Our first day in Monterey, we headed straight for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It felt more like I was purchasing a ticket for Disney World upon entering, but once inside I was very impressed. We arrived just in time to watch the sea otters enjoy a meal before checking out the rest of the aquarium. Easton’s favorite thing here seemed to be a gigantic tank that had a viewing area the size of the entire wall. It was full of fish, sharks, and turtles, etc. I kept wondering if the sharks were in charge of over population or maybe they just fed them all really well? They had special viewing events at most of the stations and lots of interactive activities for the kids. I could definitely see getting an annual pass if we lived there.

After barely making it out of the aquarium without buying a stuffed animal at one of the half dozen gift shops, we walked a few blocks to downtown Monterey and enjoyed the view before choosing a place for lunch. Then we were off for a short drive to the boardwalk at Santa Cruz beach. Logan had actually been here before and was looking forward to showing it to Easton. We were a little sad that the rides weren’t in service until the weekend with kids being in school, but we salvaged our time by getting some ice cream and eating it on the beach. I could definitely see this being the trendy social spot for the teens in the area.

After we finished exploring the boardwalk, we hopped in the car and drove back to Monterey just in time to take a sailboat ride before sunset.

Monterey is a beautiful seaside town complete with nautical flare and sea lions everywhere you looked.

Easton really enjoyed his first sailboat ride.

But then he got cold and it was time to eat! Our poor weary sailor.

We ended the night with another great seafood meal on the pier, watching the boats come into the harbor and the sunset. We definitely met our quota for seafood on this trip!

On the final day of our trip, we headed down Hwy 1 to Big Sur. It was very hazy and definitely not perfect picture taking weather, but it was still beautiful to see. God is pretty amazing! I kept telling Logan that if I lived here, I would grab a seafood chowder bread bowl and come down here to eat everyday! There were several different viewing spots, so we took our time and stopped at several different ones to stretch our legs and see the sights.

Can you spy Logan and Easton?

Many artists were set up along the trails painting the beautiful landscape. It was fun peeking over their shoulders and seeing what each one was drawing.

We hiked out a little ways at one of the many state parks along Hwy 1.

Bixby bridge.

Our little nature lover stretching his legs and stopping to admire the view.

Lucky for Logan, there were a ton of spots to stop and take pictures.

We pulled over and ate a quick sandwich lunch by the water before making it the rest of the way home that evening. Hwy 1 would definitely be considered taking the scenic route, but I’m so glad we did and can now mark it off our California bucket list. Big Sur did not disappoint!

Our first official California road trip is in the books, or blog as I’d like to say! Thanks for sharing in our adventures!