Otterly Beautiful

"The Jellies Experience" was gorgeous

Tuesday we spent the day in the fabulous Monterey Aquarium, the late afternoon window shopping down Cannery Row, and the early evening (right up until sunset) taking the 17 mile drive (one of only two private toll roads west of the Mississippi) through Pebble Beach.   Highlights in the Aquarium were the jellyfish exhibit (I never knew there were so many distinct jellyfish species, and I felt as though I had entered Finding Nemo), the adorable otters, the lecture about inventions that have been inspired by the marine world (truly fascinating), and, of course, the penguins and puffins, which are always a hit.  The 17 mile drive provided a wonderful route through Pacific Grove, a darling town just next to Monterey, and the very exclusive Pebble Beach community.   We also got to see the famous "lone cypress," which seems a bit less lonely when it is always surrounded by tourists with cameras.  It was a lovely final day in Monterey.

The adorable otters are a major attraction

Now we are packing up our things, so I must be brief before the computer is taken out from under my fingertips.  We head up the PCH for the two hour drive to San Francisco and Emeryville, where we will attempt to break Maddie into the Pixar studios (since they offer no tours to the public).  Our flight leaves tonight, but we will squeeze in a couple of San Fran highlights before turning in the convertible.  A few more photos before I go...

Maddie gets a closer look at the barking sea lions resting on "Bird Rock"

The famed lone cypress - one of the most photographed spots in California

Daniel finds more rocks to climb!

Maddie gets a bit closer to two of the six deer that were just hanging out in this empty lot between two residences in Pebble Beach. 

Patience Rewarded (aka Do-Over!)

Dana gets his Big Sur moment!

After a lovely morning at our hotel, we drove to Carmel-by-the-Sea to explore that wonderful community.  There are a group of residents that live on a street called, I kid you not, Scenic Road.  Scenic Road is apparently quite well-known around these parts.  Here all the residents name their houses.  That's right.  As you take a leisurely walk or drive down the road, with jaw dropping vistas on one side and beautiful, charming houses on the other, you can reflect on the residents that live in "Ahhhh," "Happily Ever After," multiple versions of "Sea View/Shanty/Side," all while wondering where "Make My Day" is located.  If you're traveling with the Gallup family, you get to do all of this while being addressed by Clint himself, as Dana pulled out his best Eastwood imitation to tell us a bit about his beloved Carmel. 

One of the modest (but nearing 7 million dollar!) houses on Scenic Road

We gawked and walked and lunched and shopped.  Then, around 3:00, Dana took Robert California's advice and called an inn on Big Sur.  With a report of sun, we decided to take another chance that we could see some of this famed stretch of the PCH when it wasn't shrouded in fog.  We went just past the "city" of Big Sur itself (about 26 miles south) before the fog started rolling in again. Those 26 miles provided some of the breathtaking views we had been after.  Maddie took the wheel for a good part of it, and I assumed a seat in the back of the convertible to better understand why she was so cold every time we put the top down!

The kids look on with concern as the biggest kid climbs lower than he likely ought in one of our first stops.

Maddie takes over the wheel!

The best part of our sojourn was a stop on the way back to Carmel, where we pulled over at another seemingly perfect picture spot, only to discover one trail after another leading through the meadow of wild flowers and right to the dramatic rock formations in the ocean.  Daniel had found his playground and asked if we couldn't just leave him there for a few hours.  Instead, we all spent a good hour walking, climbing, and, for me, taking photos (1000+).  Here are a few of my favorites:

Daniel keeps climbing higher, while Maddie and Dana enjoy the views

We had dinner in the aptly named Sunset Lounge in the Highlands area of Carmel, then returned to Monterey for a quick look at Cannery Row at night (hopping and all lit up), then back to the hotel for an early start the next day.

Our dinner conversation, in the magnificent Sunset Lounge of the Hyatt Carmel Highlands, consisted of wondering why we hadn't been hoodwinked into buying a Hyatt timeshare instead!

might be my new favorite photo! :)

And back to Cannery Row for Shanghai and sleep!

