hiking | A Curiouser

Monterey County is a gorgeous idyllic cluster of seaside cities on the Pacific Coast of California. It is highly advised to drop by for a night or two if you’re enjoying the California Pacific Coast Highway road trip.

Within Monterey county are it’s most well known cities, Monterey and Carmel by the Sea. Monterey offers several beautiful attractions including the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Old Fisherman’s Wharf, and 17 mile Scenic Drive. We had prioritized the 17 mile scenic drive which allows you to coast along Pebble Beach with a several specific attractions that offer a beautiful outlook into the coastal scenery.

*PROTIP – The 17 mile scenic drive is a two way drive with entrance and exit on both sides. Most start at the Inn at Spanish Beach – I HIGHLY SUGGEST starting from the opposite end at the Lodge at Pebble Beach. We had gone on Christmas Eve starting at the Lodge at Pebble Beach. As it got later in the day, we started to realize that the opposite side traffic was as a standstill while we were driving freely. This is because the parking spots are limited at each attraction leading to an eventual car pileup from the direction that more people take. It was to the point where we were driving and realizing the opposite side had several miles of cars lined up to wait for parking to clear up or just waiting to get past.

I am not certain which specific points the following photos were taken at, I will put the attraction if I am able to, but I hope you enjoy this montage of beautiful coastal photo collage.

Lone Cypress Tree

Thanks for dropping by! Hope you’re having a good day!

*circa 2018

The trip to the Sequoia National Park started at the bottom of the Sierra Nevada mountain range where we drove along beautiful full streams while climbing up higher through the range. We even spotted a deer on the side of the road.

The further up, the colder the landscape became, evident with the snow on the ground. The giant sequoia trees are such a sight to see and breathe in. I was surrounded by these unbelievably gorgeous red tinted trees that had extended all the way to touch the sky. The photos truly cannot do them justice.

“The sequoias belong to the silences of the milleniums. Many of them have seen a hundred human generations rise, give off their little clamors and perish. They seem indeed to be forms of immortality standing here among the transitory shapes of time.”
Edwin Markham

After spending enough time in the park, we decided to start heading back down the mountain range. On our way, we spotted a look out post into the Californian valleys. It was an unplanned and unexpected stop that was absolutely amazing. We decided to stay and wait an hour or so until sunset.

*Although the sunset was one of the best I’ve seen, the drive down was much harder after sunset when fog started to settle. With no road lights on the winding downhill mountain road, it was a difficult nervous drive, with one person watching google maps to give heads up on upcoming turns, and two other people keeping a sharp eye on the road ahead.