In the months leading up to our move to Monterey, all anyone could tell us was how beautiful it would be, how breathtaking, beautiful, amazing, beautiful, stunning, and...beautiful. No specifics, just gushing over the beauty.
Now, I will admit, after the long drive cross-country, that first glimpse of the sapphire blue Pacific was mesmerizing, but I have lived on every coast our country has to offer throughout my life; what would make this different? How was this coastal gem going to outshine the arctic island of Ketchikan, the sun-drenched coast of San Diego or the stormy Outer Banks of North Carolina?
After less than a month of exploring and drinking in the sights of Monterey, I have this to report - it is beautiful. Quietly and uniquely beautiful. Monterey is not its flashy cousin to the south. This is no brassy blonde, lipsticked, slow-running silicone pageant queen. Neither is it its sister to the north; no Earth Mother, hemp-skirted, swaying Phish fan. Monterey is the quiet one, unaware of its own beauty, content in its individuality, blissfully removed from the stereotypes of its desperate cousins.
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| Ice Plant covering dunes |
Monterey is a unique environment, the desert meets the coast here. Succulents cover beach sand dunes, fog creeps through the pine trees, the deep blue of the bay hides secrets we can only imagine. Otters play keep-away with sea gulls, seals and sea lions jockey for position at the best sunning spots, bobcats eye deer at watering holes, all while pelicans soar over pods of whales feeding in that legendary deep blue water.
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| Coastal Fog in Monterey |
The environment here is not completely hospitable in the opinion of this misplaced Texan. It is chilly, the omnipresent fog brings with it a cool dampness that creeps into every pore. The formidable Monterey Canyon stretches for 95 miles and extends 2 miles below sea level, this chasm, though unseen beneath the waves, plays a significant role in the bay and land that it touches. The icy waters of the deep chill the air and creep up in the enveloping fog. But that cloudy mist lends a magical hush to this landscape. Looking up to the Santa Cruz Mountains, covered as they often are in a thick white haze, one can easily dream of faraway lands and faraway times.
So yes, when asked about Monterey I will answer that it is indeed, quite simply, beautiful.
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| Pelicans in Monterey Bay |
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| Wild Otters in Monterey Bay |
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Sea Lions sunning on the rocks
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| Deer at Pacific Grove Golf Course |
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| Bobcat in Monterey County |
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