14-March-2024. Pebble Beach and the 17-mile Scenic Drive

I just love the California coast!

Today I started my day by taking a walk along the beach around the corner from my hotel. The waves were relentless and I enjoyed watching them for quite a while. I found a stretch of beach where there seemed to be a rip current and the water flowing back out to sea collided with the incoming waves and resulted in some pretty spectacular crashes. The dunes in this area are so giant that you can't see the ocean when you are on the other side. The sand is squishy (not hard packed) and it surevuscquiteca workout to walk thru barefoot. Its such a beautiful coastline.

After I got my mile walk in on the beach I drove down to Monterey and explored Fisherman's Wharf and then hopped on the 17 mile drive along the coast down to Carmel. My hiking boots were still wet after having walked through calf deep water in the caves the previous day and so I tied them to my roof and let the sun and the wind dry them out as I drove along the scenic drive. Wonder if anyone noticed them in my roof? 😂

Much of the 17 mile drive is a series of stops along the coast. All are beautiful and I took way too many pictures of rocks and waves. The drive winds through a few golf courses, the most noticeable of which is Pebble Beach. I was able to walk over to one of the tee boxes and enjoy the view of a beautiful par 3 along the ocean.

Saw some deer hanging out on the golf course and a rock filled with hundreds of wild birds, but the coolest nature I saw were the sea lions. There was one stop where there was a secluded beach and there were more than a dozen lounging in the sun on the beach and enjoying the waves. I watched them for quite a while – so entertaining!

Famous along the drive is the Lone Cypress. This is a 250-year-old tree on a rock out crop which has become the symbol of Pebble Beach Golf Course. Pebble Beach trademarked the tree and you are not allowed to sell any photographs or even any kind of art (paintings, drawings or sketches) of this tree. Photographs for personal use are allowed so I'm not violating any rules by posting the pictures here.

There's also an area called ghost tree where some of the cypress trees have been bleached white and rumor has it that there is some paranormal activity in the area. At the end of the drive one of the final stops is at Pebble Beach golf club – I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat in an adirondack chair and enjoyed watching the world go by pretending I was a member. They have a visitor center that has some golf movies, memorabilia and photographs. I couldn't resist sneaking out onto the grounds at the 18th hole – I stood where the bleachers are when you see tournaments hosted there. What a spectacular view - I was so lucky to be there on such a beautiful day.

The end of the 17 mile drive landed me in Carmel which is a beautiful little town with lots of shops. Saw one of the new Tesla trucks there – it sure is an odd looking vehicle!

Wish I had more time to fiend in CA!