I am starting to appreciate RVGolf Club. It is a membership club that runs $99 per year. I originally hesitated to spend that much on a 'boondocking' club but it is certainly starting to pay off.
With this program I stayed at several golf courses in Colorado, one in Utah, several in California and three nights at this one in Monterey. The Bayonet Black Horse Golf Course sits high on a hill above the peninsula and the view is stunning of the city and the ocean. The golf course was once part of Fort Ord. Now that the military base has closed the golf course is open to the public and is a member of the RVGolf Club. What a find! I have now chalked up about a dozen nights at golf courses--all free--so I have more than paid for the membership.
Of course my first order of business in Monterey was to visit Castroville, buy some artichokes,
...and visit my husband's gravesite.
I know he would have enjoyed this adventure of mine--especially the golf clubs. He was an avid golfer.
Another great spot to park is Laguna Seca Raceway. It was not overly expensive but proved more costly by the time I was ready to move on. A small family of mice moved into my cupboard and I had to become a 'cereal killer'. That's what they ate, my breakfast cereal. Then, when I wasn't looking, someone came along and pinched my fold-up rocking chair, one that I had carried for 6 years! I hope the thief gets an invasion of mice.
My dear friend Sharleen, (who manages the BW Victorian Inn near Cannery Row) took me to lunch at this charming restaurant in Carmel.
I love all the courtyard restaurants you find in California. We even took Daisy along but a few other customers also brought their dogs. I will be very glad to get Daisy into some training classes and see if I can get her to behave a little better in restaurants. Other dogs send her into a frenzy of barking.
A drive along Carmel's waterfront is still picture-postcard perfect even though we were avoiding many cars, dogs and rubbernecking tourists.
I was surprised to see how many of the same family-owned businesses and restaurants that were here 20 years prior. It is a clear sign of a healthy economy that these have not become part of the cookie-cutter chains.
Alas, there was one McDonald's on Ocean Avenue but that was all.
One of these two houses on the ocean was designed by Frank L. Wright. Not sure which house.
It was also in a surfer movie in the 50's with Sandra Dee. Also, not sure which one but who cares...No one knows who Sandra Dee is any more.
"I Love You Carmel"
Next stop, Pacific Grove.
One of the most appealing things about the Monterey Peninsula is that there are 5 or 6 distinctly different little towns that butt up against one another, each with its own waterfront.
Take your pick--Pacific Grove with its charming Victorian houses, Carmel with its shops and story-book inns, Monterey with its history so well described by John Steinbeck, Pebble Beach for its wealth of mansions and golf courses, plus the working man's communities of Seaside, Sand City and Marina. There is someplace for everyone.
Pacific Grove has restored this lovely natural-growth park with an easy walk-way that Sharleen and I explored.
It is just as spectacular as Carmel's beach---
--but with far fewer cars and people.
And all of the Peninsula cities share the same sunsets.
Lots of my family history around those parts...great memories of it, jolted awake again thanks to your photos. Your late husband rests in a lovely region.
ReplyDeleteMy husband, Roger, chose that cemetery because it is known as 'The Fisherman's Cemetery'. He liked that it was within sound of the surf and only a few blocks from where he kept his fishing boat.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder about RV Golf Clubs. I was considering joining but forgot about it. We're going to Florida this winter and it may be very handy there. The website is a little vague. It mentions only one night at each site but I see that you stayed for three. Is that normally allowed or did you have to get special permission?
ReplyDeleteI was a little disappointed in the RV Golf Club when I kept running into employees that had not heard of the program. There are some problems with keeping the information on the website up to date. However, always ask for the contact person listed. The three night stay was actually two nights then one week later they granted a final night. The Bayonet club was very accommodating. Most clubs have been okay with two nights.
ReplyDeleteThanks Toni. I ran into the same problems with Harvest Hosts but as time went on it seemed to get better. I'm going to take a closer look at what is offered in Florida.
DeleteWow. My grandfather lived in Pacific Grove. It looks from your photos as if plenty of money has gone into the place.
ReplyDeleteReally beautiful, like some fancy place in Italy!