Since I'm doing my blog at 9:30 AM, and we haven't yet left for the Aquarium, we didn't get the early start we imagined (Curses Shanghai!!!)  Still, we are looking forward to our full day in Monterey, content that our do-over was successful!

Unfoggin Believable!

Fog on Father's Day?!  How could it be possible?  We had envisioned this drive up the Pacific Coast Highway and through Big Sur for months.  Clear blue skies striking against the sparkling water below.  While I remembered from my first trip to this region (with my parents and Clay, when I was Maddie's age) that fog occasionally rolls in and out, my memory (cemented by old polaroid photos) suggested that the fog might make the vistas less colorful and more dramatic but certainly wouldn't ruin the experience.  Of course, I wasn't expecting the pea soup thick fog that greeted us for the majority of our drive.  With the top up (as it was 55 degrees outside), the kids snoozing in the back seat, Dana masterfully handling the usually exhilirating twisting highway, and me quietly seething that there was no one to whom I could address a strongly worded e-mail about this disappointment, we made our way from San Simeon (where our visit to the Hearst Castle and the elephant seals at Piedras Blancas was a wonderful way to start the day!) up the PCH to Monterey Bay, where we will spend our final California days.

 

As disappointed as I was by the fog, I fell in love with my husband all over again, as I was once again treated to his indefatigable spirit and ability to go with the flow and find the best in any situation.  "It's so dramatic," he would say, when we'd stop at a "Vista Point" in hopes that we could peer through the gray mass to see some division between sea and sky.  Since this was his first trip down this coast, I was even more disappointed for him, but he refused to let the "June gloom" (as one guide at the Hearst castle called it) affect his mood.  Indeed, his mood - and the impact it had on the kids when they awoke from their nap - seemed to lift (or at least momentarily shift) the fog, so that we were treated to a few minutes of the glorious spectacle we had expected.  Just as Daniel was promising to make sure that Dana got to see the Big Sur as intended, regardless of how long that might take, we entered Monterey, blue skies became visible, and we were able to get a taste of the awe-inspiring drive about which people always rave.

We arrived to our wonderful Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa, which sits at 4 Cannery Row, in the middle of Monterey Bay.  A wonderful Father's Day dinner and yet another game of Shanghai (which found the girls finally taking the first and second places!) ended what turned out to be a pretty perfect day after all.  Our waiter (aka Robert California - fans of The Office will understand why Maddie's recognition of his uncanny resemblance to this James Spader character was more than a little bit creepy - but quite hilarious) suggested that a call to one of the inns sitting on the PCH is the best way to determine whether there might be better conditions over the next couple of days, as we intend to go into Carmel by the Sea one of the days we are here - and might just continue down the coast a bit if the fog decides to lift (though with cold water temperatures and warm air, these conditions are typical of the time of year).

The view from our room of the bay and Cannery Row

Other than getting to experience my family's wonderfully resilient spirit, my favorite part of the day was watching the elephant seals swat sand on themselves using first one fin, then the next.  While the experts say there is no clear understanding as to why they do this (perhaps as a sort of "sunscreen," perhaps to calm themselves if they are anxious - though it's hard to imagine anything could make these seals anxious), there is no denying that it is at once amusing and adorable.  I'll include a bit of video, so you can enjoy it, too!

Kissing or fighting?  No idea.

A still of the "sand swap"

Daniel contemplates the Roman pool, the single most expensive "room" in the castle

The Neptune pool was what I remembered most from my first visit to the Hearst Castle

The kids could get used to this castle life :)

Dana and Daniel check out Hearst's view

The blue skies sure fooled us!

Oxnard, Oprah, and Olalliberries?

So the past 48 hours found us going from Palm Springs to Channel Islands to Ventura to Santa Barbara to Cambria, and watching the temperature dip from 110 to 65.  We left Palm Springs Friday morning, after one final brunch and a farewell drive (with the top down and sunscreen on) through the desert heat.  By the time we were halfway to the coast, the temperature had already dropped to the upper 70's.

