Katie in Cali - Day 5 and 6
Since it reads more clearly, I am writing this post in first-person; however, Katie is sitting next to me, and we are creating this content together. Also, she took all the pictures!
Because we have been running behind on posting, I am also combining Day 5 and 6 of Katie’s visit into one post.
On the morning of Day 5, Katie and I decided on an impromptu trip to Monterey. Using a sweet Groupon deal, we booked a single night stay at The Olympia Lodge near Monterey Bay. On our way there, we parked at a farmer’s stand on the side of the road and purchased some fresh avocados: Katie has fallen in love with all the local produce. Then, it was just a quick drive down the coastline to Monterey.
If you have never been, Monterey is a charming, historically-rich port town. Many remnants of the city’s old industries (like sardine fishing) can still be seen, but it is now more well-known for its tourism and attractions. Our first stop was at Cannery Row—Monterey’s revived waterfront street renamed in honor of John Steinbeck who popularized the area as an artistic hub. We walked through a couple of its shops before ducking into the C restaurant + bar. The food was very pricey and it took the cooks two tries to get Katie’s order right, but it was still delicious.
After dinner, we gameplaned for the following morning and decided to kayak in Monterey Bay. We booked 8-hour (more than enough time) rentals through Adventures by the Sea who also offers a guided tour if you are not feeling so venturesome. This turned out to be a ton of fun and was very reasonably priced. Also, we even got to meet some of Monterey’s favorite sea otters. In this picture, you can see one of of them sun-bathing in the kelp.
Once we had enough of paddling around, we headed off to Big Sur—a destination I was unable to visit with my dad when I was making the move out to California. This took us down Highway 1, but we also detoured through the 17-Mile Drive which goes past The Links and Pebble Beach golf courses. This drive was absolutely incredible! Videos and pictures fall short in describing the area’s natural beauty.
Then, to top it all off, Katie and I had dinner at Nepenthe which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. The view at our table was easily the best view thus far on the trip. And, the food and wine were arguably the best things we have tasted, too. Pretty awesome considering Nepenthe was our second choice for dinner (the first restaruant was not open)!
