Weekend Getaway in Monterey, CA (Vanlife Edition)

in #travel7 years ago

My Favorite Californian Weekend Spot

My boyfriend and I decided to do a bit of a longer road trip last weekend to take advantage of the long weekend. He suggested Monterey (he's very wise - I've been talking about wanting to go for months), so I jumped on it! It's been my favorite part of California for the entire 5 years I’ve lived in this state. I just can't get enough of the wildlife there! The coastline is breathtaking, the succulents are….succulent and the wildlife amazingly abundant!

sea lions, otters and seals, OH MY!

We left SoCal right after work on Friday, putting our ETA right around midnight. Because we were both sleepy and weren’t really sure where we’d be spending the night in Monterey, we decided to stop at a truck stop along the way. We called ahead to make sure we’d be allowed and there wouldn’t be a fee for campervans and got the green light to stay the night. This was such an easy option! I’ve stayed at rest stops before (in CA and 4 other states, it’s legal to stay overnight at a rest stop), but never a truck stop. It felt very safe AND we had access to snacks and a toilet that flushes! Ah, the everyday things that become a luxury when you live in a van.


This was the view from our parking spot in the morning. So much creepier looking than it really was!

The next morning, we drove straight to Big Sur (Point Lobos, to be exact), where we headed out for a 7 mile hike/stroll along the coast. It. Was. Beautiful. We parked outside of the park because parking was full, but that just meant that we didn’t have to pay to get in. The trails were well marked, but we did use the Alltrails app to make sure we stayed on course.

My very favorite part about this area, though, is the abundant wildlife. The shores and waters of Point Lobos are part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This area is 276 miles long and consists of 5,322 square miles of the coastal ocean. There are 4 turtle species, 26 marine mammal species, 94 bird species, 345 fish species and over 450 marine plants. Needless to say, you’re gonna see some cool shit. You can find out more about this amazing sanctuary here: https://www.seemonterey.com/things-to-do/parks/marine-sanctuary/


I was too busy looking through my binoculars to catch many photos of the wildlife this time around, so here's a picture of some of the gorgeous cypress trees that line the coast in Big Sur.

We really lucked out this trip and came up on a beach right as a male elephant seal emerged from the water. He was HUGE! Apparently these animals are pretty aggressive, so the docents were rushing to clear the people off of the beach. Luckily, I had my trusty binoculars with me, so we got a nice up-close view of his weird trunk nose and fat rolls. We also saw sea otters, harbor seals, dolphins, sea lions, starfish, anemones, pelicans, falcons, a coyote, a deer and more. This was probably my best trip so far for wildlife viewing.

After our hike, we parked by Lover’s Point and made some (surprisingly delicious) fajitas with a view. We found a nice place to park in a neighborhood in Pacific Grove and settled in for the night, falling asleep to Bob’s Burgers reruns on my phone.

The next morning, I drove my still-in-bed boyfriend to yet another beautiful spot to make some banana pancakes (with cinnamon and chia seeds – MMMMMMMM) and vegan sausage while we slowly woke up and prepared for the day.


I tend to take these moments for granted. Vanlife allows for such rich experiences that I can't imagine replicating with any other lifestyle.

After we stuffed ourselves with pancakes, we rented bikes from Adventures by the Sea on Cannery Row in Monterey. The check-out process was super easy and the prices were fair, compared to other rental spots in the area. We headed North, toward Seaside and stayed on the bike path. We estimate that we did about 20 miles round trip. I haven’t been on a bike in over a year and MAN by butt and quads were feeling it! The bike path through that area is great. It weaves in and out around succulent-covered dunes, sandy beaches, cliffy beaches, rocky beaches, piers, wharfs, cute parts of town and even a state park!

We checked into a HOTEL that night. This is a fairly rare thing for us on trips, but I decided to cash in my credit card points and spend a night in luxury. It also allowed us to park overnight for free and to be right on Cannery Row, within walking distance of lots of cool spots.

Monday morning, we went on one last walk along the bike trail to find seal beach. Seal beach (I don't think that's any sort of official name - it's just what they call it) is almost always covered with bouncy, blubbery, beautiful harbor seals. Definitely a nice end note to the weekend!

Thanks for reading and I look forward to getting to know all of you better here on Steemit!

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I have driven up and down the California coast, numerous times and Point Lobos is always so crowded. I need to visit there midweek to enjoy the sites.

Nice trip. California is so diverse and beautiful. Keep on trucking...er, vanning?

Yeah, it was nice to leave the stupid desert of Riverside for the weekend!!!

Riverside eh? I'm right next door in San Bernardino! Me and some other SoCal steemians are having a Steemit meetup next week. Not sure if you are interested, but if you are consider yourself invited! Here's the post with all the info - https://steemit.com/steemit/@rt395/growing-a-community-p-2-hosting-a-meetup-in-oc-california-1-24-2017

Unfortunately Wednesdays aren't great for me, but I'm following you now so I'll stay updated on future meetups for sure!

Looks like a beautiful place to get away and enjoy some nature!

Found you via @climbing-trail. Upvoted and followed!

Ooh I looked through your posts too! Great stuff! Any tips on where I should do my first (baby) backpacking trip next weekend? I'm fine with fairly difficult trails but I want to do something fairly short (less than 8-10 miles per day), just to get my feet wet.

I'm not sure exactly what types of places you like or how many days your trying to spend or how into the snow and cold you are but there are tons of options depending on what exactly you like. Off the top of my head I'd recommend making the hike to Panamint city in Death Valley national park. Winter is the best time of year up there. Here's my post about it if your interested - https://steemit.com/adventure/@derekrichardson/death-valley-trips-panamint-city

Nice travel report and pictures. I was in California in 2016, but only for 2 days or so. It was an expedition through different states organized by my university. It was really sad we had so little time because I found California the most beautiful state. Since then I'm thinking about coming back some day with more time to explore everything. And now I'm sitting here and see your awesome pictures, thanks :)

I'd have to agree that California is the most beautiful state! Although Colorado and Hawaii (although I've never seen it) seem to be close runners up!

I haven't seen Colorado and Hawaii either, so who knows ^^ I'll follow you to see more of your journeys :)

Hey, I'm in the area. Where is the "Seal Beach?" I'd like to check it out.

If you follow the bike path south from Cannery row, it's about a mile down the path (well, it was a mile from where we started near the Holiday Inn express on Wave Street). It's near the intersection of Ocean View Blvd and 2nd Street. Let me know if you find it!

We do miss the sights of California. Keep on posting, so we can enjoy from another state

Definitely will do!

That reminds me so much of my road trip to New Zealand, being on the road is so simple and rewarding at the same time. Just stopping where you are and enjoying the beauty of nature!


Upvoted and resteemed by the @Climbing-Trail!

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Thanks so much! Started following you :)

Thank you, I hope you'll like it! :-)

What beautiful view to wake up to! SO jelly! :D

What a great trip, and that you are living more free and unconventionally.