Lots of windmills spin farewell as you head out of Palm Springs

Since we were hitting the Santa Barbara area on a Friday night, the hotels we researched had been either booked or incredibly expensive.  Therefore, we had opted to break up our PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) adventure by staying one night near Oxnard (which is, apparently, the Filipino capital of America - LA Times article if you're interested :)) and the second night in Cambria.  This enabled us to save some money, split up the drive to allow for fewer hours in the car each day and maximize our exploration of California.  Sure enough, I could never  have imagined the Oxnard/Channel Island area of California - a naval base with a thriving Filipino population, nor would I have guessed that much of CA 1, which often doubles as CA 101, does not hug the Pacific Ocean.  However, those stretches are equally stunning and majestic, with mountains (and horses and cows, and, once, a deer) all around. 

The Pacific Coast Highway? Yup :)

The view from our Channel Islands/Oxnard hotel

 After arriving at our hotel, we quickly hopped back into the car to head to Ventura for dinner. Santa Barbara's quiet southern neighbor, this is a lovely town on the ocean. The next morning (today - well, yesterday, since I'm writing this at 1:00 AM while the family sleeps after yet another game of Shangai) we headed to Santa Barbara to spend the day sightseeing in that wonderful city. Before exploring Santa Barbara, we decided to take a drive through Montecito, the area where Oprah Winfrey supposedly owns a 45 acre estate and other notables such as Al Gore, Joss Whedon, Drew Barrymore and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss each own a residence. What a breathtaking neighbohood that is (and nobody is selling maps of the stars' homes to provide a moment's disturbance to your privacy!) Santa Barbara is a lovely place to shop and dine, so we spent hours just walking up and down State Street, popping into the stores and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Around 4:00 PM, we headed to Cambria, our stop for the night. Since Dana was insistent that we stay on CA1 whenever possible (his Father's Day present ;), even when the GPS suggested otherwise, our trip took a bit longer than expected, but, as the adage says, "it's about the journey not the destination," so we enjoyed whatever the PCH had to offer us (even when there was no P to be found for miles). In the end, we arrived at our perfect inn - Sand Pebbles - which more than made up for our Pacific craving. 

Cambria - our stop between Santa Barbara and Monterey

After enjoying the beach for nearly an hour, we headed off to a late dinner in downtown Cambria and discovered - and quickly became addicted to - Olalliberries.  Have you ever had an Olalliberry?  Initially created in Oregon, this blackberry/rasberry hybrid apparently grows even better in California, which is why we'd never heard of it, let alone eaten it, before tonight.  I hope none of us has an allergy, as we ate Olalliberry jam (with the bread brought to the table), Olalliberry lemonade (Maddie) and hot tea (Daniel) and a dessert sampler which included Olalliberry pie and an Olalliberry cream cake.  Then, in an Olalliberry induced state of rapture, we retuned to the inn to close the third night in a row with a game of Shanghai (the boys keep winning, but this time I stole the 4th spot from Maddie!)

Olaliberries - saying it is almost as fun as eating them :)

Tomorrow we're off to the Hearst Castle, then to Monterey, for our final three nights.  We will also get to travel one of the more  spectacular stretches of the PCH (including, of course, Big Sur), this time with plenty of Pacific Ocean to earn the historic highway its name.  With a semi-permanent address to call home for the next three nights, I should be able to post more regular blog entries.  Steinbeck country beckons!  Until tomorrow....

It's Sinatra's World; We Just Live in It

Sinatra - back in the day - in Rancho Mirage

was all I could help thinking these past two days, as we gazed out on a beautiful (but empty) golf course, sipped smoothies by the pool, drove down Bob Hope Drive to dine at this or that wonderful establishment, enjoyed a facial and manicure (Maddie), a massage and pedicure (me), and generally just acted as though we were celebrities enjoying a weekend getaway.  When we passed Frank Sinatra Drive for the second time, I decided it was time to do a little bit of research.  So, for those of you who have an interest in such things, watch the following video (the realtor needs your "views"!) to get a glimpse into the way Frank Sinatra lived for the 50 years he called Palm Springs home (or, at least, "2nd home" - or 3rd home?)  Dubbed "Wonder House," this is only one of two "estates" Sinatra owned and lived in during the many years he lived here.  This one was built on land he bought from Dean Martin - Frank Sinatra's Rancho Mirage house  Today, it's listed for 2,875,000 - what a bargain!

