Flashback to Sunday afternoon, it was snowing, it had been snowing for a while. Our forecasted about an inch of snow started to look more like at least an inch of snow. I decided to walk up to the grocery store, to get a few things, get some exercise and get out of the house. While I was out in the snow, my brother Chris called and spoke with Anne. Since the weather is all we have here these days, the subject soon turned to its discussion. Anne asked what the temperature was out there and Chris politely answered, that he probably shouldn’t say. When I returned home I called him back. Immediately after our hellos, Chris gleefully announced that it was 70 °F out there. Siblings, what’s a brother to do?
I shouldn’t complain about our weather here, because there are those that are less fortunate, that is to say colder and I shouldn’t complain about my brother, because he sent along this lovely photograph. Chris’ photo, Carmel Beach Silhouette, shows a couple and their dog walking Carmel beach. In full light the beach’s sands are white, the waters azure and the sky a brilliant blue. As the sun sets, all these colors turn to grey, but then that perfect twilight hour also charges the world with both magical light and shadow.
Carmel-by-the-Sea has always been an artist’s community. It is built upon a hillside that slopes towards the sea. The town is full of small houses, with big price tags. The old real estate adage, location, location, location, was never truer than about Carmel. Carmel is an affluent community. It is also picturesque, quaint and a big tourist destination. It is a great destination for both shopping and dining. At day’s end, what better time is there then to walk down Ocean Avenue, kick off the shoes and walk the beach.
When my parents were building their house in Monterey, they rented a small cottage in Carmel. I visited them there once on business and was attending a conference in Monterey. I biked from Carmel through Pebble Beach, along the coast, to Monterey. It was a great commute.
It is about 25 miles from downtown Monterey to Point Lobos, a scenic nature preserve, with various seals, sea lions and sea otters in abundance. Point Lobos is only four miles south of Carmel, along Highway One. In the picture below, it is the point of land in the background. A visit there and lunch on the return to Carmel make for a couple of exclamation points on a truly classic ride.
The route along the coast is fairly flat, but for those readers hungering for more there is a 700 foot hill along the way. In Pebble Beach you can climb to the top of 17 Mile Drive. Bikers don’t want to follow the full 17 mile course though. Expert guides are available every Saturday morning. They launch from downtown Pacific Grove. Another nice thing about biking is that Pebble Beach is a gated community and charges cars to enter, but bikes still ride free.
