The Coastie Life: A Rainy Weekend Escape

Recently, the Coastie and I went to Monterey and Carmel, California. We knew that we were in need of some time away from our everyday stressors. The past four or five months have been exhausting. We really wanted time for just the two of us, to be away from home and work, and just BE in a new place with each other. We love exploring and traveling, but with only a weekend available to us, we had to stick pretty close to home. We chose Monterey and Carmel because they are such beautiful, peaceful, and friendly towns.

We stayed in Pacific Grove - a tiny little place in between Monterey and Carmel. Unfortunately for us, our weekend away coincided with the Pro Am Golf Tournament. This tournament is probably one of the biggest tourist attractions and cash flow for the area. So we definitely did NOT stick out like sore thumbs as tourists! It was also the last days of the "Community Appreciation" days put on by Carmel, so a lot of the attractions were free to the local residents (i.e. the Monterey Bay Aquarium).

Plus, it rained the entire weekend! The Coastie and I have desperately missed rain during this drought in California. Rain also reminds us of home, family, and the Great Smoky Mountains. We didn't let a little rain damper our spirits! We absolutely loved it! We had to forego our idea of riding bicycles out to the Lighthouse because of the rain and a 5K run for charity that was blocking all the roads, but we still managed to do and see a lot, as well as rest and relax. Our hotel room even had a wood burning fireplace, so we got to cuddle up on the cool, rainy nights in front of the fire! It was perfect and amazing! We returned home feeling rested, connected, and rejuvenated!