When I was younger, I thought going to Lagoon was the coolest, even the globs of gum coating Dracula’s Castle could not dissuade me from that belief. I’ll admit, as an adult it’s not as thrilling, and my visits to that entertainment park have been infrequent in my last decades. Yet, I was completely game for getting dizzy with my family when my parents decided to take the clan to Lagoon as a Christmas present.
The Tidal Wave was one of my favorite rides as a kid; it hasn’t lost its uphill.
Our group was large and only stayed all together for short stints.
That day in the park, memories spun as rides carried me and my family members in circles, upside down, and sideways. The Tidal Wave, the Terroride, and the Log Flume were all still moving along, recalling giddy childhood moments. Nostalgia and butterflies mingled as Jason and I screamed with nieces and nephews on roller coasters, the first coasters for some, and strolled through the park’s kaleidoscopic bustle.
It wasn’t a warm enough day for the soaking received at Rattlesnake Rapids to be welcomed.
The grandkids agreed that the highlight of the day was riding Rattlesnake Rapids with Grandma. She cursed profusely whenever she got splashed, a surprise that amused and delighted the kids… those raised by her weren’t as surprised.
It’s not every day you get to be scrambled with your grandma.
It was ridiculously difficult to convince my mom to go on the Space Scrambler, but she loved it. Mom, I told you so!
You are never too old to have your attitude lifted as your body is thrown into the air on a metal spire or shaken about on a bumpy rollercoaster, especially when your fellow shaken are some of your favorite people. Thanks Mom and Dad!
It was Jason’s turn to plan our anniversary outings this year. He asked if I was up for going to Big Sur, and I said sure, even though I didn’t know exactly where that was. Here’s how our explorations of that vaguely-defined section of California’s coast materialized.
We stayed at the Sanctuary in Marina, which is right on a blustery but beautiful beach.
First thing is first. What is Big Sur? A town? A park? A VIP? No, it is the slice of the California shoreline roughly between Carmel and San Simeon. It is rocky, dramatic, and distinctly remarkable despite its imprecise boundaries.
Our first day in California, our anniversary, we spent walking along Monterey’s Cannery Row, a cute touristy area lined with little shops and lapping tides. We ate lunch on the pier, drenched in unexpected sunshine, while the waves sent jellyfish fluttering about below us. We chuckled at the sea lions barking rowdily to one another on the Coast Guard Pier. After a walk through the succulent-covered sands of the Marina Dunes Preserve, we feasted on Mediterranean fare at Dametra Café in Carmel. Spontaneous dancing, delightful serenades, and the best Greek salad I’ve ever eaten were all part of that memorable meal.
The Bixby Creek Bridge, built in 1932, is one of the biggest single-span bridges in the world.
Keyhole Arch, Pfeiffer Beach’s most interesting feature, appears unextraordinary until viewed head on.
The next day felt big indeed as we took in Big Sur. If one were to drive nonstop from Carmel to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, which is only a portion of Big Sur, the ride would just take an hour; it took us all day. The stops along this route were plentiful and plenty distracting. We decided to start with our top priorities and see what we had time for after that. Turns out, we didn’t have time for anything after that.
We stopped at the Rocky Creek and Bixby Creek Bridges. Bixby, a 714-foot-long arched structure, is claimed to be the most photographed bridge in the United States, but how do you calculate that? It was an aesthetically-pleasing arc whatever its ranking. We ate dinner at Nepenthe Restaurant, a secluded establishment along the way, while hovering 800 feet up on a seaside cliff. It was gorgeous! Pfeiffer Beach was our next detour. This beach was rather unusual with its famous Keyhole Arch and purple sand. The last thing we were able to fit in before sunset was a short walk to view McWay Falls. McWay Falls is an 80-foot waterfall that splashes onto a pristine beach just beyond the reach of the surf. It sounds like the fabricated setting of some bad island romance flick, but it’s real, and it was not bad.
McWay Falls spouts right into the ocean’s waiting waves.
We started the last day of our short vacation at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is often regarded as one of the top ten aquariums in the United States, a ranking it deserves. The sea otters were my fav! (No surprise there.) Three otters were in the exhibit that day: Gidget, Selka, and Rosa. The rest were off mentoring others of their species. The otters were bigger and longer than I had imagined- weighing about half of me- and they never stopped moving. Otterly adorable!
Yes, the sea otters were this adorable.
We could easily have spent a couple days gazing into the aquarium’s kelp forest and learning more about Monterey Bay’s habitats, but we were soon off to Carmel Mission, Carmel Beach, and 17-Mile Drive. 17-Mile Drive is a scenic ride through ritzy Pebble Beach and a half dozen of the fanciest golf courses ever conceived. Some of our favorite points of interest along those miles were Ghost Tree, Point Joe, and the Lone Cypress. The sea wasn’t the only thing restless on this peninsula; the air seemed rather rushed as well. Consequently, we were unusually motivated to keep many of our stops brief.
Carmel Mission was founded in 1770. Its extensive grounds are pretty and peaceful.
The Lone Cypress, said to be the most photographed tree in North America, has been a registered trademark of the Pebble Beach Company for a hundred years.
