I never expected last Thursday morning that my Thanksgiving dinner would consist of a Jumbo Jack with cheese, that Jadyne would have a teriyaki bowl, courtesy of the young men and women who gave up their evening to prepare our food and serve us, all at a bargain price of a few pennies under $13.
It was really good!
Jadyne was so touched by their dedication that she thanked them as we left the dining area. We had waited in line at a nearby Chinese restaurant that was packed. Only Asian restaurants are open on Thanksgiving night, and we weren’t willing to wait.
It was the beginning of a 36 hour getaway to the Monterey peninsula, little more than two hours from our home in Kensington.
Thursday afternoon walking the beach at Asilomar.
But it was the next day that held the surprises. We were advised to watch out for heavy surf and large waves. We weren’t disappointed when we arrived at Point Lobos, one of my favorite places in CA. Before venturing to the south side, we skirted the peninsula itself, no shortage of natural wonders.
Looking south.
Along the trail on the north side of the peninsula.
Looking south towards Big Sur. As we descended we were treated to the unimaginable power and majesty of huge waves breaking onto the rugged rocky shore.
I was able to climb down to the water’s edge before the rangers closed off those areas. “I don’t want to have any water rescues,” said the ranger as she unspooled the police tape across the entrances.
On the eastern side of the peninsula. Bird Island is above the waves. Hundreds of pelicans and cormorants call Bird Island “home.”
Nestled in and among the waves were the lunch eaters. the sleepers, and the pelicans.
Like surfers trying to catch the perfect wave I scanned the ocean, looking for sneaker waves that might break on the rocks in front of me. These are just a few of the hundreds of images I took over the course of an hour or so. I work quickly, mindful that Jadyne’s love for the surf doesn’t match mine, that the perfect wave doesn’t really exist, and that like novelists whose books are published, it was enough.