Thank you for settling our debate! We loved reading all of your comments! I won’t say names, but two boys thought it looked like a turtle and one insisted it was a dragon. I argued it was a dinosaur! 😉
Unfortunately Ken had another business trip this week so he was gone Monday-Wednesday. Our campground is situated halfway between Pinnacles and the Monterey Bay. The boys could not wait to explore the ocean so we spent the days while Ken was gone exploring the California Coast. Grandpa Mr. Big Guy, Ken’s dad, loved the California coast, specifically Carmel, so that was a definite must visit on our list. The boys wanted to see and experience a place their Grandpa loved so much. The other reason the boys were so intrigued with this section of the coast is because of the Vanderbeekers! Our family loves reading aloud together and one of the our favorite series is The Vanderbeekers of 141st street. The Vanderbeeker books are a throwback to big family novels of days gone by! You can’t help but fall in love with the family. In the 6th book, the Vanderbeekers take a road trip to Monterey Bay. The boys couldn’t wait to see the aquarium where Aunt Penny works or the path in Point Lobos where Laney runs away! And yes, we listened to the audiobook again while we were driving!
We started off with the 17 mile scenic drive between Monterey and Carmel. This stretch of road is considered one of the most scenic drives in the world. We stopped at every point of interest along the way including the famous Lone Cyprus tree, the turbulent waters at Point Joe, bird rock which was covered with sea lions, Pebble Beach Golf Course, and several white-sand beaches! Grant wanted to see a sea otter in its natural habitat and we spotted so many we lost count! Laying on their backs and riding the waves! We ended our drive at the Carmel beach watching surfers and the sunset. (And a tasty little treat from a local bakery).
We grabbed pizza at Costco for dinner and ran a few errands on the way home. True to many of our adventures, we strolled in the door well after dark and much later than anticipated. Miles was the first one in the door and screamed “ANTS!” There were ants everywhere! I mean everywhere! I am still not sure where they came from or what they were after, but they invaded our tiny little home! Thankfully, we had some ant spray. We sprayed the camper inside and out, walked the dog to let the camper air out a bit and all crashed into bed!
After our long day on the coast and late night ant catastrophe, we all slept in and enjoyed a slow day at the camper. Those rest days are good for all of us! The boys enjoyed playing in the pool at our campground in between school lessons. On Wednesday, we drove back out to the coast to visit Point Lobos State Park. We enjoyed hiking some of the beautiful trails and taking in the unbelievable views! The running joke has become me saying, at nearly every stop we make, “we have to buy a pair of binoculars!” And then we go about our days and I forget about the binoculars until we are on our next hike or scenic drive and again I claim we need a pair of binoculars! At this point, Christmas is coming….binoculars are on the list! 😉 Anyway, we were able to borrow, in exchange for our car keys, a nice pair of binoculars for our hike at Point Lobos! Yes, the boys were fighting over who would carry them, and who got to look through them first, but we so enjoyed being able to see the sea lions and otters and breathtaking views up close!
I feel like Thursday needs a drumroll, please! We ventured out to the much anticipated Monterey Bay Aquarium! The Aquarium is one of the largest in the world and a place the boys have been wanting to visit for a long time! Charlie has always had an affection for animals and sea life which has trickled down to Grant and Miles as well. We arrived at the aquarium when the doors opened and were one of the last people to leave! Animal feedings, auditorium presentations and movies, beautiful exhibits, several touch tanks, and Tate’s favorite, the wave tunnel! It was amazing! In fact, we upgraded our tickets to a family membership because everyone wanted to go back and take Ken!
And we sure did go back! Twice in fact! We went over the weekend with Ken. The boys and I went back a third time on Monday for a behind the scenes tour which was fascinating! There is so much happening behind the tanks! And a fun little fact, Disney spent lots of time studying the ways of the Monterey Bay Aquarium before making Finding Dory. So of course, we had a pizza movie night watching Finding Dory!
Next Stop—Yosemite National Park!
