Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Crazy for California

Monterey Peninsula. I left a piece of my heart there so that one day I'll have to go back. I cannot say enough good things about it, and words don't do justice to the gorgeous scenery, perfect weather or my utter joy. It was truly a fantastic adventure! Wanna see?

After traveling all day Thursday (and going to two new places - Detroit and Dallas!) we arrived in California. Friday we spent the whole day walking around San Francisco and doing fun touristy things along the way.

Palm trees are my favorite!

Alcatraz in the background...sadly we did not get to go
there because the boat was booked. 

So instead we went on this boat - it's a liberty ship!

Also went inside a submarine...

Back on land, my favorite neighborhood was Chinatown.

The wonderfully wiggly Lombard Street!

Coit Tower!

No trip to SF is complete without a walk on the Golden Gate.

Saturday was a full day of Monterey awesomeness.

A visit to the amazing aquarium!

Unbelievable creatures...this one is a dragonfish!

An endangered sea otter. This one was at the aquarium, 
but we later saw his cousin in the wild!

We checked out marathon village before the crowds arrived.

We drove the original course to see the great race-altering hole...

And Trev narrowly avoided falling in.

We visited the stunning Redwoods...

...and spent a lot of time lazing on the beach.

Then Sunday - one of the most fabulous days of my life.

Bart Yasso sighting at the start!

A truly excellent race!

Pictures couldn't capture my sheer delight on race day. But it was the sunniest, most beautiful, most endorphin-filled morning I think I've ever experienced.

In my after-race glow, I thought life couldn't get any better. But then it did, with a sea kayaking adventure that brought us into close contact with all kinds of birds, sea plants, otters, jellyfish and sea lions. If you ever have a chance to do this, you must drop everything and do it immediately. Thanks Adventures by the Sea for the experience of a lifetime!! Absolutely amazing.

***

Yesterday, my BFF's grandfather passed away. My deepest sympathies are with the Strahl family after their loss. Pop will be missed.

3 comments:

  1. What fun! I love all the pictures! My parents grew up there - those are all their old stomping grounds. :)

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  2. Sounds like an amazing weekend! You seriously did almost the exact same things that my cousin did when they were out there this weekend, haha They only did a couple things different - wine tasting in Sonoma, and Alcatraz. Otherwise it was like you were on the same plan, haha I did some of the things with them that they did - Big Sur hiking, hanging out in Monterey, Alcatraz =)

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  3. Looks like you had some great weather! I've always wanted to go.

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