Our first full day in Monterey.

We checked out Fort Ord Dunes State Park, then drove the 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach, which was honestly the highlight of the day. The coastline there is colorful and inviting, full of texture and wildlife. Mom kept exclaiming over the color of the water, that deep blue contrasting with bright aqua. I hope I’ve captured it to your liking, Momma! It was well worth the 10 bucks we had to pay to be granted access to this multi-billion dollar peninsula.

One question - is Bird Rock that color because of poop?

Then we ventured all the way down through Big Sur, to where the road was closed near Esalen Institute. Mom spent some transformative time at Esalen when she was pregnant with me, so I guess I’d technically been there before. Can’t say I remember it though.

I was unprepared for the uneasy, trapped and off-balance feeling I had exploring this part of the coast. I expected to be wowed by Big Sur, and I was, but just not in the way I’d imagined. It felt untouchable somehow, unwelcoming in its harshness and inaccessibility. I can’t believe some of the houses that cling to the cliffs, just waiting to be claimed by the ocean below. It would not be a relaxing place for me to have a home.

Can you spot the A-frame in one of the photos below?

After returning to solid ground back in Monterey we decided to be fiscally responsible with our 24 hour pass through Pebble Beach and spent sunset there. I geeked out with my tripod and some long exposures.