You've flown to the mountains to ski and hike up where the air is crystal clear. You've landed beside mountain lakes. You've flown to California's gold country and eaten lunch in a motel that was built before your grandfather was born. Now it's time to set your course for a part of California that's known the world over for its fine dining, golf, unique and tasteful shops, world-class accommodations, and stunning scenery. The Monterey Peninsula is absolutely one of the best destinations in the world, and nearby are two airports — Monterey Peninsula Airport and Marina Municipal Airport.
Where?
Monterey County is situated on California's central coast with its northern border approximately 100 miles south of San Francisco and its southern border about 200 miles north of Los Angeles. The 99 miles of coastline is called "one of the most beautiful meetings of land and sea in the world."
The Monterey Peninsula
A unique meeting of rugged shores, abundant wildlife, and cosmopolitan villages, the Monterey Peninsula is full of sights to see and things to do.
There's a comfortable willingness among the residents of the towns that nestle on the peninsula — Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Pacific Grove — to share the bounty of this remarkable area with others. Visitors will find that there is more than enough beauty and hospitality to go around. The variety of the peninsula is almost endless — an example of this variety can be illustrated by taking a look at two local golf courses.
Visiting golfers can imagine teeing it up in the U.S. Open championship by reserving a tee time at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Although the greens fees are among the highest in the country, this beautiful course is the ultimate golf destination in a region of fine golf courses. If the quarterly dividends are off a little, you can play a great seaside round of golf at nearby Pacific Grove Municipal Golf Links for one-tenth of the cost of a round at Pebble Beach.
Concours d'Elegance and the Butterfly Festival
One of the reasons that visitors return again and again to the peninsula is the tremendous diversity of the local activities.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium on Cannery Row opens the undersea wonderland of Monterey Bay to the two-legged air-breathers of the planet.
Monterey also features historic sites such as the Larkin House, California's first theater, the San Carlos Cathedral, and the Robert Louis Stevenson house. A maritime museum is located at the Custom House Plaza. Small children will be excited by a visit to Dennis the Menace Playground.
Pacific Grove is known for the Point Pinos Lighthouse, Lover's Point, and the Museum of Natural History. Each fall, the annual migration of Monarch butterflies arrives, and Pacific Grove becomes "Butterfly Town" for a few months, hosting the Butterfly Festival to celebrate the insects' return. The splendor of the rocky coast can be seen at Point Lobos State Reserve, located a few miles south of Carmel-by-the-Sea on Highway 1. Picnic areas are dotted throughout the reserve; deer roam the fields; and hiking trails lead to local sights such as Whaler's Cove, Bird Island, and Sea Lion Point.
In the late summer of 2003 the 53rd Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance will be held — some of the world's rarest and most beautiful examples of the automotive arts will be on display.
And so it goes — horse shows and equestrian championships comingle on the calendar with Kite Days and music festivals. There's no shortage of variety for every palette and pocketbook. A listing of local activities can be found on the Web ( www.monterey.com).
Monterey Peninsula Airport
Class C airspace extends out from the center of the Monterey Peninsula Airport for 10 miles. Arriving pilots should contact Monterey Approach Control for sequencing when they're within 20 miles of the airport.
The Monterey airport is the primary airport for the peninsula, although Marina Municipal Airport, which is smaller, is only six miles to the northeast. As a rule, it's more expensive to fly into the Monterey airport than it is to land at Marina. This drawback is countered by the fact that the Monterey airport is closer to peninsula attractions and rental cars are available on the field. Marina airport is served by Enterprise and Hertz car rentals. If reservations are made at least one day in advance these companies will try to meet arriving pilots.
Although the Marina airport is under the outer ring of the Monterey Class C airspace the base of the outer ring is 2,500 feet, so there's no need to "sneak" into Marina. Approach control will provide traffic advisories in the Marina area.
Marina Airport Manager R. Steven Johnston wants everyone to know that Marina is "no longer a military airport — the Army turned over the airport to the city in 1995." Overnight tiedown fees are $5 a night, but Johnston said that visitors staying longer than four days can take advantage of the $19 monthly fee and "we'll supply the ropes."
Both Monterey airport and Marina airport have restaurants on the field for those who are looking for new $100 hamburger destinations.
Art abounds in Carmel
In addition to the many sightseeing, hiking, and historical attractions around the peninsula, wonderfully varied shopping experiences at exclusive and unique shops draw visitors to this corner of the state. Some of the finest art galleries in California are located up and down the streets of Carmel-by-the-Sea.
It's very easy to spend all day wandering through the village of Carmel, which is really a toy store for grown-up tastes. During our most recent visit, my wife and I bought a pound of Kookaburra licorice, a rare treat from Australia, at the Cottage of Sweets. Licorice lovers will understand.
With Christmas approaching, we looked for and found the perfect puzzle for a two-year-old nephew and a great outdoor book for a brother. Christmas shopping was our excuse for the trip, but we really went because this peninsula is one of our favorite places.
During our stroll through Carmel we learned about the plein-air school of impressionist painting and found, to our delight, that gallery owners and artists were happy to talk about the different pieces they were displaying.
After a few hours of gallery gazing, we turned a corner and came upon a wonderful café that took good care of us by providing healthy food, tasty desserts, and revitalizing cups of coffee. There are many such places on the peninsula.
A long and fulfilling day
A typical day on the peninsula might start with an early tee time at one of the many public golf courses. As he tries again to tame the flight of the dimpled orb, she ventures forth to visit a few of her favorite shops. At noon, they meet for a light lunch, before deciding to take in the sights along 17-Mile Drive. Wishing they had rented a convertible they cruise along, oohhing and ahhhing at the beautiful homes and the emerald-green fairways of the seaside golf courses sculpted along the edges of the shore.
After viewing the best work of human architects, they drive south to Point Lobos State Reserve to view the work of the heavenly architect. There they de-car and spend the afternoon walking along paths that follow the wild shorelines before turning inland to weave among the pines. Harbor seals bask in the sun, deer watch from nearby, and squirrels bark out the afternoon news as they follow the meandering trail. Soon the sun is setting and another day on the Monterey Peninsula is almost over. Like most visitors to this place where the best of man and nature mingle close together, they'll be back soon.
E-mail the author at [email protected].
Links to additional information about the Monterey Peninsula may be found on AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/pilot/links.shtml).
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