Varied Skies

One of the great things about a trip like this is that you never really know what is in store at your next destination. We knew that after Thanksgiving we would tour one of the world’s great aquariums, the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It did not disappoint.

We did not expect to see a humpback whale frolicking in Monterey Bay, much less capture a breach on video. But we did.

We knew that after we moved to a campground at the Moss Landing Marina on Monterey Bay we would have easy walking access to a beautiful beach and Phil’s Fish Market, named by BBC Travel as the world’s best seafood restaurant.

We did not expect to eat at Phil’s twice. But we did. Nor did we expect to come across a distressed common murre on the beach, much less cart it across the county to the wildlife facility at Monterey SPCA. But we did, unfortunately arriving at the SPCA facility with a lifeless bird.

We knew that we would take a day trip to Pinnacles, the nation’s newest National Park, and see spectacular volcanic rock formations.

We did not expect to go on a 5 mile hike and explore a Talus cave. Nor did we expect M3 to declare it the best hike of the trip. But we did and he did.

And along the way, we somehow became infatuated with California Buckeyes.

We expected to see how the rich folk in Carmel live and possibly catch a glimpse of the Pebble Beach Golf Course, one of the most scenic destinations on the PGA Tour. We did not expect to get a great view of seaside holes #7, #8, #9 and #10 from Carmel Beach. But we did.

We did not expect to see Clint Eastwood, the former mayor of Carmel. And we didn’t. Maybe next time. You never know!