Seventeen mile drive

this is my "it's way too cold" face 

During our weekend in Carmel-by-the-Sea, my boyfriend really wanted to take me to see 17 Mile Drive.  If you're not familiar, 17 Mile Drive is a scenic drive through the gated community of Pebble Beach, passing by beautiful white sand beaches, a world famous golf course, the Lone Cypress, and multi-million dollar houses.  While he was insistent, I was less than enthused.  Why would I want to pay $9.50 to drive through a fancy gated community when the most beautiful stretch of California coastline was located 30 miles south in Big Sur?  (My devotion to Big Sur runs deep.)  And though the bohemian vibe of Big Sur still appeals to me more than the excessive wealth of Pebble Beach, I will admit the views were well worth a small admission fee.

The drive is clearly marked along the way (probably so tourists don't end up in the ritzier & private residential areas), and there are several "stops" that you're encouraged to take to fully admire the views and points of interest.  Some of the sites are skippable (Huckleberry Hill had the smallest and sparsest huckleberries I've seen), while others you could spend an afternoon at (Spanish Bay had a beautiful picnic area).  The beaches are seriously gorgeous, and so are the houses overlooking them.  Just like at Point Lobos, the turquoise water and white sand looked like they were taken out of the tropics and plopped down next to a highly ranked golf course in windy northern California.  The viewpoints on the water were my favorite part of the drive, but I did feel a bit let down by the infamous Lone Cypress.  The Lone Cypress, a California landmark, is a 250 year old Cypress perching on a rocky outpost overlooking the sea.  I'll admit seeing such an old tree was cool, especially one in a precarious setting, but at the end of the day, I'll take a redwood forest over a single Cypress any time.

The weather was cold, but it was nice having those pretty viewpoints all to ourselves. :)