Mama's Visit: 17-Mile Drive

Originally on the docket for Wednesday, the weather was crappy so we just hung at home and ran a few rainy day errands and post-poned this trip for Thursday...  But, I couldn't let Mama come all the way to Monterey and not travel 17-Mile Drive!

We spent the morning relaxing at home and putting out the Easter decorations.  Mama also helped me get set up for a Baby Shower I hosted two days after she left (that post is coming soon!), and we polished off some left-overs hanging in the fridge.  After lunch we hit the road, heading toward Carmel once again.

We entered 17-Mile Drive through Carmel and despite the overcast day, enjoyed the breathtaking views, salty sea air, dare-devil surfers on the bay, and die-hard golfers at Pebble Beach.  We saw countless gulls, dozens of seals, and even a small band of deer grazing along the way!

I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves:

And with this trip under our belts, we managed to see everything on my list of things to do with Mama.  We went to bed satisfied that we saw and did everything we wanted and we'd only managed to get one blister a piece!  This morning we made the sad trip back to the airport to drop Mama off.  Between her trip to IL to be with my Mamaw during her last moments and her trip here she's been away from home nearly a month, and I know she'll go to bed weary tonight...  I, on the other hand, am so sad she's gone, knowing it'll be several months before we see her again.  Oh the joys of military life and being far from family...

17-Mile Drive

This weekend, Hubs and I thought we might do a little sight-seeing as we get to know our new area!  One of the things I've heard mentioned time and time again from friends who have been stationed here is to travel along 17-Mile Drive, a loop through the Del Monte forest not far from where we live.  So this morning, we woke bright and early, well, about 6:30 when Bunkey decided it was time for breakfast, and Hubs made breakfast while I fed the baby.  Then we all got cleaned up and drove to Pacific Grove to enter 17-Mile drive from Highway 1.  We saw breathtaking shorelines and gorgeous huge homes along the various golf courses on the loop (to include Pebble Beach).  We also saw a myriad of sea birds and seals sunning themselves on rocks near the shore!  After our drive, we meandered into Carmel-by-the-Sea to wander around the downtown area.  At first we spotted a cafe and thought we might stop in for a coffee and bagel or pastry, but we'd heard of the 5th Avenue Deli, so we searched that out instead.  They offered made-to-order picnic box lunches (to include a gourmet Lovers Lunch Box for $75 - including a bottle of wine!) and Hubs suggested we get a picnic and find a pretty place to sit and eat our lunch!  So we ordered our food, went back to the car, and found a quaint road right on the beach with benches overlooking the water.  We took turns feeding the baby so we could both eat while we watched the beach-goers playing with their dogs on the beach...and the dogs were the only ones brave enough to jump in the cold surf chasing frisbees, balls, and sticks!!

We arrived home early afternoon and all three of us took naps after our fun morning!  Bunkey really enjoyed his first picnic and trip to the beach!  He slept most of the time, so we didn't get out of the car too much, but it was a fun family outing!!  We hope to do some more exploring in the coming weeks (Big Sur is at the top of our list, I think) as we check out neat things to see and do when you all come visit...hint hint hint!!

Enjoy the pictures!

Yes, those are seals and local seabirds!

The Lone Cypress

Carmel Beach, where we had lunch