Day 5: Monterey Aquarium, Wineries & Carmel Valley
We had made reservations to go to the Montery Bay Aquarium today. This is the best aquarium to visit in the US that I'm aware of. They have done a great job of displaying local sealife in as natural habitat as possible. We have been here a couple times before and so we know what to expect. They always seem to have a new display, so it isn't always the same. We usually visit for two to three hours when we go.
After the aquarium we had decided that we would go to some wineries along in the Carmel Valley. We went through Greenfield and visited Jekel Vineyard, and then went to the Smith & Hook Winery and Monterey Vineyard. We bought some white wine at the Monterey Vineyard and then started driving back when I decided to take a backroad thru the hills of Carmel Valley. This was an interesting little trip as it took us through areas of farm land that I had never seen before. We drove up to ????? park where the Carmel River flows thru the the Santa Lucia Mountains. We would also pass the ????? on the back hills of Big Sur as this is a popular place for meditation practices. When we came back down into the valley we would drive along the Carmel Valley Road and into town.
We came back and stopped at the Carmel Mission which is just outside of Carmel. This was built in the late 1700's by Father Junipero Serra. There are 21 of these missions along the California Coast and they are considered a very important part of Calfornia's early history. This is where the Spanish people had built Missions to conform the Native Indians to accept Christianity. It is considered controversial today but this did change the way of life along the coast of what is now California.
We made it back to Carmel just in time for Happy Hour at the Hog's Breath Inn. This is the restaurant and bar owned by Clint Eastwood, who by the way was once the mayor of Carmel. They usually have free munchies (ie. cheese, crackers, dip, veggies) during Happy Hour. It's a great place to relax in an outside courtyard, surrounded by an indoor bar on one side and an indoor restaurant on the other. One high wall has a painted mural with a scene of a rolling hillside. The courtyard is protected enough by trees and walls, that we sat outside once during a rain shower and barely got wet.
We knew we would be staying at Big Sur tonight so we took 17 Mile Drive first. This is nice drive, with views of some pretty expensive homes, the ocean and the golf courses. There is toll you have to pay at the gate, but it's worth it at least once. We took a picture of the Lone Cypress which is growing thru rock on a cliff that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. They always show this tree on TV when they have major golf tournaments at Pebble Beach. We went to the clubhouse and bought the kids some gifts before leaving.
After leaving 17 Mile Drive we went back to the ocean down to Big Sur where we were yesterday. It was high tide this time. We stayed down here for about 30 minutes as it was 7:00 and then went to our cabin at the Ripplewood Resort. These are cute little cabins (no two are alike), along the river. Ours is medium priced at $80 a night. They have fireplaces, small bathroom with shower, tiny kitchen and balconies that look out onto the river. After travelling all day, we were ready for a quiet evening.
We drove 250 miles today. 900 total
