Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Monterey
Bay: Two Nights, Following Our GPS Through The Historic Maze of
Streets, and a Climb Up Huckleberry Hill
Our
last visit to Monterey was nearly 48 years ago on our honeymoon.
(Duffy says we came through with the boys when they were little, but
I honestly do not recall.) I can't say that we remember much from
that time when we were finally together as a couple and starry-eyed.
I am sure much has changed and the town has grown since August 1966.
What I (we ?) did not realize back then was the state history
embedded in this lovely coastal town. Monterey was the port town
where the continental Army claimed the land to be called California
for the U.S., and the site of the first California state capitol. A
wealth of history stands in the stucco buildings, restored and in use
even today. A walking tour intrigued us, but we decided to make this
an exploratory trip, one to repeat at a more leisurely pace in the
next few years.
On
this particular day we scoped out a Starbucks for our daily dose of
coffee and Wifi connection, found the library where Duffy would spend
time working on tax returns for Kurt's business, located the Subway
for our every-other-day dinner of salad and all the fixin's for
later, took a nap back in our “Baby Beluga,” and hiked to the top
of Huckleberry Hill for the Old Presidio View (Pam). For the most
part we followed our GPS as “Miss Direction” lost us on the maze
of streets remaining from the early days. We drove around in a lot of
circles, finding the same streets from every angle imaginable.
The
highlight of my day was my climb to the top of Huckleberry Hill where
the Veterans Memorial Park is located. The trail lead up the hill
between a fenced-off military facility on one side and a fenced-off
residential area on the other. As I looked up, the top seemed
insurmountable. A dirt path led uphill to a series of steps which
turned out to number 185 (yes, I counted them.) I took my time,
several breaks for breath and rest. At the last step, I again faced a
dirt path, steeper this time, continuing up the hill. Determination
carried me forward to the top, where a series of named paths took off
in different directions. I navigated the Summit Path for a short
distance until I satisfied myself that I had reached the summit. Had
I continued in the direction I climbed uphill (west? South?), I would
have had spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. Instead, I found
breaks in the pines and Eucalyptus trees to the east/north (?) that
afforded equally spectacular views of Monterey Bay and the city
below. It was hard to tear myself away from the beauty of the place.
We
will definitely need to return, to take the downtown historic walking
tour, and maybe a guided one as well. We would especially like to see
how many birds, familiar and new-to-us, we can find.
Until
next time...Pam and Duffy
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