Monterey Peninsula, California

On 23 July through 5 August, I was in California visiting my brother Greg, his wife Emi, and Joyce, Gregory and Mina from Bulgaria, who rent a house for a month each summer in Pebble Beach where we grew up. Greg's daughter Carrie came down from Oakland with her twins Cami and Mica for a few days, and Emi's cousin Mitko and his daughters came from Virginia for a few days as well. We went for walks at Point Lobos, hiked up the Garrapata Canyon at Big Sur and the Garland Park canyon in Carmel Valley, had lunch at Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey, and visited with friends.
The Dahl family in California
Dahl family
Front: Greg, Gregory, Emi, Joyce, Mica; behind: Mina, me, Carrie, Cami


with friends, Palo Colorado . with friends, Palo Colorado . with friends Pebble Beach
Visting friends in Palo Colorado Canyon, Big Sur; with friends on the coast at Pebble Beach

Monterey Fishermans Wharf . Monterey Fishermans Wharf . Monterey Fishermans Wharf
Fisherman's Wharf, Monterey
Monterey Fishermans Wharf . Monterey Fishermans Wharf seals
Harbor seals waiting for the next boat to come in with fish scraps

Mother's grave . Mother's grave . Mother's grave
We stopped to say prayers at my mother's grave in Monterey

Point Lobos

Our favorite place to walk and enjoy the beautiful coastline is Point Lobos, separating Carmel Bay from the coast down to Big Sur. There are trails now to the northeast part of the park that provide access to other small coves and views across to Carmel and Pebble Beach. Sometimes the fog rolls in and blurs the outlines in soft grey light. Other times the sun brings out the colors.

Point Lobos . Point Lobos . Point Lobos succulents on a cliff
North shore of Point Lobos
Point Lobos . sea otters . sea otters
Sea otters

Point Lobos . seal and heron . seals sunning
Heron and seals
Point Lobos . seal


Point Lobos . Point Lobos . Point Lobos
North shore with fog creeping in

Point Lobos . Macrocystis . Point Lobos
Cove with seaweeds

Point Lobos . Point Lobos . Point Lobos
Beautiful red of the poison oak

hills behind Point Lobos . Point Lobos . Point Lobos 

Pebble Beach from Point Lobos . Pebble Beach from Point Lobos . Point Lobos
Views of Pebble Beach from Point Lobos; Carmel Bay and Carmelite Monastery

Point Lobos . Emi Dahl . Greg Dahl
Greg, Mina and Gregory enter the park; Emi; Greg

Point Lobos Greg Dahl . Point Lobos Emi Dahl . Greg and Arthur Dahl
Greg; Emi; Greg and me

Greg Dahl . Gregory and Greg Dahl . Joyce, Mica, Mina, Emi
Greg; father and son; the girls on the beach

Emi and Gregory Dahl . friend, Emi, Gregory, Greg Dahl . Gregory Dahl
Emi and Gregory; friend, Emi, Gregory and Greg; Gregory

Arthur and Gregory Dahl . Arthur and Gregory Dahl . Greg, Mina, Gregory 
Me with Gregory; Greg, Mina and Gregory

Mica, Emi, Joyce . Mica, Joyce, Gregory, Mina . Greg, Gregory, Joyce, Mina, Mica
Mica, Emi and Joyce; Mica, Joyce, Gregory and Mina; Greg, Gregory, Joyce, Mina and Mica
Dahl family . Gregory . on the beach
The Dahl family; Gregory; on the beach
Gregory et al . Mina . Gregory
Gregory; Mina; Gregory
family Going back home

Carmel Valley

One afternoon we went up Carmel Valley to Garland Park, to hike up a ridge and then down a canyon to a small stand of coast redwoods, and then down the dry stream bed and back to the valley bottom. With the drought in California, everything was very dry.

Garland Park . Garland Park . Garland Park
Start of the hike in Carmel Valley
Gregory and Greg . Garland Park . Greg and Gregory
Gregory and Greg at the top of the ridge; and the bottom of the canyon

Garland Park . Garland Park . Garland Park
Looking down on the redwoods from the top of the ridge; dry stream bed in the bottom of the canyon

Garland Park redwoods . Garland Park redwoods
In the redwoods

Big Sur, Garrapata Canyon

Another day we drove down highway 1 to Garrapata Park in Big Sur, where Emi, Greg, Joyce and I hiked up a canyon to another redwood grove.

Garrapata Canyon . Garrapata Canyon . Joyce on the trail
Trail up the canyon from the coast through scrub-covered hillsides: Joyce hiking with a broken toe from her ballet

Garrapata Canyon . Garrapata Canyon . Garrapata Canyon 
The lower canyon; looking back towards the sea

Garrapata Canyon . Garrapata Canyon . wildflowers
Emi and Joyce hiking further up the canyon with wildflowers

Garrapata Canyon redwoods . Garrapata Canyon redwoods . Garrapata Canyon redwoods
Redwood grove in the upper canyon

Garrapata Canyon redwoods . Garrapata Canyon redwoods . Garrapata Canyon redwoods
In the redwoods
Garrapata Canyon redwoods . Garrapata Canyon redwoods . Garrapata Canyon redwoods

Garrapata Canyon redwoods . Garrapata Canyon redwoods . me in the redwoods
Regrowth from an old cut stump; regrowth from a fallen tree; me in the redwoods

Garrapata Canyon redwoods


Return to travel 2014 page - Return to personal home page

Last updated 22 August 2014

Photographs copyright © Arthur Lyon Dahl 2014