Day 2… still cloudy, chilly with a bit of coastal fog lingering all day. That being said, it is still a beautiful place to see; the rugged California coast, driving the PCH, watching fog-laced waves crash along coastal mountains. Monterey itself is a nice city to stay. The weather tends to dictate my mood and motivation. And thus, I just would’ve loved to have seen a bit more sunshine by now. And felt some warmer temperatures. I didn’t let overcast days cloud my drive to explore. Onward we go! We walked a bit around Monterey and stopped at a CVS to pick up oats, almond butter and then eventually I got some almond milk from the resort restaurant. Had to be sure I had everything to Nutritiously Well-Fed prep for my Well-Fit Marathon! My pre-race overnight oats were a necessity to have to eat during the hour long bus ride before the race start. ( I will let you know, I didn’t actually eat them. More about the race in my next blog!)
Our daily breakfast was always delicious! Well-Fed with eggs and vegetables in a wrap, great coffee and even a bit of oatmeal at Tidal Coffee, a coffee shop associated with the Monterey Plaza Resort and Spa! Breakfast with a (cloudy) view.
Next stop, the Big Sur Marathon Expo, which was held in Monterey at the Conference Center. It was walkable distance, and even happened to be held in the same hotel Dan stayed in when he was 19 years old!
Found our way around the expo so easily, they organized everything amazingly! Made it to the packet and t-shirt pick up and then… Dan went on to buy new shoes! Seriously, he’s running a 5K tomorrow and for the first time in his life, he’s buying running shoes!
Trying on some new shoes to run a 5k on Route 1!
Race Bib check! Race shirt check! New Big Sur hat check! Ready to run check! I found a fantastic Big Sur Mug that is similar to Dan’s favorite Southwick Racing Mug. His and Hers!
Still overcast and chilly, sweatshirt on along with my new hat. we walked to the Old Fisherman’s Wharf to find a place for lunch.
So many good fish meal options, caught and ready to be eaten, it was difficult to make a decision for our lunch spot!! When this occurs, the first way to eliminate spots is to only choose those that have outdoor seating, or on this day, waterfront seating.
We decided on the Sandbar & Grill, located right on the pier. Fish Tacos, always a Well-Fed crowd pleaser. Red Snapper in these tacos had them tasting so good!
We finished everything we needed to do in Monterey, now we’re ready to make the drive southward to Big Sur. First, we decided to do the 17 Mile Drive, and again, it is beautiful, but I think my photos would have been something much more visually enjoyable if there were some sunshine, blue sky and shimmering ocean water.
Pics above and below are along the 17 Mile Drive. Dan noticed the Lone Cypress, a tree that had been growing in its location for around 250 years old, looked like it had a fresh break to it’s branch/limb! Sure enough, after a google search, it was revealed a stormy winter caused the limb on the left side to break off. Notably in February was when it was lost, only about 60 days prior. Dan had said “it looks like it broke off at most maybe two months.” Good eye!
I suppose the cloudy mystique of the day adds to the experience of the coastal rugged nature of the area. It’s as if we’ve been at sea for days, staring off into the very limited expanse of a foggy ocean view. But not without witnessing the beauty of the rocks and cliffs, the cypress trees and feeling the damp breeze. Maybe the weather is forcing us to pay more attention to these details so not to allow a shimmering sunshine against a beautiful blue ocean to take center stage. I still would have loved a moment of crepuscular rays stretching out from behind a cloud, at the least, for a few moments. I do feel like a fisherman longing for a bright light after a long trip.
Back out on the PCH or California Route 1, we are heading south through Big Sur, taking stops for pics and making our way to see McWay Falls!
If I were to return, I would love to actually stay in the area of Big Sur rather than Monterey. The Big Sur River Inn looks like the perfect place! There isn’t any cell service once you drive just a few miles south of Carmel, so staying in Big Sur, eating lunch and dinner along the riverfront, hiking the redwood forests down to the beaches along the pacific ocean, this would be a perfect off-the-grid getaway!
Onwards continuing south, the marathon start was at Big Sur station. Again, my goal was to see McWay Falls, another 10 mile drive south, which would not be along my running route. So we kept on along the idyllic Pacific Coast Highway and made a stop at Nepenthe. Amazing views! Again, would have been so much more incredible had it been sunny. Look at my pics compared to the website snapshot.
And finally, we made it to McWay Falls! We could only view this tidal fall from the pull-off on the Pacific Coast Highway! The trails taking you to the vicinity as well as the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park were closed due to a stormy winter causing extensive damage. I had hoped to be able to get out at McWay Falls, park in Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park and hike, but… just as above the violent winter weather took down a limb off the 250+ year old Lone Cypress tree, storms in February and March caused a great deal of damage and so the trails I wanted to hike, as well as the park I wanted to enter, was closed. I was so sad. Although I had learned of this prior to arriving and I knew we wouldn’t be able to get to the trails, being there made me want to get out there! But, we still needed to drive all the way back north to Monterey, so we didn’t have much time to spend hiking regardless. And, it (still) wasn’t as sunny as I had dreamt and envisioned my Big Sur bucket list trip would be. Below are a few trails I was hoping to jump on and hike, but we did not.
Perhaps this is why come Marathon day I was soooo ready to stretch my legs and RUN! All about the actual Big Sur International Marathon tomorrow! Next post, I’m Running the 1!!!! State Route 1 California Big Sur to Monterey 26.2 miles, I’m so ready!!!
