We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Matt and Jenny, cousin Ray and his children, Lene and Teo, as well as a few friends of the kids. All in Santa Clara at the house Matt and Jenny are renting. Food was good and the company better!
We went to the coast knowing some big storms were finally coming in. Here in California we get excited about any type of precipitation! It was quite rainy but not too windy which makes it very pleasant in King Tut. The only problem we had was that it wasn’t overly sunny and our camp sites were shady so we got limited function from the solar panels. So we got to use the generator much more than before which is nice to get power for heat and running more lights. And the fridge of course!! Unfortunately, one of the things I like the least about RVs is the generator! But we didn’t really have any neighbors to bother so it was OK. Actually the campground was maybe 15% full and that was great! Lots of people canceled their reservations knowing how wet it was going to be.
We had 2 sites this time. We started in site 88 which was off the bluff but had nothing but trees between us and the view of the ocean. Very nice! It did become rather lake-like after a downpour but Dave learned how to get around that. We had leftover split pea soup and bread for dinner so it was quite cozy! Lots of card games and a few quick walks to the bluff and around the campground in between storms that first day and that was about it! Cards and more cards!
On Thursday it started overcast but dry, so we went to see Monarchs in Pacific Grove. There were so many flying around and just loading down the branches. That was pretty remarkable. The sanctuary is right in a neighborhood – imagine having all those butterflies flying around your house! Then we walked on Asilomar Beach trail and looked at tide pools. The tide was “in between” so we didn’t see anything from the deeper pools, but we did see so many hermit crabs! This trail is very nice and mostly on boardwalk so it was easy to traverse. We’ll definitely be going back to it. No whales or any cetaceans, but a beautiful wide open view of the ocean just outside of Monterey Bay.
On the way home we stopped and got some fruit at one of the stands. Lots of artichokes, Brussels sprouts and early strawberry fields all alone Highway 1. It was raining by the time we got home but stopped long enough to grill some kielbasa for dinner!
Friday we decided to go see the Monarch’s at Natural Bridges State Beach and walked along the trail between there and the surfing museum. There is a ton of construction going on at Natural Bridges and the team was really wanting to get work done so we were very obviously in the way. But once we got on the trail it is so pretty. We were earlier than at PG so not as many flying butterflies but still lots hanging from the branches. The walk is always nice and you see many people walking their dogs along the pathway. We did see where part of the pathway slid off. That would be a hard part of building in SC and worrying about erosion. And water level increases with climate change. Ugh!
We enjoyed having Jenny and Matt visit for breakfast again although this time Max had to stay home. Far too wet! Not a common problem lately. we then hiked to Seacliff beach and the campground there. It is definitely on our list although only about half the sites meet our need. And some have power! It was a nice walk between New Brighton and Seacliff. Overall this was a great trip, if a bit wet. I love having the place basically to ourselves!
