.

It was Sunday afternoon, Mother’s Day, Monterey was still restless.

Our hotel on a side street in the city came into view.

We checked in.

Friendly staff at the front desk, guided our footsteps toward the Alvarado Street Brewery for dinner.

The walk back in the cool coastal air prepped us for our collapse and sleep.