My Favorite Californian Weekend Spot
My boyfriend and I decided to do a bit of a longer road trip last weekend to take advantage of the long weekend. He suggested Monterey (he's very wise - I've been talking about wanting to go for months), so I jumped on it! It's been my favorite part of California for the entire 5 years I’ve lived in this state. I just can't get enough of the wildlife there! The coastline is breathtaking, the succulents are….succulent and the wildlife amazingly abundant!
sea lions, otters and seals, OH MY!
We left SoCal right after work on Friday, putting our ETA right around midnight. Because we were both sleepy and weren’t really sure where we’d be spending the night in Monterey, we decided to stop at a truck stop along the way. We called ahead to make sure we’d be allowed and there wouldn’t be a fee for campervans and got the green light to stay the night. This was such an easy option! I’ve stayed at rest stops before (in CA and 4 other states, it’s legal to stay overnight at a rest stop), but never a truck stop. It felt very safe AND we had access to snacks and a toilet that flushes! Ah, the everyday things that become a luxury when you live in a van.
This was the view from our parking spot in the morning. So much creepier looking than it really was!
The next morning, we drove straight to Big Sur (Point Lobos, to be exact), where we headed out for a 7 mile hike/stroll along the coast. It. Was. Beautiful. We parked outside of the park because parking was full, but that just meant that we didn’t have to pay to get in. The trails were well marked, but we did use the Alltrails app to make sure we stayed on course.
My very favorite part about this area, though, is the abundant wildlife. The shores and waters of Point Lobos are part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This area is 276 miles long and consists of 5,322 square miles of the coastal ocean. There are 4 turtle species, 26 marine mammal species, 94 bird species, 345 fish species and over 450 marine plants. Needless to say, you’re gonna see some cool shit. You can find out more about this amazing sanctuary here: https://www.seemonterey.com/things-to-do/parks/marine-sanctuary/
I was too busy looking through my binoculars to catch many photos of the wildlife this time around, so here's a picture of some of the gorgeous cypress trees that line the coast in Big Sur.
We really lucked out this trip and came up on a beach right as a male elephant seal emerged from the water. He was HUGE! Apparently these animals are pretty aggressive, so the docents were rushing to clear the people off of the beach. Luckily, I had my trusty binoculars with me, so we got a nice up-close view of his weird trunk nose and fat rolls. We also saw sea otters, harbor seals, dolphins, sea lions, starfish, anemones, pelicans, falcons, a coyote, a deer and more. This was probably my best trip so far for wildlife viewing.
After our hike, we parked by Lover’s Point and made some (surprisingly delicious) fajitas with a view. We found a nice place to park in a neighborhood in Pacific Grove and settled in for the night, falling asleep to Bob’s Burgers reruns on my phone.
The next morning, I drove my still-in-bed boyfriend to yet another beautiful spot to make some banana pancakes (with cinnamon and chia seeds – MMMMMMMM) and vegan sausage while we slowly woke up and prepared for the day.
I tend to take these moments for granted. Vanlife allows for such rich experiences that I can't imagine replicating with any other lifestyle.
After we stuffed ourselves with pancakes, we rented bikes from Adventures by the Sea on Cannery Row in Monterey. The check-out process was super easy and the prices were fair, compared to other rental spots in the area. We headed North, toward Seaside and stayed on the bike path. We estimate that we did about 20 miles round trip. I haven’t been on a bike in over a year and MAN by butt and quads were feeling it! The bike path through that area is great. It weaves in and out around succulent-covered dunes, sandy beaches, cliffy beaches, rocky beaches, piers, wharfs, cute parts of town and even a state park!
We checked into a HOTEL that night. This is a fairly rare thing for us on trips, but I decided to cash in my credit card points and spend a night in luxury. It also allowed us to park overnight for free and to be right on Cannery Row, within walking distance of lots of cool spots.
Monday morning, we went on one last walk along the bike trail to find seal beach. Seal beach (I don't think that's any sort of official name - it's just what they call it) is almost always covered with bouncy, blubbery, beautiful harbor seals. Definitely a nice end note to the weekend!
