17 Mile Drive

Matt had no desire for more car time after all the (beautiful) hours in the car on the 4th. However, one of his goals on this trip was to play 9 holes at Pebble Beach. Barring that (see below), I told him that I would see to it that we would drive by the course. It is located on 17 Mile Drive, home to the Lone Cypress. So, he acted as navigator and we entered at the Pacific Grove entrance and drove all around it, bypassed the Carmel entrance and drove back by another route. I actually caught him gaping at some of the homes along the way!

Spyglass golf course as seen from 17 Mile Drive along the Monterey Bay.

Note the Monterey Cypress: the trees that nephew Luke says "grow sideways"!

Typical rocks and water along Monterey Bay

One of the things that Matt promised Andrew was that he would bring him some "California sand".

So, he went down to the beach along Monterey Bay and gathered some sand for his brother!

The Lone Cypress

The Lone Cypress and me

Matt Lee and the Lone Cypress

Matt is framed by one of the ghost trees of 17 Mile Drive.
These are the trees that are weather-beaten by the winds that come off the ocean.

While I was, er, indisposed, Matt played with the camera.

Here is his interpretation of some Juniper berries at the Pebble Beach Golf Course
The same berries from which Gin is made!
I still like his "eye" with the camera.
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Matt really wanted to go to Pebble Beach to play golf. I told him, simply, NO.

But WHY, Mom?

It's too expensive and you are just a beginner, Matt. No offense, but NO.

How expensive, Mom?

How much do you think?

$50?

Nope, more. LOTS more.

$100?

HA! LOTS more...

How could it be more than that?!

I know. I was shocked too. It's $500.

WHAT?!?! No way.

Way. And, that's not all. It's not just the greens fees. It's that you have to stay at the Pebble Beach Club for at least one night if you want to play golf on their course and it costs a minimum of $500 per night to stay there. So, for you to play NINE holes at Pebble Beach it would cost a minimum of $1000. So, NO.

What we did get to do was park in the public parking and peruse some of the Golf Course chi chi shops. Matt used his own money to buy a rag, er, golf towel for his bag....he had thought that he might use his $29 to buy a tee shirt or some such thing, but the least expensive golf shirt he found was $94. The golf towel was very cool, had the PB Lone Cypress logo on it and he can now show it off for his last two golf days back in Painesville! Cool Matt...and it "only" cost him $25...for a towel....sigh....

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Tomorrow: on to San Francisco