Carmel-by-the-sea

Carmel is another, perhaps even more picturesque storybook town, just a short 15 minute drive away from PG. Quite a few dog friendly spots, such as Brad’s Barkery and a sushi place called Toro with their own dog menu (our pups opted for the salmon option). It was here that Copper’s eyes became cartoonish and saucer-like before he attempted to gobble down both his and Bennett’s portions.

It has several dog friendly beaches, our favorite being Carmel River State Beach. Not too far from this is Clint Eastwood’s Mission Ranch hotel, which has a lovely little restaurant where one can (and we did) pass some time overlooking fields extending to the ocean, where sheep and deer roam at will. 

Big Sur

This was far and away our favorite section of the Monterey Peninsula. Stretching along wild and craggy coastline, when the weather is cloudy, it is dangerous and mysterious, holding space for moody and broody ponderings. When the weather is sunny, it is nothing short of overwhelming and breathtaking. Words come up short, and it is impossible to fully process the extremity of the beauty that surrounds. Blues of varying shades, from very light to deep and dark, are contained in the crashing waves, which themselves contain all manner of sea life. Absolutely spectacularly incredible doesn’t begin to cover it - though it’s a good start. Our favorite spots in this area were Garrapata Beach (which one can access by hiking in about ¾ mile down a trail from the road), the famed Big Sur River Inn, where one can sit in Adirondack chairs placed directly in the river while listening to a band play on the lawn above and Nepenthe, an eclectic eatery where you can sit on the balcony above the clouds and enjoy any manner of standard American fare. We also visited Pfeiffer State Park and Pfeiffer Beach (one being a state park and one being a state forest jurisdiction and thus both requiring separate passes). Both presented a unique landscape-the park with redwoods and riverbeds, and the beach with an extreme foggy/misty vista. Annie also spent a day at the famed Esalen retreat, where you can exchange a few hours work in lieu of paying a massive entry fee. She spent three hours peeling and destemming kale. She also built some character.

We could have spent many more hours simply driving up and down the Highway 1 coastline in Big Sur, from our home base in PG down to where the road is blocked due to a slide (just before the town of Lucia). There is no cell service in most of the area, and it feels wild and free and other-worldly. Point Sur in particular held for us a curiosity, as it was only visible on some days, and completely hidden in the mist on others. Accessible only by appointment, it was one elusive experience we have kept on our list to try on our next visit.

Local Beaches

We visited many beaches in the area, and a few stand out to mention in particular. As mentioned above, Carmel River State Beach was our favorite. We ended up there a few times, but our first encounter was the most memorable by far. After a long day of work, we loaded up the dogs to explore a new location on our list, and were pleasantly surprised by the lack of crowds, the wide stretch of sand, and the abundance of wildlife–particularly pelicans. It was a couple of hours before sunset and as a result, dinner time. We stood still and watched, awestruck, as hundreds of pelicans flew overhead from a river eddy that emptied to the ocean, out over our heads to scan the ocean and dive for fish, before flying back to regroup for the next volley. In fact we were so awestruck that we had to cross back out through the aforementioned river, which had risen up to Copper’s chest as the tide had come in.

Santa Cruz

We were lucky enough to make it up for the day here, hiking Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park (where Copper bravely marched past horses relatively without incident), exploring the downtown area, and walking along the pier. It was another crowded day at the pier, but it provided an opportunity to get a feel for the town, and it was certainly unique. From music blasting, peace promoting, trailer toting characters, to roller coasters on the boardwalk, it was certainly a shift from our little town of Pacific Grove. We were also lucky enough to observe an otter just feet away from us, floating and cracking open oysters with a rock, all on it's belly while it floated on it's back.

Point Lobos

We made a couple of stops to a local state park-Point Lobos. We had received a recommendation for the spot from Grant’s friend in Orange County, and while we expected to find beautiful views, we were happily surprised to find a high concentration of wildlife here as well. From “sea lion point” to “bird rock” we saw both of the former, along with the otters dotting the water, and birds a plenty. We saw seals beached fourteen across on the sand, occasionally jostling each other for a bit more room. It doesn’t allow dogs, but that allowed us a bit more freedom with hiking along the trails at our own pace. It felt like Big Sur-wild, free and stunningly beautiful.

