Vacation Time, Part 2

Sunday was laundry, grocery shopping and football day so nothing interesting to report that day.  We really enjoyed our stay in the area.  We would definitely come back to this family owned and operated park again.

frogs seem to be their trademark

it was a tight fit, Roamin didn't mind though

Monday, our last day in the Carmel area was spent mostly in the car.  But we did have a great time!

First stop: Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in Pacific Grove

we made it :-)

hard to capture a good photo of hovering insects

The Monarch Butterfly spends the winter months in the Monterey/Carmel area where the climate is right and food is plentiful.  In the center of town there's a small refuge where the butterflies are protected.  A trail runs through a small grove of eucalyptus trees.  Most of the Monarchs are huddled in various clusters on distant tree trunks.  With my old eyes I had to use the provided telescope to see them.  An occasional butterfly can be spotted flitting around to the delight of visitors no matter the age.  The docent said there are around 17,000 butterflies currently visiting the grove.  That number sounds impressive until she says it was nearly twice that just a few years ago.  I think it's sad that chemicals used to protect our crops are killing the food that these majestic butterflies feed upon.  But I'm not going to bore you with political views on this blog.  We walk through the grove and exit where we started.  There is no entrance fee but dogs aren't allowed so Rufus had to stay in the car.

Second stop:  17 Mile Drive

Starting out in the cypress forest, we meander our way down to the beach.  The $10 entrance fee is so worth it!  Once again Rufus got to enjoy the sand and surf.  Many people were at this famous beach so he only got a few minutes of unleashed freedom.

There are gorgeous homes along the drive.  Most of them have gated entrances.  There are gorgeous golf courses along the drive.  We don't play.  There are pricey shops along the drive.  We don't need more 'stuff'.   We were happy just driving along and enjoying our time together!!

         

The day was quite windy.  No one seemed to care...  The sun was bright and the temperature moderate.  All is well on the California coast!

Rufus looking at the surf as we drive to the next marker

waves crash upon the rocks

There are approximately 20 points of interest along the route.  There is a marker for each one.  Some are more famous and some are simply informational.

what a shiny hood you have Red...

Ron set up the mini tripod to get a shot of us together.  Notice the wind swept hairdo of moi??!!

We stopped at a few of the areas where we could venture out a bit.  We were hoping to see some tide pools.  The tide was too high this trip.  I did find a precarious rock formation.  I wonder who built it. 

me and my buddy enjoying the day

the boys got to scramble around on the rocks too :-)

One of the most iconic trees on the coast is the Lone Cypress Tree.  It's been in the same spot clinging to the rocks for over 250 years, according to Wikipedia.   I took a few photos of this famous tree myself.  I'm happy to share them with you!

we weren't the only admirers today

simply breathtaking!