It's a Saturday, and a three-day-weekend, to boot, and anywhere we might go in Monterey would no doubt be crowded. So you can either stay home or get Out and About among 'em. Our early start disintegrated when we tried to pump up our Sleep Number bed after breakfast, only to discover the remote had gone kaput! Luckily, Monterey has a Sleep Number store which opened at 10am, and we were there to pick up a new remote at the stroke of 10. Sometimes things work out, even when the you're banging your head against the wall. We found Point Lobos State Natural Reserve easily ... by the long line of cars parked along Hwy 1 before the entrance! The parking lot was full, according to a sign. We continued past the entry and our little Smartie squeezed in where no one else could, right up front, and we walked in the front gate. Not as early as we planned, but, heck, we're here where we wanted to be. Never been here before, either.
Anyone who knows us and/or reads this blog knows we love being by the ocean. Makes us feel energized or more alive, somehow. Looks as though we picked a winner here! We thought hiking the South Shore Trail along the water might be something we'd like, so we commenced walking on the Lace Lichen path to Mound Meadow Trail, which connected to South Shore, where we were dazzled by the sun glittering on the water. Lots o' people, young and old alike, were on the trail, and when possible, they were down near the water. Look closely and you'll see them.
See-through salt water, with tide pools containing wondrous things!
Aha! This Oyster Catcher pried a prize from the rock!
Never turn your back to the ocean!
Yes, that's the South Shore Trail snaking up the hill, which we would do, joining the "ants" you see up on the crest of Sand Hill Trail. One section was closed for repair, and we detoured around to the Cypress Grove Trail. (Confused yet? We had a map!)
Looks like spring is in the air! Clockwise from top left: Seaside Painted Cup, Oxalis, Fremont's Star Lily, Checker Bloom, California Poppy, and Coast Dudleya. I think they're all correct. I didn't see a lot of color, but wildflowers were beginning to bloom!
Pretty windy at the top of Sand Hill Trail, but it wasn't cold.
From there we wanted to get on the Cypress Grove Trail, where we could check out the Allan Memorial Grove, which winds through one of only two naturally growing stands of Monterey cypress trees remaining on earth! Wow! "These cypresses, which formerly extended over a much wider range, withdrew to these fog-shrouded headlands as the climate changed with the close of the Pleistocene epoch 15,000 years ago." Point Lobos SNR was originally acquired to protect these gnarled trees -- they're gorgeous to see and walk beside.
And when a tree dies it doesn't just fall over.
It stands just as tall, albeit not alive, for a very long time.
This orange, velvety "stuff" is a species of green algae called trentepohlia. It looks very strange. The orange color comes from carotene (like carrots), and we're told this stuff doesn't harm the trees.
Looks like a blowhole above, but it's just a wave hitting the rock. It was time to turn around. We returned to Smartie via the Lace Lichen Trail, which is inland on the peninsula and a shorter distance to reach the car. We'd already put five miles on our feet and were ready to sit down. This was a marvelous place to spend a few hours on a clear winter's day. We were pleased with our choice.
Back at the campground, we showered and napped. Though it was a Saturday night, dinner out seemed like a fine idea. We'd asked Ranger Chris for a recommendation and he suggested Monterey's Fish House (which was away from the tourist areas). We got there close to five ... and gasped at the long line outside the place! People were waiting for the restaurant to open at 5pm! Without a reservation, we would've had to wait for a table, but we could sit at the oyster bar and skip the wait (you know what we did). Jimmy ordered crab meat ravioli and I chose grilled snapper. Take my word for it -- best meals we've tasted in a long time. Really good food.
There you have it. Aquarium on Friday, Point Lobos on Saturday. Happy campers. Tomorrow we'll move on. North. Somewhere.