Pacific Grove and Monterey

While being a small, quiet town, PG also had plenty to offer. 

Farmer’s Market and The 4:30 Club

The Monday afternoon Farmer’s Market was a staple of ours, where we often purchased sourdough, blueberries, strawberries, and a variety of produce. As mentioned in our previous PG post, we happily stumbled upon a welcoming group dubbed the “4:30 Club". Most of our Mondays, about 4:30 pm, after hitting up the Farmer’s Market, we’d join our new friends, Terry and Kerry at Pepper’s for some Mexican fare. While the best margarita on offer was debated, the food was always good and the conversation better. Longtime residents of PG, they had plenty to offer in the way of advice, local tips, and stories. Kerry grew up in the area and spent most of one summer either in the pool or backseat of Joan Baez’s convertible. We still have some places we didn't make it to (like the secret hot springs off Little Sur River), but enjoyed immensely our conversations and their welcoming spirit. The last Monday of our trip, they organized their children and grandchildren to join us for a big send-off style dinner. We had a great time.

A few other gems in the area:

• Big Little Lies - the Bixby Bridge
• Lover’s Point - Otters everywhere
• Seussical plants
• Jack’s Peak hiking
• Monterey Pride
• Dust Bowl Brewing
• The local deer herd and little family sightings on every walk
• Hula’s Island Grill - the tiki drinks were a hit
• Monarch British Pub

Memorable Experiences

We also had the opportunity to have many one-off unique experiences that we wouldn’t find many other spots, and in some cases, any other time:

Third Eye Blind at Henry Miller Library

In Big Sur, there is a tiny artist’s cottage just off Highway 1 named after Henry Miller, a literary innovator based in Big Sur for a large portion of his life. There, we had the opportunity to attend a Third Eye Blind concert, an unofficial stop on their “Summer gods” tour. Allegedly recording an acoustic, unplugged record, we were able to interact with them and listen in the most intimate setting for a concert hosting such a big name.

Laguna Seca

We were also lucky to arrive (unplanned) just the weekend before the Indycar Monterey Grand Prix, hosted at the Laguna Seca racetrack. Being the closest cousin in motorsport to Formula 1, we were thrilled to discover the coincidence and immediately bought tickets. Having attended an F1 race last year, it felt very similar, but more relaxed and laid back, and much less crowded. We were able to post ourselves up on the hill of the famous “corkscrew” turn to observe the first half of the race, and finished it down on the main grandstands, where we had a prime view of pit stops and the grand finale finish. In contrast to our F1 experience, the weather was perfect, the crowds were enthusiastic, and we had plenty of space to make ourselves comfortable.

Whale Watching at Monterey Bay

A unique highlight of our tour was the morning spent whale watching. The Monterey sub-marine canyon is highly unique as it's as deep as the Grand Canyon (if it was submersed), alongside it's ideal temperatures inviting rich nutrition for marine life. This attracts an abundance and variety of critters and while once almost extinct, the local sea otters have come back in force. It was seemingly impossible to gaze out at the coastline without seeing at least a few otters floating with the swells, having purposefully tangled themselves in the kelp. We saw several otters on this outing, in addition to harbor seals, a sea lion, and of course, a whale.

After departing from our port of call in Moss Landing, just about 20 minutes up the road from PG, we hit the open ocean in search of whales. Many people immediately hit the sick bags. Thankfully, we had come prepared with Dramamine to stave off the (surprisingly likely and widespread) risk of sea sickness. Even the most experienced sea farers often get seasick on these expeditions, due to the small size of the boat against the vastness of the ocean.

