SEEING BLUE AND GREEN ON THE MONTEREY PENINSULA

Carol writes:  Our next “winter home” was in Moss Landing, a teeny town on the Salinas River north of Monterey along pristine Monterey Bay.

A check of the Weather Bug the day we arrived informed us that we would soon be in for a spell of rainy weather in this Mediterranean climate, so we figured it would be wise to get in any exploratory hikes on the outskirts of the campground as soon as we could.  Off we went as soon as we had settled in…  At the harbor we came across the Rachel Carson, 

a research vessel for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), a private oceanographic research center in Moss Landing.  In her book “Silent Spring” Rachel Carson advocated for a global environmental movement as she alerted the world to the devastating impact of fertilizers and pesticides.  The fact that MBARI’s newest research vessel was named in honor of Rachel Carson gave a clear indication where their policies lie.  By means of remotely operated vehicles, MBARI has performed frequent dives deep into Monterey Canyon (11,800 feet deep), just offshore where they have often discovered new animal species.

A few days before the heavens opened up with some serious rain showers, we took two day trips into Monterey—the first to Fisherman’s Wharf, which turned out to be just an average tourist area comprised of restaurants and trinkety tourist shops.  However, a stroll to the end of the wharf was worth it for a much needed cup of hot coffee to ward off the cold, damp drizzle that was starting.  

For Al, the sight of the shallow pools beneath the piers of the wharf triggered memories of his days at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, where he received his Master’s Degree in oceanography.  He recalled tramping around under this very pier with Professor Haderlie, who delighted in educating his students in the wonders of the tidal pools of Monterey Bay.

No visit to Monterey would be complete without a walk along Cannery Row, where local historians have worked hard to preserve what is left of the old sardine canning warehouses.  

The street side of Cannery Row was quite ho-hum.  We found it difficult to discern what was authentic from what was more modern structures or old cannery buildings that had been significantly altered in appearance, such as at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

The backside of Cannery Row was far more evocative of the sardine warehouse days, even though some of the construction was clearly modern day.  

Much of Cannery Row history has been inevitably intertwined with John Steinbeck, who memorialized the Cannery Row Depression-era lifestyle in his novel about Doc, Mack and the guys who lived on Cannery Row.  

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the Monterey Bay Aquarium is also a part of Cannery Row.  Al and I spent a fascinating day in this world-class aquarium 10 years ago as we traveled down the California coast from San Francisco to San Diego in celebration of our 30th wedding anniversary.  Even if we don’t have a chance to revisit the aquarium in the coming week, I will never forget the jellyfish! 

We reserved one of our few brilliantly sunny days for a hike along the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail in Pacific Grove.

During postgraduate school days, Al lived in Pacific Grove and frequently spent time at Asilomar Beach, a breathtaking stretch of rocky coastline edged with tidepool inlets.  

How sparkling it was the day we visited!  We snapped a pic of me on the rock-strewn beach 

and were curious to compare it to the one we took 10 years ago.

2008 photo on Asilomar Beach

I’d like to think my style has improved…

Al, on the other hand, was stylin' in our rented Mustang convertible back in 2008!

Along Asilomar Beach in 2008

What struck us then, as it did this day, was the cleanliness and clarity of the water in the bay.

Monterey Bay has some of the cleanest ocean waters in the world thanks to the 1972 amendments to the Clean Water Act.  The bay is an excellent example of what coastal conservation can accomplish.  Clean water attracts thriving and abundant animal life, and we were delighted with what we found…

totally adorable harbor seals not doing much but laying around.  After all, this was the pupping season, so the gals had an excuse…

Cormorants, who must spread their wings to dry since their feathers are not waterproof, were sunning themselves, perhaps amused at the kayakers who in turn found them amusing.

The section of the trail in the Perkins Park area has been recognized for its “magic carpet” of ice plant.  

Ice plant from southern Africa was introduced to the Monterey region in the 1600s.  This striking ground cover has been lauded by many for its beauty, but also cursed by biology purists as an invasive plant species.  Showy purple spikes of Giant Pride of Madeira (native to Portugal’s Madeira Island),

along with giant ‘balls’ of Krantz aloe (to the right of the Monterey cypress tree), 

further enhanced winter’s botanical show.  

The 17-mile drive from Pacific Grove to Pebble Beach has been called one of the world’s most scenic drives. When we took this drive 10 years ago we remembered being a bit rushed, so we decided to repeat the experience, this time at a more leisurely pace.  The beach area was lovely,

and the tee shots on this Scottish-style links course were insane!

The city of Carmel-by-the-Sea, with its naturally cozy beach and one-of-a-kind view of the 18th hole at Pebble Beach, 

has long enjoyed a reputation as an upscale home for the famous and well-to-do.  For two years, Clint Eastwood was the mayor of Carmel, and by all accounts he did a pretty good job.  

Carmel is a city of multimillion-dollar homes, with many outstanding ones ringing the beach, including this design masterpiece by Frank Lloyd Wright, 

who has skillfully blended this seven-decades-old home into its seaside environment.  Other more modern architects on Scenic Road went for the more playful Carmel cottage look with a hobbit-like roof of wavy shingles…

The upscale backyard of the rich and famous created an irresistible photographic backdrop. 

The noticeable care and restoration that had been done at Carmel Mission Basilica was an excellent indicator of the financial well-being of the residents of Carmel-by-the-Sea.  Inside—

and out—

meticulous restoration had been completed at the mission since we had last visited 10 years ago.

At his own request, Saint Junipero Serra, who spent the last few years of his life at his much beloved Mission Carmel, was buried at the foot of the altar.

