Monterey Bay April 9 - 20

We took a Spring trip to Monterey, California with another couple for a few days.  

We had great weather a little cooler than I was expecting for California

 but it is the coast and it is April.  

We took the 17 Mile Drive at Pebble Beach to see the coast and how the other half live.

Golf courses everywhere

The Lone Cypress

Pebble Beach Lodge

Lexus

Heast Castle was on a foggy day.  I figured not many people see it on a foggy day.

One of the docents said the castle usually rose above the fog, so it was a rare site 'in the fog'

Coming up to the 'house' from the driveway

Front door

Mosaic Tile in the entry way looked like a big tapestry rug

Dining Room

One of the cottages the Hearst family stayed in while the castle was being built 

this one was 3000 sq feet.

a typical bedroom in the castle, the sacristy door to the right of the bed 

is a bathroom door, one or two in each bedroom

The ceilings were ceilings from churches in Italy that were going to 

be destroyed 

Hearst's office

This is one of four bedrooms that was made in the two towers of the castle, 

this one with the bedroom upstairs and the sitting room and bathroom downstairs. 

There is one just like it above this one.  Then two just like it in the other tower.

The staircases were so plain.

I think this is the 5000 sq ft cottage on the property

Neptune Pool empty for renovation.  It was leaking 300 gallons of water

a day.  With California's water shortage they decided it was time to fix it.

It might be empty for another 2 years.

The indoor pool (Roman Pool) under the tennis courts.

When the Hearst Private Zoo was closed down they gave most of the

animals to local zoos, but they just let the zebra loose to roam the hills

with the cattle and such on the property.  I snagged a picture

of this one, but it was technically still in captivity I guess.  :o)

Fisherman's Wharf

Big Sur

Cypress tree forest

Harbor Seals all snug up on the warm beach on the right

Nepenthe Restaurant in Big Sur shows a 180 degree view of the coast

It was a beautiful day

Julia Pheiffer Burns State Park

Pheiffer Falls

not much water going over the falls

You can barely see the falls at the head of the little bay

This is the other view from the location of Julia Burns house on the bluff, breathtaking!!

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Just in time for the otter feeding

The aquarium's tidal pool

This is the view from the aquarium out to the bay.

There are about 11 otters feeding out there just below the buoy.

We had dinner at Bubba Gumps on the Bay

Mt. Shasta on the way home

Had a great time!!