See You Later California!

Kenai Mountains on the flight path home to Anchor-town

It was a great getaway filled with sun, sand, and delicious meals. We ate our way through this holiday and we do not regret a single moment. 

See you later California, until next time keep on being a welcoming beautiful state in our union of United States.

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Marina Dunes Preserve

 

Sand between your toes and the ocean waves rushing over your feet makes for a perfect holiday.

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Another Fabulous Meal in Pacific Grove

 

Yum and double yum! Our evening meal at Aliotti's Victorian Corner Restaurant was a great way to end the day. Very well prepared meals and kind service. Might we recommend the lobster raviolis and anything else on their menu. Bon Appetit!

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California Highway 1

 

We took advantage of another beautiful day in California and drove south along Hwy 1 towards Big Sur. It was a bit windy, as we suspect it is most days judging by the inland bends of the trees but it was sunny and warm.

The relentless pounding of the ocean waves has carved out a gorgeous coast line with fantastic views. We have a ridiculous amount of photos of crashing waves against the rocks that culling through them seems insurmountable. But I will get through them all before too long.

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When the Ocean Calls

When the ocean calls you must answer!

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Another Beautiful Day in California

On one of our days on holiday in California we took the 17 Mile Drive though the Pebble Beach Resort area, and enjoyed spectacular views of the ocean. We also toured the Carmel Mission Basilica. It was an educational and peaceful day.

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Pacific Grove

The Seven Gables Inn is within walking distance of downtown Pacific Grove, and we took advantage of morning walks to explore town, and to find coffee and breakfast. The Red House Café was a good find, they however were short staffed one of the mornings we ate there so the service was quite slow. Overlooking this the food is tasty and well prepared. 

Best coffee in town that we found was at the Bookworks coffee shop and bookstore. We also recommend spending some time in the associated bookstore, they have a nice selection of books.

Pacific Grove has a small town feel with friendly residents, and the older houses are fairly well maintained with placards that list the year they were built and the original owners name. We could live here, if we were looking to move to California. 

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Lovers Point & The Beach House Restaurant

A holiday is not complete if there are not any photos of food. Am I right? We enjoyed a fabulous meal at The Beach House Restaurant near Lovers Point. The calamari, corvina sea bass with wild mushrooms, and steak & shrimp with glazed carrots were all tasty and delicious!

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Pacific Grove & Seven Gables Inn

After a nice days drive down the California coast we checked into our lodging at the Seven Gables Inn in Pacific Grove. We stayed in the Seal Rocks room and within 15 minutes of being in the room we had spotted a seal swimming just off shore out the front window. By the end of our stay we had seen whale spouts, backs and tails, a pod of porpoise feeding and playing, sea otters, and tons of birds - pelicans, cormorants, and gulls.  

We sipped local wine from Hahn Estates and ate chocolates from Lula Chocolates, and thoroughly enjoying our first evening in Pacific Grove.

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Golden Gate Bridge & California Hwy 1

When you tell a local how excited you were to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, and to see this manmade marvel from the cliff side, they look at you a little sideways. They get it, that it is special, and that people travel to San Francisco just to see this bridge. But it appears they are not sure what to think of all the excitement that it generates. Perhaps they have become numb to the bridge’s presence in their lives. We can relate as there are days when I take the mountains around us for granted. Never the less it was a grand time and is now checked off our wish-list.

The drive along the California coastal Highway 1 was incredibly beautiful. The Ice Plants shimmering in the sun, showing off their white yellows and purples added just the right balance of color against the blues and teals of the sky and ocean waves.

Road trips with my fella are one of my favorite pastimes.

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Muir Woods & New Friends

Our second day of holiday in California was spent hiking the trails though the Muir Woods National Monument. It was a weekday so the crowds were a bit smaller than I would imagine them being on other days. We walked the trails that are along the forest floor and ventured up the Canopy trail that winds you up and around the hills for a view from almost the top of these amazing trees. The Redwood trees reminded us of the Kauri trees on the North island of New Zealand. Simply AMAZING.

A highlight of the day was meeting a fellow adventurer and hiking together. We met at an intersection of three trails as we all were trying to decipher the maps and the trailhead signs. Pro tip: take a picture of the trail routes on the wooden signs at the beginning of the park as the map the Park Rangers hand out at the Ranger Station is a bit lacking.

Our fellow adventurer is from the bay area of California but now lives in Pennsylvania. She was back in California to visit her mom and sister; to help her mom move, and see her sister before she deployed overseas with the Army. She is a remarkable person and we feel quite fortunate to have made her acquaintance, and of course will host her and her boyfriend when they visit Alaska! You know me always an advocate for travel, and overly willing to share Alaska with anyone who has an inkling to see this great state.

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