August 2: Carmel, 17-Mile Drive, Watsonville, SF
This morning we woke to another glorious day. Our landlady had left us bagels with schmear and coffee, which we enjoyed very much in her bright kitchen overlooking the hills and dense vegetation, including a gorgeous orange tree packed with large oranges which seemed to burst with juice. She came back from a run in time to say good morning, and left before we had finished our breakfast in order to attend church. We left soon and jaunted into a sun-swept morning to Carmel-by-the-Sea, which was established in 1904 by a group of artists and writers as a bucolic retreat. As the settlement grew, its founders fought the encroachment of paved roads, gas, electricity, and other amenities, and stringent zoning ordinances have preserved Carmel's village flavor and individuality. Even today, many locations are indicated by proximity to intersections rather than by numbered street addresses.
Our first stop was Mission San Carlos de Borromeo del Rio Carmelo, a mission established by the inevitable Father Junipero Serra in Monterey in 1770 and moved to its present location in the following year. The mission was Father Serra's residence and headquarters until his death in 1784. He is buried beneath the church floor in front of the altar. Relics of the mission's early days and some of Father Serra's books and documents are displayed in the museum, and the courtyard gardens and Moorish bell tower are of great interest. Mass was going on, so we stood in back of the sanctuary and took pictures without flash and then strolled the grounds extensively, marveling at the obvious importance of this particular mission as part of the 21-mission chain that Father Serra had established in California.
After touring the Mission, we took the scenic drive and admired the seascape as well as the handsome homes which faced the sea. We even picked out one or two we might want to own, with one great impediment to such a scheme--we could never afford such a luxury, even in our wildest dreams! However, no limits exist in dreams, and so we felt free to let our imagination run wild!
From there we got on the famous 17-Mile Drive. Before the automobile had become a way of life, carriages explored this scenic road starting from the famous Hotel del Monte, now the site of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterrey. It was 1881, and early excursions through the Del Monte Forest marked the beginning of visitors to this legendary location. Dashed red lines denote the path of the drive, and we passed from the Del Monte Forest and along the dramatic Pacific Coast--by golf courses, overlooks, and lodges, ending up at Spanish Bay, where the Spanish explorer Portolá and his men camped in 1769 while searching for Monterey Bay. We stopped at the Inn & Links at Spanish Bay, built in 1987 and a world-famous resort and Scottish-style links course. It is famous for a bagpiper who closes the course each evening. There we strolled through the lobby as if we owned the place and asked to be seated for lunch outside. Maureen had a rack of 5 wood-grilled Szechwan BBQ baby-back ribs, and I had four tiger shrimp and beef spring rolls with Mandarin orange-chili sauce. The food was superb!
Once we got off the 17-Mile Drive, we got on to Hwy. 1 and took it Watsonville for the Strawberry Festival. Watsonville is located in the lush Pajaro Valley, where apples, strawberries, and flowers are grown. We parked and strolled down the middle of blocked-off streets, where rides and booths predominated the scene, as well as plenty of booths featuring the great strawberry. Maureen bought half a flat of them, and then she and I bought a bowl of strawberry shortcake, divvied it between us and ate to our heart's content! it was so good--perhaps the best I have ever eaten! I took lots of photos, and I would say that about 2/3 of the people attending the fair seemed to be migrant workers and their families. Truly a wonderful, carnival-like atmosphere!
From Watsonville we were off again on Hwy. 1. Again, that mellow time of day which is irresistible to me! We stopped in Pescadero, at the Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park to view the Pigeon Point lighthouse. Built in 1872, the 115-ft. lighthouse is one of the nation's tallest. Although the lighthouse is closed for renovations, the grounds are open daily. The lighthouse keeper's home has been restored and operates as a hostel. There is a pier close by from which to watch the rocks emerging from the sea, with eddies of water swirling around them in a wildly mesmerizing display of ferocity. In the late afternoon light, the combined effect was exhilarating!
In gathering twilight we approached SF and home. After having lugged everything upstairs, we quickly put things up and had a quick dinner of risotto with mushrooms and peas, tomatoes en vinaigrette, and watermelon for dessert. We are listening to a Streisand album as the evening descends. Another great day!
