Have you ever dreamed of traveling free of all the usual concerns? Reservations, traffic, when and where to eat, parking, handling luggage and all the planning would be handled by an expert. The daydream became a reality for Everett and me when we signed up for our first tour by Sports Leisure Vacations last weekend. Our three day getaway took us across the new San Francisco Bay Bridge down the coast through Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz to the beautiful Clement Monterey Intercontinental Hotel on Cannery Row on the Monterey Bay.
Bright yellow wildflowers decorated vast hillsides painted green by nature and spotlighted by brilliant sunshine. We drove through the amazing multimillion dollar tunnel just north of Half Moon Bay, the city internationally famous for surfing. The treacherous old Highway 1 has been turned into a bike and hiking trail. Hopefully, it won't get washed away like the old highway did.
On Monday Gail Gallacher, a long time Monterey Peninsula tour director, entertained us with Steinbeck stories as we drove on the 17 mile drive past Pebble Beach and multimillion dollar homes, We had a gourmet lunch at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley and spent the afternoon at the world famous Monterey Aquarium. We walked the half block back to our hotel after watching Aquarium staff feed the penquins. That night we had a halibut dinner at Fish Hoppers on the Bay.
Tuesday we spent the morning at a Wild Things farm that is becoming a zoo. They give a home to rescued animals who cannot return to the wild. Scott Angeletti, tour planner and director, made this fantasy trip more perfect than any daydream I could create. I didn't see anyone unhappy or sorry they had come. We can hardly wait to join him on another getaway.
(look for pictures soon)
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