Pinnacles National Park and the Monterey area

My husband Bob was at the US Navy Post Graduate School in Monterey. My parents came out to San Francisco for a meeting in April, and we did some touring together. After we went to Yosemite, we went to Pioneer Village with it's talking bridge,

Talking bridge - only covered bridge in Natl Park system (push buttons for lecture)

Bridge and South Merced River

Pinnacles National Park, located near the San Andreas Fault, so it is an excellent example of plate tectonics.

Pinnacles from a distance

Pinnacles with vultures

The Pinnacles Rocks are believed to be part of the Neenach Volcano that occurred 23 million years ago. The talus caves are another Pinnacles attraction. There are over 30 miles of hiking trails at Pinnacles National Park, ranging from easy, flat walks to more challenging, all-day hikes. When my parents visited in the spring, we took some of the easy hikes both because of my dad and also because of my two and a half and five year old children (who did at least as well as my dad).

Picnic at the Pinnacles

We probably did the Moses Spring to Rim Trail Loop
2.2 miles round trip, 1 1⁄2 hours
elevation gain: 500 feet
Moderate

Cave

Coming out of cave

Rock formations, talus caves, and the reservoir on a short hike and also a good choice for children. Bear Gulch Cave is open seasonally. Flashlight required in the cave. There are two caves at Pinnacles. I don't know which one we visited. Bear Gulch cave is sometimes closed because of Bat Roosting. These caves can be closed suddenly due to storms and high water..So we might have visited Balconies cave instead Flashlights are required for both caves.

The predominant habitat type of the five environmental areas in the park is Chaparral,

Lizard

which is shrubs which can grow in the hot dry summer. That's what I remember. But during the summer months, deep canyons provide shade for moisture-loving species, such as maidenhair and horsetail ferns. Other species, such as the bird's-foot and coffee ferns, tolerate dry conditions

Me and children among ferns

My parents visited several places in Monterey itself - some of the historic houses

House of the Four Winds and Casa Vasguez

Stevenson House

Old Jail

Hummel store with funny sign

And Cannery Row

Cannery Row - former Chinese grocery store

When we lived in the Monterey area, this was what Cannery Row looked like.

Cannery Row

Sign on warehouse

Doc's with my Dad

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Steinbeck Circle sign

Apparently now there are outlet stores, restaurants, and associated parking lots, and the place has really been touristed up.

Customs house

There was no aquarium in Monterey at that time - that didn't open for some 20 years.

Old Fisherman's Wharf Sign

Fish Market

Gull at Fisherman's Wharf

Monterey Harbor sign

Bocce ball courts

Camera obscura

South of Monterey is Pacific Grove is known for its butterflies and for the fact that the town had its beginning in 1875 as a summer Methodist camp, where several hundred people assembled to worship amidst rough tents a la Chautauqua.

House of gables

Its motto is "America's Last Home Town:" and it is also called "Butterfly Town USA" I was never able to see the butterflies.

The wives club did a fashion show where we modeled clothes we had made ourselves and my parents attended and my dad took some photos.

Modeling a dress I made

Taking off the jacket

We did 17 mile Drive (Pebble Beach).

Witch Tree

We drove down highway 101k at least as far as Point Lobos park, Pt Lobos State Park. The name is from the sound of the sea lions carries inland from the offshore rocks at Punta de los Lobos Marinos, Point of the Sea Wolves. The reserve has often been called "the crown jewel of the State Park System." There are rare plant communities, endangered archeological sites, unique geological formations, and rich flora an fauna of both land and sea.

Path

My dad with my youngest

Me and my dad

Dead cypress

On the beach