Our guide shared whale and marine life facts along the whole ride, and eventually helped us spot the whale along the side of the boat. We had passed another boat that tipped us off to the direction of the whales spotted that morning, and were in luck. Over the course of about 25 minutes, we watched as the whale spouted for air, dove for food, and our boat adjusted course every few sightings, in order to keep up. On our way back in, we saw a strange, stagnant fin sticking up out of the water. It stayed up briefly, before dipping down below the surface–our guide promptly announcing that we had just seen a salmon shark, a cousin and look alike of the great white.

Moss Landing/Castroville

After riding the high of the sea monsters we had encountered, we headed back in from Moss Landing, stopping in Castroville - the artichoke capital of the world. It is also home to Phil’s Fish Market, a superb establishment where one can purchase fish from fresh off the docks to fully seasoned and cooked. Grant opted for both, while Annie popped over to a vegan taco truck and both had a lovely lunch (with a side of artichokes). 

Pebble Beach, Spanish Bay, and 17-mile Drive

The famous 17-Mile Drive was accessible from our home base in PG, but a bit further down the road was Pebble Beach Resort and the Inn at Spanish Bay. We spent a day exploring this area by car with the dogs, hopping from one “dog-friendly” spot to the next. Driving down the length and stopping at various intervals, we were surprised to find many fenced off areas and overall were a bit underwhelmed by the experience. Given it’s fame, we felt it might be more exciting–however, we had stunning vistas, with no access restrictions at Point Lobos, in Carmel, down Big Sur, and all around PG/Monterey.

Unless you are a big golf fan, your time is probably better spent elsewhere. It is all purportedly dog-friendly, and we had no issues with any access points. We stopped at Roy’s at the Inn for an experience recommended to us by Terry – the bagpiper. We settled ourselves about half an hour before the start, grabbing some blankets for our party, as it had become a bit chilly. It was quite a cozy setting, with warm cocktails, a wild, hilly ocean vista, and cozy blankets next to a heat lamp. At one point, we did have a resort employee quietly approach us and mention that the blankets were not, in fact, for dogs, and that he would have to remove it. Our bad-oops. Poor Bennett. The bagpiper was lovely, and the experience a bit cheesy, but it was a comfortable, cozy setting and together with the weather, evoked a sense of being transported to Scotland–Brigadoon indeed.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Our hosts were generous enough to provide free passes to the aquarium, and after some research, we decided to stop in during “member’s night,” which we believed we’d have access to, as guests of members. We arrived during regular hours, just before closing, and had to make ourselves scarce for the hour turnaround between normal hours and member’s night. We ended up popping into a local vegan Mexican spot just a few blocks away, and passed the time easily. Grant was recognized as a doppelganger for a mix of Brendan Gleeson (it’s in the eyes) and Matt Damon (?). We’re not so sure.

We finished up and headed back down Cannery Row to the aquarium. However, as we approached the line for entry, we noticed many people also scanning QR codes and realized we had missed a step. While consulting with an employee who thought it would probably be fine, we were overhead by a member couple in line, who offered their extra tickets to us-they always get a couple extra and hand them out for free. We graciously accepted, made ourselves acquainted, and then went our separate ways, while being serenaded by a local Mariachi band that had been conscripted for the evening. We had a great time exploring the range of exhibits offered by the aquarium, focused on conservation and education. Our favorite was “Into the Deep,” although we did get to peek in to the penguin enclosure and that was a close second.

This act of generosity was one of a string of many we encountered during our stay. We often were stopped on the street to engage in brief chats with locals, trading dog pets, and little niceties. It was lovely. At one point, we even encountered a woman who hands out dog treats from a fanny pack on her walks, and bags of them from her car. The town had a friendly, open and welcoming spirit that we look forward to bringing back more of to our little corner of Colorado.

Overall, we loved our stay. Abundant wildlife, proximity to the Bay Area (Annie was even able to meet up with an old colleague), stunning vistas, and friendly people. We’d come back, we’d stay longer, but we’re comfortable moving onto our next stop. As we packed up and drove away, PG receded back into the fog ... .hopefully we’ll make it back before a century.