A Little Time at the Beach and with Clint Eastwood

Gilroy, CA
Elks Lodge

Our last day with Ryan and Diana was spent at the beach and walking along the hiking/biking path that line the shore.  All along here you will see blankets of green fields filled with artichokes. 

It is the region's most distinctive crop, particularly around the rural town of Castroville which is just outside of Monterey. The town is nicknamed  the “Artichoke Capital of the World”.

 

It's a beautiful day with plenty of sunshine and warmth.

 

We pick a spot with plenty of room for Hurley to run around.  Here at Carmel Beach huge expensive homes line the shore.  Pebble Beach is just down the shore.

The blues and greens of the water here in Monterey and Carmel are like the Caribbean and the sand is so soft and white.

That grassy area is part of the famous Pebble Beach Golf Course.

Steve tried to get me out in the water.

Unlike the Caribbean, the water here is freezing!  I'll stick to the warm blanket.

 

After playing at the beach we went back and cleaned up and headed back out for some exploring and then dinner.

Cannery Row was a novel by John Steinbeck set during the Great Depression in Monterey, on a street lined with sardine canneries called Cannery Row.  Now it's filled with shopping, restaurants and people watching.  You can rent scooters, family bikes and other touristy means of transportation to ride around here.

We walked around Lover's Point Park and soaked up the atmosphere.  There were sea lions, gulls, waves and more to listen to as we walked.

This is a favorite spot for people to launch kayaks and paddleboards.  We hope to kayak for our first time in the ocean here at some point.

The seaside path connect many parks together along the way.  We walked around the peninsula to Perkins Park.

That's one large aloe plant!

Some fun closeups.

 

This guy aint missin' no meals.  He's hungry.  Come to think of it, so are we.  So off to dinner where Steve wanted to take the kids to the Hogs Breath Inn which was once owned by Cline Eastwood.

If you've never heard of it, here's a little story. Eastwood is a native Californian who discovered the Carmel area while stationed at nearby Fort Ord. He eventually returned to Carmel where he still lives. In 1972, a friend was showing him around a building he owned.  He thought it would make a great saloon.  He later bought the building and made it into the now legendary Hog’s Breath. He was also Mayor many years back.

It's cozy and has lots of memorabilia.  We chose to eat outside under the huge oak tree.  It was a little chilly but we got a table in front of the fireplace.

We had a wonderful weekend with the kids.  Before we move on to San Jose, where we'll stay

 at the Elks Lodge there for the wedding, we'll spend some time with a high school friend I haven't seen for about 20 years!