Farmer's Market en route to Monterey
Jacob and I flew off to San Francisco early Monday morning after our fantastically fun wedding weekend. When we landed, we hopped in our rented Chevy Equinox and hit the road south to the Monterey Peninsula. The rental car agency was the first instance where dropping the "We're on Our Honeymoon" card paid off with an upgrade. As I type this, I think it is the ONLY instance where this paid off.
Like many after the surge of excitement and emotion associated with a life-changing event, I succumbed to illness. A head cold slowed me down during our first week while we toured Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row, and world-famous Aquarium; drove 17-mile-drive through Pebble Beach; walked our way around San Francisco; and toured the infamous Rock, otherwise known as Alcatraz.
Alcatraz
Monterey Bay Aquarium
For our second week, we drove from San Francisco up CA-1 and US-101 to the Central Coast of Oregon where we couched out at my in-law's beach house. The scenery of CA-1 and US-101 is breathtaking at every twist and turn! Cliffs, rocky outcrops, waves, windblown brush and trees. It was a spectacular visual feast. Maybe the curvy roads made for slower going, but the views more than made up that (and the motion sickness). And don't worry, we didn't miss a beat of March Madness during our travels, as we caught the games on TV along the way up the coast.
The beach house was a stroke of genius. Planning for a week at the house with no agenda made for the most relaxing time away from home. Even though it drizzled and rained 85% of our time on the West Coast, my cold cleared up by the time we made it to Oregon and we had a great time. We filled our time with sleeping, reading, napping, eating, and hiking and climbing. Yes, even in the cold, rain, and mud, we did a 5-mile hike along the coast. And we did an AMRAP (as-many-rounds-as-possible) workout climbing the Pacific City dune just north of the Pelican Brewery. Both physical efforts resulted in rewards - the hike with lunch at Tillamook Cheese and the dune climb with lunch at the Brewery. I loved the beer cheese soup at the brewery. Order it. Love it. :)
Coastal hike in Oregon...in the rain.
The Dune at Pacific City
Our last outing before heading home was the amazing Rogue Ales Brewery in Newport, OR. The atmosphere and food at this place are amazing. Jacob and I sampled several delicious brews, with the Oatmeal Stout and Honey Orange Wheat being our favorites. I chowed the macaroni and cheese made with a beer cheese sauce. Do you sense a theme with my tastebuds??
Rogue Ales sampler
Our time on the West Coast was fantastic and way too brief. I cried when I woke up the morning after our return home. Seriously. I didn't want the vacation to end. And that is how you know it was a GREAT vacation. Now, if only I could get hundreds of microbrews, cheap produce (especially avocados - 5 for $1!!), and a ban on plastic bags wherever I go, I could be happy wherever I go.
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TRIP STATS:
Number of wrong turns: at least 2 dozen (even WITH a GPS and iPhones)
Number of times I didn't know I had the hotel reservations in my name: 1 (Whoopsie!)
Number of disagreements: 0 (of course - we're newlyweds! HA!)
Number of free things received for being newlyweds: ZERO (WTF, people?)
Number of times my raincoat kept me from getting soaked: A gabillion, except for the time it didn't because the coat dripped onto my legs or because I didn't time my run past the beach waves correctly. Regardless, USER ERROR.
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