Fri-Sunday, Jan. 24-26

Monterey, with its fabulous beaches, art museums, restaurants, Aquarium and old Spanish adobes, is famous throughout the world. These unique features combine to make it a perfect weekend holiday, slightly more than a two-hour drive from San Francisco and the Bay Area. During this three day and two night weekend we’ll sample the best of these cultural and wildlife treasures, including Elkhorn Slough for shorebirds and Sea Otters, the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, the Steinbeck Center in nearby Salinas, Pt. Lobos coastal preserve and the endless Monterey beaches. We’ll search for terns, shorebirds, Oystercatchers, Avocets, ducks, cormorants and many songbirds both inland and along the coast. A half-day ocean cruise to see whales is another option. Other potential late-afternoon sites to investigate include old Spanish churches, the Robert Louis Stevenson House, restaurants and galleries! Nature, old colonial-era architecture and marine life photographic opportunities are everywhere. World-class and beach-front resorts, hotels and Airbnb rentals blanket the area. One favorite of ours, one block from the ocean, is the Monterey Bay Lodge (831) 372-8057. Visit their website at www.montereybaylodge.com for information on rates, pool, restaurant and other amenities. See you for a weekend in paradise!