Monterey, California

Last week, fellow Pony Meghan and I traveled the central coast of California scoping out potential adventures for an upcoming event in May for our Bota Box client. From the moment we drove onto Highway 1 in Monterey, I was in love with the region.

Monterey had great beaches for kayaking, paddle boarding, surfing and seal watching.

Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, California

Quick editor’s note: that is not a bird in every photo. That was a piece of dirt stuck to my camera lens.

We also visited Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey. It was a bit on the touristy side, but provided excellent people watching, including a man dancing in a cat suit.

Big Sur

At one point, we had to turn off the highway to check our directions (the GPS was pretty spotty throughout the drive, so next time we’ll be bringing an old-fashioned map!) and we pulled right into a lilac farm.

After passing through Monterey, we continued our drive through Carmel. We were total tourists, veering to the side of the road at every turn to check out the view. The highlight of the area was Monastery Beach.

Next it was on to Big Sur. In my opinion, this area is the most stunning region of the United States I’ve ever seen. The view of the untouched beaches against the rocky cliffs is truly breathtaking. It almost made me want to be one with the wilderness and camp. Almost.

DFV Vineyard in King City

We spent the next few nights at The Ventana Inn. Nestled in the cliffs of Big Sur, the hotel can easily be described as “rustic” luxury. Each room has its own deck, hammock, fireplace and, in Meghan’s case, a hot tub.

The next few days consisted of touring the Big Sur area and the scariest two-hour drive of my life. I have no pictures of this event, but we traveled across Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, aka the the Drive of Death. I think my knuckles are still white from the drive.

We traveled this windy tightrope of a road to get to King City, where we toured one of the vineyards owned by our client. It was fascinating to learn not only about wine production but also all the sustainability practices in place.

Pfeiffer Beach

There are many state parks in the Big Sur area, each offering unique and beautiful views, but my favorite spot was Pfeiffer Beach.

Pfeiffer Beach

After a three-mile drive down a very secluded road, when you approach Pfeiffer Beach you can’t help but squeal with excitement — or maybe that was just me. It’s been a while since this Minnesotan has seen the ocean! If someone would have given us a box of Bota, we could have sat on this beach all day.

Standard beach selfie

The entire visit was hands down one of the most scenic and adventurous business trips I’ve ever been on, and I can’t wait to go back in May!