Today we put a nervous Auntie Kris back on an airplane to Chicago. She and Uncle Eric had a nice time in California, but are ready to see their boys, so we're praying the flight home will be smooth, peaceful and fast, with a wonderful reunion at the end of it. They take off in 10 minutes (2:00 pm pacific time), so feel free to pray with us! Kris and Eric spent a few days celebrating their anniversary in Napa and then spent all of Saturday and Sunday with our family. We thought a trip to the Pacific would be the perfect thing for a first time visitor to CA to see.
Our day started at the wharf in Monterey where 100 seagulls put on a sky show for us. It is a guarantee that you will see wildlife when you head in this direction and this day did not disappoint (though, the animal sightings did get way cooler than seagulls!).
We passed about 3 of these signs, which cracked us up. Poor Kris just couldn't escape terrifying fears around every corner of this trip! :)
The rocky ledge at the end of the wharf was the sea lion hot spot. Our guests thought this was pretty cool. So did we.
We had lunch at our favorite place on the coast, Pizza My Heart, where our nephews got another CA souvenir-- the restaurant's logo surfer shirts.
A big part of our day was spent soaking in the gorgeous scenery on the 17 Mile Scenic Drive. With Monterey's many other attractions, we haven't done the scenic drive since Ella was born. The weather cooperated and showed us the bluest skies we've ever seen over this stretch of the coast. It was perfect for someone seeing the Pacific for the first time. Kris and Ella were even brave enough to dip their toes in the icy water.
Harbor seals and pelicans and starfish, oh my!
The scenic drive's dozen suggested stops end with a walkout to the iconic Lone Cypress of Pebble Beach. Beautiful!
And since we were driving right by it on the way back home, we decided to quick take a peek at the Monarch Sanctuary. The butterflies are scheduled to end their migration to California's coast at the end of February, so we weren't expecting much. But, there were our butterflies clumps still hanging out in the trees! We never grow tired of experiencing this cool thing either.
The list of great day trips in our area is always extensive. We had a lot of discussion about what would be some must-sees on Kris and Eric's list. I think they got to experience some of our favorite places and might even consider a trip back some day to keep working on that list. Maybe we can start planning after that return flight home, huh Kris? :)
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