For those headed to Big Sur, however you define that area, keep in mind a couple things. The food is awesome! Make time to eat lots of it! And be prepared to be colder than you anticipate. With forecasted temperatures in the 60s to low 70s during our visit, Jason and I brought shorts and tank tops. We should have brought coats instead. Brrr! Seventy degrees isn’t very pleasant when you factor in exuberant coastal breezes and frequent fog.
The ominous twists of this Monterey cypress, bleached by years of wind and salt, begged to be photographed.
I didn’t have any expectations of Big Sur, since I didn’t know much about it before this trip. So, to say my expectations were exceeded wouldn’t really mean anything. Instead, I’ll just say that it was a good trip full of scenic waters and tasty food. Sure, I’d go back to Big Sur.
My sister Kristen is a determined and strong woman. When she signed up for the Desert RATS 50K, a trail run, and asked if Jason and I wanted to join her, we thought about it for about two seconds. After two seconds, we decided to provide cheering services and participate in the 10K instead. I too am a determined woman, but I am determined not to be that determined. The race was in Fruita, Colorado, which gave us an excuse to take a long weekend getaway with a portion of my family. We had a great time hanging with kin and making a detour to Moab on the way home.
Our 10K took us along the Colorado River’s ridges.
Kristen did her 50K on Saturday morning, which took over six hours. Then, after running 31 miles, that crazy girl wanted to do some hiking in Colorado National Monument. I did mention that we are of determined stock, didn’t I? We trekked a bit of the Coke Ovens Trail together until Kristen realized she couldn’t make her legs move anymore. Then, Jason and I traversed Otto’s Trail by ourselves.
We rented a charming antique home in Fruita.
The next day, Jason and I ran our first trail 10K. It was a gorgeous course with expansive views of the Colorado River. I can see why people like trail runs. Following our little jaunt, we ate lunch at a cute café and wandered around Fruita’s quaint streets. Fruita is small, but it’s got style. In the evening, we headed to Whitewater Hill Vineyard so the oenophiles in our group could sample some local libations. We spent our late hours that night, and throughout the weekend, playing games like Phase 10, Exploding Kittens, and Codenames around the kitchen table of our darling rented home.
Independence Monument, a freestanding spire, was my favorite formation we encountered in Colorado National Monument.
Jason and I stopped in Moab for a day or so on our way home. My sister and her husband joined us for an afternoon of that day or so. We ate lunch at the Eklecticafe and hiked to Corona and Bowtie Arches. The Eklecticafe serves, as its name suggests, an eclectic menu; vegans and carnivores alike can find something to suit their palates among its varied options.
Corona Arch is easy to reach and breathtaking to behold.
Jason and I went to Arches National Park after my sister and her hubby departed for home and hiked “The Spectacles” before it got dark. It was beyond windy in the park that evening. Gusts up to 55 MPH plagued us with sand and extra resistance. On a positive note, the breeze scared most of the tourists back to their windless dwellings, so we didn’t have many other visitors to contend with on the trail.
The curves of Corona provided too tempting a frame to resist.
For years, Jason and I have talked about eating dinner at the Desert Bistro during our Moab visits, but we have always been too tired or dirty to follow through on this desire. This time, we finally ate a meal at this fantastic joint. Yum! The house salad with its mix of crunchy sesame seeds and pungent gorgonzola was incredible, and the beets layered with pesto goat cheese were tremendously tasty. Also, my bison tenderloin wrapped in bacon was amazing… so, pretty much everything was scrumptious! If you find yourself hungry in Moab, get your hungry self to this place… with a reservation.
Turret Arch’s knobs and crevices are fascinating in any light.
The last day of our trip, we hiked the Alcove Spring Trail in Canyonlands National Park with some sidetracking down an intersecting canyon to check out Moses and Zeus, two iconic sandstone towers that share a conversation in a silent land. Moses, the taller of the two spires, protrudes 410 feet from its base of Moenkopi and Chinle bands. Although it was almost 80 degrees in Moab the day before, weather is capricious not consistent. It was in the low 40s in Canyonlands when we began our ramble, and the wind was zipping along at 25 MPH with gusts up to 40 MPH. We took three layers of jackets with us but, thankfully, only ended up using all of them collectively for the first half an hour.
The canyon floor is a distant down from Alcove’s start high on a plateau.
Although Alcove Spring is a nearly 12-mile trek, I don’t believe that’s what keeps people from attempting it. Its path descends 1,300 feet down a cliff face into a canyon rather abruptly. Afterward, the trail compensates for its initial stimulation with a large heap of monotony as it wanders through a wash for most of the rest of its duration. This wash is relatively flat but is as full of bothersome sand as boredom.
Moses and Zeus have been engaged in a patient conversation for thousands of years.
Since Alcove’s 1,300-foot crag was tricky to navigate downward, the idea of going back up it was a little intimidating, but it ended up being fairly easy. (Jason may tell you something different if you care to ask him.) We ascended in just over half an hour, much better than we were expecting. The whole hike took us about six hours, putting us on the faster side of the estimated 6-7 hours. Slightly above mediocre = amazing, right?
Our impression of Alcove Spring? The scenery was pretty but not as gorgeous as other spots in Canyonlands. Moses and Zeus were cool though and didn’t require a long detour to reach. The best thing about the Alcove Spring hike was that we saw absolutely no one on it, not a single person the whole day. Yippee! I prefer my nature people-free.
Fruita was fun and Moab was predictably marvelous. We enjoyed spending some time with my family and some time in new and true parts of nature.
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