If you're still interested in learning more about Frank's life in Palm Springs, check out this article -
Sinatra in Palm Springs.  While we haven't intentionally followed the Sinatra tour suggested at the conclusion of the article, we have seen many of these landmarks in our travels these past two days, including the restaurant where he apparently threw $20.00 bills on the floor for janitors to discover.

My view for much of the past two days

I gaze over my "Barefoot in Barcelona" pedicure at Daniel in the hot tub (the hot tub!! which I did NOT enter)

 

Dining by the pool (and golf course)

Taking a YouTube break from the sun and fun

Doing some summer reading on the patio

Fiddling with the camera - gorgeous flowers everywhere

Lounging by the pool

A rare photo of me

So other than channeling Sinatra as a way to be cool, we saw Madagascar 3 in a great independent movie theater (with first-rate air conditioning), we hit the pool (a lot!) and we took an aerial tram (Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, to be specific) that has been in operation since 1963 (though the fancy new cars with a 360 degree rotating floor were added in 2000) to the top of Mt. San Jacinto, where the temperature drops up to a good 40 degrees, leaving you to enjoy a balmy 70 ;)  Our ears "popped," as we drove to the "valley station" at an eleveation of 2,643 feet, so we knew this was going to be something special.  The 11 minute ride up the mountain takes you through five zones (though it all just looked like one magnificent mountain to me), as you rise to a final elevation of 8,516 feet.  Needless to say (and as, I hope, the photos do some justice) the views were spectacular.  On a clear day (one wonders if there is ever anything but in Palm Springs), you can reportedly see all the way to Las Vegas.



Contemplating the beauty (and look at those nails!)

Looking down, as the tram climbs up

Our twilight visit afforded a spectacular light - and shadow - show

The final fascinating discovery I wish to share about our time here in Palm Springs is what an enclave it appears to be for the LGBT community (or, at least, the G community, as Maddie noticed that she and I were among very few women in any setting we found ourselves outside of the resort).  When we dined two nights ago at Trio, a trendy, 60's inspired (in terms of the decor) spot that is the #1 ranked restaurant on Trip Advisor, I looked around and noticed a surprising number of men dining together.  My interest piqued, I amused Maddie to no end as I concluded that Palm Springs must, unbeknownst to us, be some sort of gay mecca.   When our second night's dinner, at our favorite restaurant so far - Tropicale, revealed a similar trend (9 of the 10 parties dining on the blissful patio were men), I decided to do some research to back up my astute powers of observation.  Sure enough, according to one census or another, a minimum of 1/3 (up to 1/2, in some reports) of the 44,000+ residents are gay.  Let's hope that's the last time my family doubts my Sherlock Holmes' powers!

With this lovely album by Stacey Kent (thank you, Shazam!) playing during our dinner - "Isn't this a Lovely Day?" by Stacey Kent - we couldn't have felt more relaxed as the sun slowly dipped behind the distant mountains and we absorbed the fine food, music and company.  "This is special," Dana declared with a serious air that guaranteed it will become our mantra for the rest of our trip.  Rather than it diminishing our experience, Daniel losing yet another baby tooth while we are on vacation, this time after biting into Maddie's delicious chicken dinner, just assured that the experience would be even more memorable.   We capped the night off with an epic shanghai game that kept us all up until 1:00 AM (though Dana seemed to nod off around 12:30, which didn't stop him from winning the game!)

Our vacation from our vacation was just what we needed.  Next stop - Santa Barbara!

Note Maddie's "Lincoln Park After Dark" manicure (and also note the couples dining behind her at Tropicale)