Weekend Recap: 17 Mile Drive/Carmel/Big Sur

All day Friday I kept trying to decide if I wanted to go to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk (I've never been there) or to Carmel/Big Sur (I'd never been there). The weather hadn't been very clear so I didn't know what I wanted to do. That night I prayed that the weather would clear, even just for a couple of hours so I could see the ocean in all it's glory. I woke up on Saturday and it was clear! And soooo beautiful!! It was a little tender mercy that reminded me that no matter how petty my wants are, Heavenly Father listens and loves me. It was a fantastic way to start the day. Monica and I decided that the drive down the coast would be better than Santa Cruz.

It was sooooooo freakin' gorgeous on Saturday when we went for a mini roadtrip. I had wanted to take 17 Mile drive through Pebble Beach and go to Carmel/Big Sur. And the $10 fee to get into Pebble Beach is soooo worth it. See the pictures below to prove it! :) Oh, and the golf courses seemed nice enough. :)

Pretty sure that Monica and I took over an hour and half just to drive like 8 miles. Just about every time there was a turn out, we pulled over to admire the view. (Just as a side note, I did not retouch any of these photos. The color is accurate and that is really how blue it was!!)

We came across two very cute older couples who were doing the same thing as us and we traded taking group pictures. We got to chat with them a little and saw them multiple times throughout the morning. They were so cute. They are the ones that took the picture above for us. Oh, and I'm not sure why I chose to wear a "I Heart NY" t-shirt. I didn't even think about it. ha ha ha.

 Me writing my name in the perfect white beach in Pebble Beach. Yes, I was Here! And now everyone knows it. :)

I discovered that my phone takes very cool panoramic pictures--which was VERY exciting and a perfect trip to try it out on. :) The above pics are of the Lone Cypress, the symbol of Pebble Beach. It is over 250 years old and sticks out on a lone piece of rock.

Carmel Beach. We didn't get to go. There was no parking there because as it turns out, there was a wedding just about to start as we drove up. It was cool. The water was amazingly blue. Again, I didn't retouch the photo. :)

I didn't get to many pictures of walking around Carmel, I was too distracted to think about it! There were so many shops and art galleries and things to look at. We ate lunch at an adorable little Swiss restraurant that was off the main roads. I had a club sandwhich which was fantastic. After lunch we headed back to the car to check out the San Carlos Mission in Carmel. It was so beautiful!

There was another wedding going on, so we didn't get to see the chapel, but the grounds and outbuildings were beautiful. I'd never been to a mission before so I found it quite interesting. After walking through the little museums, and seeing the depictions of Christ, I was very grateful for my testimony and knowledge. Despite the building being of a different faith, it was still a moving experience for me. I'm really glad we took awhile to stop and visit.

After the Mission, we drove down to Big Sur and enjoyed the ocean and sunshine. Once we got to Big Sur, we turned around and drove back. About half way back, clouds started rolling in. It was perfect timing. It's like Heavenly Father was watching us and letting me enjoy His creations as much as possible! :) Yeah! And I did. :)
I'll post some more pictures tomorrow. I figure this post is long enough. :)