   

When the docent asked us if we would like a picture of the two of us in the garden, we jumped at the chance for a rare twosome.

We had a couple of hours of daylight left in the day, so we headed  over to Point Lobos for a quick look at what we had heard was the “crown jewel” in the California state park system.

Indeed, the views along the shore hike were breathtaking… and, for me, enhanced by the periodic barking sounds of harbor seals in the pupping season.  Another short hike through a grove of cypress trees provided a backdrop for personal pictures in the midst of nature at its best.

As a fitting conclusion to a very pleasurable day in Carmel-by-the-Sea, we finished up with dinner “at home” in Moss Landing at the fashionable and colorful Haute Enchilada.

On looking at the menu, we were surprised that this was not typical Tex-Mex fare of tacos and burritos; rather, we discovered a fancy gourmet menu with some cooking ingredients we had never tried before.  And that turned out to be an ideal way to finish up our perfectly lovely day at Carmel-by-the-Sea.

In closing, it was during one of our walks along the shore in Monterey when we came across a touching memento of importance to the music world.  We discovered a plaque commemorating the spot where John Denver’s plane plunged into Monterey Bay during a test flight in 2007.  No doubt, for John Denver’s worldwide legion of fans, the words to “Windsong” seemed so achingly appropriate for this beautiful stretch of beach on the Monterey peninsula.  And so, “Windsong” was the inspiration for my closing meme…

A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS IN GREENFIELD, CALIFORNIA

Carol writes:  When Al and I lived in California in the mid-1970s, we felt like we were inhabiting a little slice of heaven.  Back in those days, aggravating traffic, sky-high real estate prices and overcrowding had not ventured onto our radar screen.  Today, however, a lot of the shine has come off of the California lifestyle, and many residents we have spoken to have readily admit this truth.  Perhaps that is why we have come to treasure the less beaten path of California’s past that we have discovered on the Central Coast.

The 21 missions in the California Mission System are great venues for a look back in time at life as it used to be in what Mexico called Alta California.  From our next camping home in Greenfield, California, 

we had close access to two additional missions. 

Some mission sites are quite fascinating because they offer a glimpse at actual historical buildings original to the mission.  Such was not the case at Mission Soledad.  

The chapel was only of moderate interest since it was actually a 1954 reconstruction of the original adobe mission chapel which was destroyed by a flood almost two centuries ago.

The chapel was rebuilt in the original humble style and was unusual in that the statue of the Blessed Virgin was dressed all in black in her niche above the altar, in honor of the chapel being  dedicated to the sorrowful mother of Christ.

The outdoor courtyard did not have the well-gardened look we had come to expect at all the other missions we had visited.  An unimpressive bare remnant of the mission’s original adobe walls was preserved under roof at the rear of the property.

Our visit to Mission San Antonio de Padua, which was founded and named by Father (Saint) Junipero Serra in honor of St. Anthony of Padua, was quite a contrast in style.

Clearly, with more access to funds, in addition to small commercial ventures such as retreats, careful restoration was able to be financed after significant damage from the San Francisco earthquake of 1906.  

The chapel offered a perfect atmosphere for quiet spiritual reflection.

The grounds were appealing in their authenticity. 

The tiny town of Greenfield offered very little of interest to us.  It looked like a town that Father Time had forgotten, with nothing but very small businesses, all of which served its nearly 100% hardworking Hispanic population.  However, with ragged volcanic peaks just visible far in the distance, Greenfield was correct in its boast that it was the “Gateway to the Pinnacles.”

Pinnacles became our 59th and newest national park in 2012.  Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns christened the national park system “America’s Best Idea.” As such, he played a pivotal role in supporting the elevation of Pinnacles to national park status.  The ancient volcanic history of Pinnacles and the vast tectonic forces along the San Andreas Fault that created it have now been preserved as a critical record of geologic time. 

We were told by a ranger that Pinnacles is a rare habitat for California condors and that we should look for these massive birds soaring high above on afternoon thermal updrafts.  Alas, despite a perfectly clear sunny day, apparently the condors weren’t in a soaring mood the day of our visit. 

We had a premium seat for a lunch spot along the trail,

as we hiked past access points for rock climbing, one of the park’s main draws.

We hiked down to the entrance of a rare so-called talus cave.  Pinnacles has some of the largest and most accessible talus caves in the world.  I should have paid more attention to the term “talus.”  By definition, talus is an accumulation of rock debris.  Signage clearly spelled out for us that the talus caves at Pinnacles were formed by giant boulders that fell across narrow canyons, creating a perfectly dark cave space of narrow passages lined with a jumbled mass of rocky boulders.

The entrance to the 0.4-mile hike through Balconies Cave seemed exciting.

The ranger told us that there would be “some scrambling over rocks” in the cave, but what I found was one long arduous scramble over rocks that were almost beyond the reach of my very short legs!  In the cave there was a rather large contingent of Hispanic families.  Each hiker had to be considerate of others on the trail in this very dark cave… and everyone was.  As we waited patiently for a very large family to pass, we were politely acknowledged with a “gracias, amigo.”  I wished that I could have answered back with more than a smile.

It was a relief to get to the end without any mishaps.  

Our thought on our experience in our newest national park was that Pinnacles truly represented a place of rejuvenation, with an unspoiled wilderness notable for stark evidence of dynamic geologic history marked by soaring rock walls and unique talus caves.    

  

By seizing the opportunity to appreciate our newest national park, plus early California history at two missions, we felt confident that we were certainly keeping the “order of loves” in our life in proper order.