Monday, March 10, 2014

Carmel Valley and The 17 Mile Drive

We leave Betabel RV Park here in San Juan Bautista (6 miles south of Gilroy) this morning and I should be packing up, but I wanted to post about our lovely day yesterday before I forget any of the details.  Kim would tell you that is a lost cause....my not forgetting....just we shall proceed with MY story!

We had a nice relaxing morning on Sunday...well, I did...reading blogs, watching videos of my grandsons, reading, playing Candy Crush and Pet Rescue Saga, while Kim did "guy stuff" like emptying the tanks in preparation for leaving today, made adjustments to the awning, and who knows what else.

Our friends, Janet and Winston, picked us up at 1pm.  The day was a bit overcast, but the temperature was just perfect for us, probably somewhere around 70 degrees.  Our first stop was at their favorite fruit and vegetable stand.  They were on the look out for brussel sprouts.  This stand was surrounded by fields of artichokes.  And we succumbed to the call.  So we picked up some honey tangerines, a bottle of White Pine hand lotion from Stonewall Kitchens, and these:


We will be trying it out tonight!

We proceeded on through Monterey and on to the 17 Mile Drive.  I had been on this drive when I was  a young teenager.  I wasn't impressed at that time.  Things change as you get older.  What a beautiful area.  Lovely golf courses, not that I golf, but they were gorgeous.  Winston told us about the green fees, and I surmised that one really must enjoy golfing to want to pay those fees.  Yikes!  We spent time guessing prices on the homes we saw for sale.  A tad out of my price range.  We stopped to pick up a few flyers....prices ranging from $9 million to $22 million.  Even if I could afford it, I'm not sure I would want anything that big.  Maybe if I could rent a small piece of grass, pitch a tent and just spend the days looking at the views.




 This picture above is what happens when you can't really see what you are photographing because you can't wear your sunglasses and your reading glasses at the same time.  I was aiming for the mama seal and her two pups.  What I got was a big clump of kelp.  You can barely see the seals at the very top of the picture.


The 17 Mile Drive went faster than I expected, even though we stopped to look at many viewpoints and got out to look around the Pebble Beach Shopping Area and Resort.

Next stop:  Carmel Valley for wine tasting and dinner.

Cowgirl Winery offered up Cowgirl Blush (2012 Rose), Cowgirl White (2011 Chardonnay),  Hacienda (2011 Red Blend) and Cowgirl Red (2010 Cabernet Sauvignon.



Then we went next door to Talbott, where we sampled 9 different wines (I think - I kinda lot count there).  We all agreed, well that is the three of us who are wine drinkers, that our favorite was the Cowgirl Chardonnay.

We figured we should probably get some dinner, and while we were waiting for Cafe Rustica to open, we dropped into The Quail and Olive shop for some sampling of olive oil and balsamic vinegars.  What fun!  I feel in love with the basil and garlic olive oil blend, and the Tuscan Melody balsamic vinegar.


Then off to dinner at Cafe Rustica - let me just say yum, yum, yum squared!

I had the marinated lamb fillets with a glass of Hahn Syrah


Kim and Janet chose the petrale sole special, with Janet having the Hahn Cab and Kim opting for a Stella Artois.


And Winston chose pizza - I think it was the Dynamite Pizza with Italian Fennel Sausage, Black Forest Ham, Pepperoni, Mozzarella and red sauce.  It looked great! He also enjoyed a glass of the Hahn Cab with his meal.


Sad to say, we were all too stuffed for dessert.  What were we thinking, having a salad before our entrees?

We had such a wonderful time during our stay here in San Juan Bautista, and are very grateful to Janet and Winston, our good friends, and travel guides.  The weather was lovely, and the RV park very nice.  It was a great visit.

Next up:  Santa Maria, CA.  

1 comment:

  1. Looks beautiful. My mouth is watering after looking at the yummy food!

    ReplyDelete