Carmel-by-the-Sea - Addendum!

The other post started getting long, so here’s a handful of other fun things we did in the area….

17 Mile Drive

17 Mile Drive is a long and winding road on Monterey Bay with amazing views, iconic golf courses, (large) personal homes, and some great wildlife/trees. The speed limit is 25 mph, which is not at all frustrating in this case because there is so much to see, even the driver should get a chance to take it all in. They have a convenient map they give you at the guard house on your way into the drive ($12 per vehicle and SO worth it), which identifies the best spots to stop along the way. I really can’t believe that people live on this drive.

Here is a selection of photos, but many more in the gallery! (Yes, it was crazy windy that day)

Fun in the Bay Area

We popped into a couple of different places in the Bay Area while in Carmel. One of my favorite new finds (to us) was the Japanese Garden in downtown San Mateo:

See the many pretty colors of koy? We’ve never seen so many different ones. And speaking of pretty colors, how about these (seen at the McLaren dealer in downtown Palo Alto):

We also discovered (hat tip to the Matthews!) that there is wine tasting in the Santa Cruz mountains very near to the sourthern towns of the Bay Area. Who knew? And the views from the vineyards were great!

Last, we went to Santa Cruz one day, which is SOOOOO pretty. We had a lovely brunch at Jack O’Neill’s (yes, that O’Neill - did you know that he actually invented the wet suit?!?!?). The view from the restaurant was amazing. Then we went and walked on the pier and the boardwalk - many more photos in the gallery.