A Trip to the Coast

We decided to hit the beach....in December! I love that we live in a place where we can walk on the beach in December and not freeze. Don't get me wrong, I definitely missed snow at Christmas time, especially this year.

We first stopped at Point Lobos State Reserve. It is a few miles south of Carmel on Rt. 1. The views from the walking paths are simply gorgeous. I still get very excited every time we go to the coast, see the ocean, and hear the waves crashing. It is part of God's creation that I am in awe of.

After a picnic lunch and some fun hiking we headed into downtown Carmel. We have fond memories of Carmel from Julie and Jamie's wedding, and we wanted to go back.

June 26, 2011

Greg's co-worker recommended a great Greek restaurant, Demitra's, where the restaurant owner even sang a song for the dinners!

 

We searched for the "Best Ever" cannolis, like we had after Julie's wedding, found the bakery....and it closed at 8:00 p.m., we got there at 8:20 p.m. Fortunately we were able to find another bakery that was open late, they had cannolis, and filled them fresh to order with a drizzle of chocolate. There were high hopes for this yummy dessert, but they weren't as delicious as the ones we had in June. Oh well, we will keep searching.

Our next stop up the coast, Monterrey Bay Aquarium. Thanks to some great foresight on Greg's part, we purchased tickets online ahead of time, skipped the long line to buy tickets and walked right in! The aquarium was full that day, and it was only 10:30 in the morning. A guide recommended us to the live feeding in The Open Sea exhibit and we were able to find a great seat in front of the tank.

We really enjoyed the museum and all of the exhibits. I was even able to touch a starfish! There were Sea Horses, Jelly Fish, Sharks, Octopuses, live kelp, penguins, etc. After we enjoyed some Indian food on the beach we headed up Rt. 1 to Half Moon Bay.

Greg and I absolutely LOVE visiting Half Moon Bay! We have stayed at an adorable B&B just 2 blocks from the beach. The B&B, The Victorian Pacific Inn,  has an outstanding breakfast and a very interesting set of innkeepers, check out what one of them does in his free time here.

Greg and I enjoying our first Cioppino and Dungenness Crab meal at the Miramar Beach Restaurant

The Miramar Beach Restaurant has become a favorite of ours, with an ocean view and delicious seafood, the cozy outdoor seating can't be beat! Part of the enjoyment of visiting Half Moon Bay for us is walking on the beaches and having great picnics as we search for seashells and sea glass. A favorite place of ours to go as a little town down Rt. 1, Pescadero. We buy a fresh loaf (still warm!) of garlic artichoke bread, and head to the beach to enjoy a picnic lunch. There may have been some disagreements about who was eating all of the parts of bread with fresh artichoke in it... 

Greg with our fresh loaf of garlic artichoke bread, YUM!

 Our trip ended with a drive up Rt. 1 to AT&T park. We attended the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl to watch Illinois beat UCLA. Bonus in attending this game was tasting all of the Kraft samples that were handed and and seeing the Wiener mobile!!

Some very creative fans made this sign with Kraft Macaroni and Cheese boxes (I only wish we would have thought of this, we just took a picture with the sign!)

We might live on the West coast, but will always be  Illinois fans at heart.

GO ILLINI!