Monterey!

This weekend Dan and I took an extra day off of work to extend our President's Day weekend to a 4 day weekend, and we took a couple of the days and went down to Monterey. We've been wanting to go there for a long time so we were excited to finally get the opportunity. Also, my sister Allyson and her family wanted to visit Monterey and SF (they live in Visalia, CA) as well, so we met up with them on Saturday afternoon and then they drove back up to our house to stay with us for the rest of the weekend. The weather couldn't have been more beautiful--lately it's been rather cold and rainy, so having a weekend of 60 degree weather and sunshine was very welcomed! We slept in Friday morning and then headed out early afternoon. It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive from our house to Monterey so not only was it not very far but it was also a beautiful, green drive. In order to keep costs down we booked a budget motel, 'The Good Nite Inn', to stay in, which did turn out to be okay once we got our 2nd room. (The first room, we discovered, had a lovely wet stain with a yellow ring on the bed when we peeled the covers back.....sorry to be graphic, but that's the truth! Obviously, we were a little mad, so we got a new clean room and a nice full refund to make the situation all better. :) Guess we won't be staying there again!)

While we were in Monterey we took lots of walks by the beach and in parks, got some ice cream at the Ghirardelli Store, went to the local fisherman's wharf, visited Cannery Row, and took the 17 mile drive through Pebble Beach and the Del Monte Forest. The drive was amazing! I hate to say that I can almost see why they charge what they do for a game of golf there--it is beautiful! Definitely worth the visit!


Dan and Cruiser on the pier next to the main public beach in Monterey

A late afternoon walk on the beach

Dan eating his delicious sundae from the Ghirardelli Ice Cream Shop on Cannery Row

Sun starting to set by Cannery Row

More sunset....

Dan standing on the Pebble Beach Golf Course

Dan and Cruiser by the Monterey Fisherman's Wharf and harbor

Me and my niece Carlie on a part of Pebble Beach

Carlie and Chandler at a lookout spot on the 17 mile drive of the 'Lone Cypress' --a tree that mysteriously has grown on a rock all by itself for years.

Dan and the 'Lone Cypress'

Me with Carlie and Chandler inside the Pebble Beach Lodge. Can you believe that view out onto the course and the ocean!!!???