We initially had made reservations for a week near Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon but since it was snowing and overly chilly, we elected to extend our stay in central California, specifically in the Salinas Valley. We discovered the smallish but very cool Pinnacles National Park. We spent a fair amount of time hiking on the trails and I even braved the “cave” sections of several trails. Being slightly claustrophobic, I was at first a bit anxious about those sections of the trails but they were relatively short and did not stress my psyche too much. The trails included some beautiful vistas and almost as gorgeous, was the drive to the east entrance. While picnicking prior to one of the hikes, we did get to see the famous condors of Pinnacles and they are massive and majestic birds ! Spring had arrived in the valley, so there were flowers everywhere and green things growing in all of the fields. The rolling hills surrounding the valley are just spectacular.
The campground we were staying at in Greenfield, CA was located right in the middle of the valley and completely surrounded by agricultural fields for as far as the eye could see. Although not on the scale of Paso Robles, we did manage to get some wine tasting in some of the wineries in the foothills. We spent a rather idyllic afternoon at Wrath winery sipping some delicious wine, in 75+ degree, sunny weather out on their patio. Gotta love California !
Monterey and Carmel were only a 1 hour drive from our campground so we made several trips to the coast. The famous 17 mile loop drive lived up to its billing featuring beautiful beaches (where we stopped and had lunch), striking coastal vistas and multi-million dollar palatial homes. Monterey’s waterfront walk is pretty scenic, seals and all, and a stop at the wharf is a must with a lot of bars and restaurants to choose from. We returned for a couple of days to stay overnight in a Carmel B&B, and spent a couple of days exploring the coast and Route 1 (often reported as one of the most magnificent drives in the world). A tour of the lighthouse on Route 1 with its dramatic views and almost terrifying walks was on the agenda. The Grey whales were migrating so while we did not see them leaping from the water, we were able to see their spouts and outlines. Pretty cool ! As always, we did some wine tasting in the village of Carmel. What a fun, quaint place. Dinner outside at Clint Eastwood’s Mission Ranch (with views of pastures with sheep and Monterey Bay) was so delicious and a memorable night.
In between our hiking, wine tasting and sightseeing in central California, the campground provided a heated pool and hot tub so met some interesting fellow campers. It was quite an experience. Onto Napa/Sonoma.
SEB
