The four of us set off this morning jackets and cameras in hand - anxious to see and experience one of the most famous drives - the one along the Pacific Sea coastline between Montery and Carmel. While it was going to be 85 degrees here at the campground the prediction for there was a high of 69 with cool winds off the water making it feel cooler yet. Oh what a gorgeous day we had!!!!
The first couple of pull offs on the drive had us wondering what all the shouting was about because we basically were driving winding road through cypress woods. We did find this hillside filled with huckleberry bushes
On close inspection we could not see any berries but there were hard red knobs which we think might be seeds
Soon we began to see glimpses of the sea over roof tops of homes set back in the woods and then found this delightful spot where we could walk the boardwalk among the dunes on the ocean most of which were covered with vegetation.
The marine layer of fog blocked the sun which had yet to break through so everything tended to have a gray tone but pretty little bright colored flowers made their own sunshine.
Homes perched on hills and filled with windows could be seen all along our drive.
Each turn on the road revealed beautiful scenic points on the coastline
and we could begin to see blue sky peeking through beginning to change the color of the water from a drab grey to a bit more blue grey.
Birds were prevalent often perched on rocks out on the water like these cormorants
Many of the trees had this interesting wind blown look that caused them to take on a strange shape
Rocks, boulders, and flowers along with a little bluer sky continued to add beauty.
Then we reached Bird Rock and Seal Rock - huge boulders out in the ocean covered with birds and harbor seals and seal lions
Close ups show the variety of wild life on these rock outcroppings
Many of the seals and sea lions were having great fun in the water jumping and diving
Other birds could be seen too like these sooty shearwater and of course lots of sea gulls and more cormorants
According to this sign there was more variety than we were fully aware of
The sky cleared giving us gorgeous blue skies and waters
There are several golf courses along the drive with plenty of views of the ocean
And plenty of homes with many many large windows
One of the more famous spots is that viewing point of the Lone Cypress sitting on a huge boulder in the sea
The rugged coastline was just breathtaking
As were the quiet pools
This is referred to as the Ghost Tree yet there were many others scattered along the way, this one gets a pull off and sign to mark it
I could have spent all day simply soaking up the sounds, the sights and taking photos but we did have to move on plus our tummys were growling, so we stopped at Pebble Beach Golf and Country Club where we enjoyed a bit of lunch "al fresco"
Then we had to wander checking out the shops, the practice green and.....
the Lodge with its gorgeous window views of the 18th green and the Pacific Ocean
Our next stop was in Carmel-By-The-Sea where we walked down by the beach to check it out. We found we could see the Pebble Beach Golf course in the distance beyond this end of the beach
Looking the other way you could see the homes lining the water front with all their beautiful windows giving them fantastic views to enjoy
This is a privately owned Frank Lloyd Wright home that literally reaches out for the water
We then left the area and drove to the Basilica of Mission San Carlos Borromeo Del Rio Carmelo one of the 19 missions built by the Mexicans along the Pacific Coast in California. It was originally built of wood in 1770 by Padre Junipero Serra. After he died, Padre Lasuen undertook construction of a stone church giving it a Moorish design. It is in far better repair than the one we visited yesterday!! And larger.
When we arrived we were told we could tour everything but the chapel where there was a special service going on. We were disappointed but set out to see what we could only to find the doors to the chapel were open so we could peek in.
After the service they processed out into the courtyard where I could get this photo of the participants
Including three representatives from the Knights of Columbus
They even rang the bells in honor of the event
We enjoyed a film about the history of the mission, the museum and historical rooms within the complex, the gorgeous gardens and the serenity of the beautiful complex.
Even the halls had floral decoration
This is the main courtyard where over 1200 were served meals daily
from this kitchen
This mission had the first collection of books making this the first library in California
This was used as the Reception Room called a Grand Sala
We then returned to the Carmel business area and walked the streets finally deciding to enjoy some dinner at Bistro Giovanni and lovely little Italian spot with table clothes and napkins and super service and very good food.
By the time we got back home we were all bushed!!! By it truly was a memorable day.
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