Point Lobo and Carmel Valley

Photos:

1. Pt Lobo
2. Another beautiful view from Pt. Lobo
3. Where I sat while talking to Holly
4. Lone Cypress - 17 mile drive - Pebble Beach

I woke up at 8 a.m. refreshed and ready to go. Over night, I recharged my computer, phone, and cd player, so I am all set!

I check the mileage to Chico and it is less than 300 miles, so I’m happy, and I decided to wander around the area for the morning to touch base with different places I’ve been before. I met a lady walking her dog in the parking lot this a.m. – She commented upon seeing my license plates that I had come a long way, She was on her way to Laguna Seca for the race. She was a volunteer and in charge of the beer concession – what fun!!!

I headed back south to the Point Lobo Reserve, about 5 miles from here. This place is incredible. I took a trail along the shore, saw a 4 legged speed demon – a lizard skittering across the path ahead of me. The coast is very rugged and rocking along here. The Pacific is absolutely gorgeous. I can’t even describe the shade of blue it is.

I stopped to chat with a couple that were just as amazed as I was at the beauty of this place, and learned that they were from Blacksburg, Virginia! Small World ! We all wondered why the Atlantic doesn’t look this beautiful. Especially since the east coast of the Atlantic – Africa – is just as beautiful a blue as this, but without the rocks Africa’s coast is white sand beaches – at least the part I saw!!!

I then finally found a parking spot near the Cypress trail, (still in Point Lobo Reserve) and started walking. I could stay here all day – OMG is it beautiful. I could hear seals barking – they must have been over on those rocks. (at about this point, the batteries in my recorder went dead – so I’ll have to rely on my memory for the rest of the day) I found a particularly beautiful spot to sit – watching the waves crash on the rocks, and called Holly to share my excitement, and to tell her she and Jackie just had to come out here – and bring lots of batteries for their cameras. The cypress trees are twisted from the wind, and the dead trees are beautiful too. I guess I spent at least an hour on this short trail. It was hard to leave, but I needed to make Chico before bedtime. I had a couple more stops to make, though.

Mom and Dad lived in Carmel Valley some years ago. Dad spent a lot of time walking around Pt. Lobo, and Mom worked with a volunteer group that made Christmas Ornaments to support a small art museum. One of Dad’s favorite spots was overlooking the “Lone Cypress Tree” I thought it was in Pt. Lobo, but learned it was on the 17 mile drive. So, I headed there. It’s a 17 mile drive through Pebble Beach. Not all of it is on the beach – most of it is through hills on winding roads where the “Big Bucks” live. Beautiful homes – the ones you can see.

One day when Dad was visiting the Lone Cypress, he started talking with a young artist sketching the tree. Some weeks later, Dad received a call, inviting him to pick up a print of the pen and ink he had done of the tree. It’s a favorite of mine too. The decades of Pacific Storms have not been kind to the tree – it is about 200 years old, and has been re-shaped by the wind since the picture was done.

Upon finishing the 17 mile drive, I headed up Carmel Valley Road to look over the Folks old place. What a change. What was once bare acreage with a ranch style house on it is now a vineyard. You can hardly see the house for the trees around it, and there are other structures there now. I took some photos, then headed toward Salinas over the Las Loralles Grade. But, first something to eat. I stopped to get a croissant to eat with my ham and cheese – my olive rolls now getting stale.

It was now about 4:30 p.m., and I had 283 miles ahead of me.

Until Next Time,
Bear Hugs,
Boots