Carmel Day...

Stretch limo in front of 'Pebble Beach Golf Club Clubhouse' The end of the Pilgrimage for many.

The author and his current wheels.

Coastal view.

This used to be Clint Eastwood's Inn in Carmel

Resting seals, under the good care of Stanford University, no humans allowed.

Friday, February 5. Sunny, with clouds later.

Correction: Clint Eastwood was not the mayor of Monterey, he was the mayor of Carmel, another upscale quaintsy little coastal town about 15 minutes from Monterey.

After a healthy breakfast we trundled off in search of the Monarch Butterfly Woods, 17 mile Drive, Carmel, and seals.

We were successful in all four quests. The Monarch Butterflies were somewhat scarce, it is at the tail end of their season and it was early in the morning so they were still in the trees rather dozy. We only saw the odd early riser but that was fine.

Next we took the "Famous 17 Mile Drive". That is a drive along a road aptly called 17 Mile Drive. It is an avenue of over-the-top homes with breathtaking views of the coast, golf courses and sand dunes. It passes through Pebble Beach Golf Course, a mecca for golf lovers.

Pebble Beach Golf Course and Clubhouse is not a place that I felt comfortable in. I was not shopping for diamond earrings reduced in price by $12,5000 to only $12,500. Nor was I looking for all the logo-wear to prove that I was a super-snob golfer that had been to Pebble Beach. The toilets were good though.

Next to Carmel where we spent a couple of hours wandering around, me trying to figure out what was so attractive about living in this overpriced town, full of old people walking dogs and drinking fancy coffees.

We then zipped back to Monterey where we parked and wandered the outskirts of town looking at the seals who seemed to have got it right, basking on the sand, us humans behind the wire, gazing at the seals and pounding sea.

We skipped the walk on Cannery Row, from our drive through it looked like a miniature Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.

Looking back and reading this blog it appears that I should have had a coffee before I wrote it. I am sorry, but I am telling it the way I see it. We are having a great time in spite of my cynicism's.

Another great light dinner in town after the hosts at the Jabberwock B & B served us nibbles, wine and good conversation!

In the course of the conversation we found out that the house was built in 1911 as a summer home for a gentleman from Salinas, some miles away but in the hotter interior. In the 1930's he sold the home to the Catholic Church, an order of Victorian Nuns, who used the home as a retreat for Nuns returning from overseas missions. They used it until 1981.

The house was added onto several times through the years and modified again when it was turned into The Jabberwock in 1981. This is the third set of owners. Apparently you can only run one of these places for so long before you burn out. The present owners are still enjoying it, having another maybe 7 years to go before they also pull the pin. They planned it for 10 years before buying it two years ago. It is very, very nice here.