Ellie & Peter Drive to Monterey

Hey everyone! Its Ellie here, I know I’m usually behind the scenes but I wanted to share about My amazing trip With my love.

Peter and I went on this awesome trip to Monterey for my birthday/our anniversary and I really wanted to share… because driving up the coast is honestly one of the most beautiful things. We decided to visit Monterey and Big Sur for our little two day adventure and just explore the area. Our only plans were to visit the aquarium which  has great reviews, and I was just dying to hike the trails of Big Sur, so we really had lots of time to see the sites, try the clam chowder and get lost everywhere! It really was exactly where we were looking for.

Our first stop was visiting these elephant seals. They were a pretty interesting site, but definitely one of the stinkiest things I have smelled. They are really strange and interesting animals! Glad we saw them, but also glad we didn’t stay too long…

And this image… this, I think, Was the prettiest view from HWY 1. It really might have to do with the fact that we were there right at sunset and the fog was perfectly placed to create and eerie romance.

We found our hotel and got right to resting. The drive was long and we needed our rest for our next adventure at the aquarium.

I think my favorite part of the aquarium was the display of the kelp forest in this HUGE tank full of fish and sharks. It was spectacular!! And it is the CLOSEST I will ever get to scuba diving, so it was nice to just imagine that I actually got to see the forest up close.

After our visit to the aquarium we went to lunch at a gorgeous restaurant that overlooked the ocean and the tide pools. We ordered their swordfish that had a sauce that was to die for! We even got to see some whales in the distance! It was kind of awesome. And Of course, I had this great view right in front of me to celebrate our lovely two-year anniversary.

We explored monterey for the rest of the day and called it a night. We needed our sleep for out trip down to Big Sur the next day.

We headed down HWY 1 and made our way into the gorgeous Big Sur! It was just spectacular. There were some really gorgeous lodges there that I really hope to stay at next time we visit. I had looked into the best hikes to take since we only had a day to visit, and we found two that are “must do” hikes.

The first hike was only .4 miles and so very pretty. It was to a waterfall that landed right on the shore into a cove called the McWay Waterfall trail. It was definitely  a must see though it was pretty crowded. I can see why! With the simple hike and the gorgeous view, everyone wanted a peek.

The next hike was called Ewoldsen trail which was covered in redwoods and a huge stream that we walked past for half the hike. It was everything I was looking forward to in Big Sur! I can see why they suggest it… But what I didn’t realize is that when the map said its a 4.5 mile hike… it meant one way!! I also neglected to see that there was a 1600 foot incline on the way up… so I really just thought it would be a walk in the park… Oh boy was I wrong! This hike took us 4.5 hours and we were starving and parched by the end. But I would definitely still say it was worth it.

The first pic is where we “thought” we were half way… but were really only an 8th of the way there. haha… what an adventure!

When I took this image, I finally realized how “worth it” this hike was! We were at about 1400 feet and finally got to see the most amazing view over HWY 1. We were peeking through the forest and got to look over the cliffs at all that is beauty on this coast. Ugh. It was just the best. From there it only got better and better, especially now that we knew we were REALLY half way. We hiked our way down to see more mountaintop views, hovering clouds below us, twirling hawks and more amazing trees.

We were pretty beat up after that hike, but didn’t want to miss anything so we headed to our next trail at Limekiln park. Thankfully it was MUCH shorter. Honestly, as much as I LOVED the first hike, this trail was really my dream. Of course lighting changes everything and with the 5:00 magic along with the ferns and sequoias, I enjoyed this fairytale of an evening regardless of being exhausted.

We hiked about a mile and got to this crisp fresh waterfall that just sang with beauty. I was So glad we got to see it.

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We were sad to leave the magic, but decided that we would do it again soon, so that made it easier to say goodbye to this dreamy forest. At least the drive back was pretty and we got to see zebras! What a strange thing to pass on the way home, but the double take was fun.