Maureen's son Randy, his wife Shu, and grandchildren Isabelle, Isaac, and Irei are back in town after a vacation in Sea Ranch, northern California. Maureen will be taking all of us to a German restaurant called Suppenküche tomorrow night for dinnerin my honor, as an early birthday present (my birthday will be on September 14). It will be a kind of farewell dinner as well. On Tuesday afternoon I will leave for Dallas, grateful for yet another summer of travel magic!
Our first stop was Mission San Carlos de Borromeo del Rio Carmelo, a mission established by the inevitable Father Junipero Serra in Monterey in 1770 and moved to its present location in the following year. The mission was Father Serra's residence and headquarters until his death in 1784. He is buried beneath the church floor in front of the altar. Relics of the mission's early days and some of Father Serra's books and documents are displayed in the museum, and the courtyard gardens and Moorish bell tower are of great interest. Mass was going on, so we stood in back of the sanctuary and took pictures without flash and then strolled the grounds extensively, marveling at the obvious importance of this particular mission as part of the 21-mission chain that Father Serra had established in California.
After touring the Mission, we took the scenic drive and admired the seascape as well as the handsome homes which faced the sea. We even picked out one or two we might want to own, with one great impediment to such a scheme--we could never afford such a luxury, even in our wildest dreams! However, no limits exist in dreams, and so we felt free to let our imagination run wild!
From there we got on the famous 17-Mile Drive. Before the automobile had become a way of life, carriages explored this scenic road starting from the famous Hotel del Monte, now the site of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterrey. It was 1881, and early excursions through the Del Monte Forest marked the beginning of visitors to this legendary location. Dashed red lines denote the path of the drive, and we passed from the Del Monte Forest and along the dramatic Pacific Coast--by golf courses, overlooks, and lodges, ending up at Spanish Bay, where the Spanish explorer Portolá and his men camped in 1769 while searching for Monterey Bay. We stopped at the Inn & Links at Spanish Bay, built in 1987 and a world-famous resort and Scottish-style links course. It is famous for a bagpiper who closes the course each evening. There we strolled through the lobby as if we owned the place and asked to be seated for lunch outside. Maureen had a rack of 5 wood-grilled Szechwan BBQ baby-back ribs, and I had four tiger shrimp and beef spring rolls with Mandarin orange-chili sauce. The food was superb!
Once we got off the 17-Mile Drive, we got on to Hwy. 1 and took it Watsonville for the Strawberry Festival. Watsonville is located in the lush Pajaro Valley, where apples, strawberries, and flowers are grown. We parked and strolled down the middle of blocked-off streets, where rides and booths predominated the scene, as well as plenty of booths featuring the great strawberry. Maureen bought half a flat of them, and then she and I bought a bowl of strawberry shortcake, divvied it between us and ate to our heart's content! it was so good--perhaps the best I have ever eaten! I took lots of photos, and I would say that about 2/3 of the people attending the fair seemed to be migrant workers and their families. Truly a wonderful, carnival-like atmosphere!
From Watsonville we were off again on Hwy. 1. Again, that mellow time of day which is irresistible to me! We stopped in Pescadero, at the Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park to view the Pigeon Point lighthouse. Built in 1872, the 115-ft. lighthouse is one of the nation's tallest. Although the lighthouse is closed for renovations, the grounds are open daily. The lighthouse keeper's home has been restored and operates as a hostel. There is a pier close by from which to watch the rocks emerging from the sea, with eddies of water swirling around them in a wildly mesmerizing display of ferocity. In the late afternoon light, the combined effect was exhilarating!
In gathering twilight we approached SF and home. After having lugged everything upstairs, we quickly put things up and had a quick dinner of risotto with mushrooms and peas, tomatoes en vinaigrette, and watermelon for dessert. We are listening to a Streisand album as the evening descends. Another great day!
Maureen's son Randy, his wife Shu, and grandchildren Isabelle, Isaac, and Irei are back in town after a vacation in Sea Ranch, northern California. Maureen will be taking all of us to a German restaurant called Suppenküche tomorrow night for dinnerin my honor, as an early birthday present (my birthday will be on September 14). It will be a kind of farewell dinner as well. On Tuesday afternoon I will leave for Dallas, grateful for yet another summer of travel magic!
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