We're just returning from a couple perfect days in Monterey, a trip which is lovely all by itself. But, this time we got to share this favorite spot with Mom and Dad, making this getaway even more special. The things you will see in the following pictures are not things you haven't seen many times before on this blog: ocean, wildlife, monarch butterflies, the aquarium, Carmel Mission, Pebble Beach's Lone Cyprus, but again, they are things Mom and Dad have not seen in person, so we took great joy in showing them off and sharing them.
We started our long weekend at the coast with a stop in Moss Landing, where we looked for whales, but didn't find any. We did find plenty of otters, seals and pelicans though! The girls haven't run around the beach with their toes in the sand since summer, so they got excited to just do that too.
At the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, we are never disappointed! Our hotel was right next to this spot, so we got there first thing in the morning when the butterflies were just waking up. Some were still clumped in the trees, but many were fluttering all around.
We had a genius plan for enjoying the aquarium this time. We broke our visit into two days. On our first Monterey day, we visited for the last 2 hours they were open. On our second Monterey day, we visited for the first 2 hours they were open. On both days we felt like we had the place to ourselves! One thing that is different about the aquarium pictures you'll see in this post is that they have almost no other people in them!! Above, another active octopus, putting on quite the show for JUST us!
Playful otter playing "whack-a-mole" by continually popping up at the glass right in front of us. So fun!
Grandma working up the nerve to pet a ray. She did it! Again, no one else around...
How many times have we been to the aquarium? Would you believe we've never actually seen the kelp forest feeding?! It's always too crowded. On this trip, though, we enjoyed a front row view from the second floor and thought it was pretty cool watching the scuba diver give all those sharks and fish their breakfast.
A friendly penguin above and a unique view from the downstairs window of the Open Seas tank below.
After our few morning hours at the aquarium on our second day, we took Mom and Dad to see the Carmel Mission. They like this kind of history stuff and Ella was excited to go back to the mission she now knows everything about after doing her 4th grade mission project. History or not, project or not, this is just a beautiful place to walk around!
We really packed in the sights! After the mission, we did the Pebble Beach Scenic Drive with Mom and Dad. This is a great and easy way to get in lots of breathtaking views of the coastline (and all those ritzy golf courses and mansions!).
Dave continues to make me all sorts of nervous as he and his little followers practice their rock-climbing skills RIGHT by the churning ocean! But, I know I can trust him and I know they love it.
As the sun sank a little lower in the sky, we saw the iconic Lone Cyprus.
And then we tried something totally new, based on the suggestions of friends. (Yay for pictures of things you've never seen before!) Every night at sunset, I guess following some old Scottish tradition, a bag pipe player roams the greens at Spanish Bay (SUPER fancy golf resort) playing and closing out the day of golf. The Inn at Spanish Bay has a gorgeous patio area right off the golf course where you can sit on a bench by a fire pit, order a drink from the bar, and watch the sun set while listening to the bag piper play. This was SO COOL!
The bag piper was fantastic! His playing was perfectly synced with the sun so that the exact moment he hit his last note of "Amazing Grace", the sun disappeared from sight. After the sun had sunk on the horizon, he made his way closer to the crowd on the patio to put on a bit of a concert for us. The girls were excited to get up close, thinking he was some kind of bag pipe playing rock star! :)
Everything we did in Monterey these past few days was really great, but the bag piper at sunset was definitely a highlight. We're so thankful for things like a few days off school, no crowds in our favorite spots, and perfect weather. But, mostly we're thankful that we got to share a favorite place with some favorite family members.
