Anyone ready for some sunshine? We obviously are…hence us posting about our travels to beautiful and sunny places the past two weeks! One week we took you along with us to Dubrovnik, Croatia and the next we went to the beautiful Greek island of Santorini. While both are breathtakingly beautiful, it’s not necessary to travel out of the country to see such scenery-we do have some of the most beautiful places right here in the good ole’ US of A! The drive down the Pacific Coast Highway from Monterey to San Simeon is like no other! Butch and I flew into San Francisco and rented a car and headed to Monterey where we stayed for three days as we enjoyed driving along the Pacific Ocean, Pebble Beach, Carmel, and Big Sur. We then drove back to San Francisco for a couple of days before flying to sweet home Alabama! The weather was beautiful and we had very little fog. October is a perfect time to go!
Monterey is on the central coast of California. Cannery Row is the waterfront street and was the site of a number of sardine canning factories. It was here that the setting of John Steinbeck’s novel Cannery Row took place!
The crashing waves on the rocks are magnificent!
The Pacific coast is so different than our more familiar Gulf Coast. Each one has its own beauty!
The Lone Cypress, standing on a granite hillside off California’s scenic 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, is said to be the most photographed tree in North America. It is possibly as old as 250 years and has been scarred by fire.
More scenery along the 17 Mile Drive
The golf is legendary at Pebble Beach
The lodge envelopes the 18th green of the Pebble Beach Golf Links, one of the most exciting closing holes in golf. Love the ocean view from the entrance!
To enjoy the scenery along the Pacific Coast Highway, you must rent a convertible!
Big Sur offers stunning views! Many classify Big Sur as the segment of California State Route 1 from Carmel south to San Simeon
Butch and I had to take a short hike to see these magnificent rock formations in the Pacific!
The water is very cold in comparison to the warm waters of the Gulf!
Elephant seals come ashore and form colonies for only a few months of each year to give birth, breed, and molt.
The Hearst Castle built by William Randolph Hearst is a prominent landmark in San Simeon along Highway 1
This massive assembly room in the castle is adorned with historic Renaissance and Baroque tapestries and masterpieces of neoclassical sculptures
The expansive gardens!
Spectacular Neptune Pool with its colonnades and statues provided the setting for lavish parties for Mr. Hearst and his guests!
The meticulously detailed indoor Roman Pool was modeled after ancient Roman baths. It is tiled from ceiling to floor, and features copies of eight ancient Roman marble statues.
Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey
Chateau Julien in Carmel
We have been fans of John Denver since we were married in 1973. Butch has been told more times than we could count that he sounds just like him singing! It was out from these rocks that his experimental airplane crashed in 1997.
“This is my autograph, here in the songs that I sing. Here in my cry and my laugh, here in the love that I bring. To be always with you and you always with me.”
-John Denver
We are so thankful for our time spent together!
“Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!”
Psalm 93:4
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