Coastal confessions and Monterey’s 17-mile drive

While traveling up to the ACWA convention in Monterey this week, I spent an hour on the 17 mile drive.  It costs you $10 to drive down this road, something I was very indignant when I was here two years before, so I decided I would just suck it up, pay the $10, and take the drive.
Monterey 17 Mile Drive  May 2014 #13I have a confession to make.  This will probably get me kicked out of the ‘I Love California’ club – or at least the Southern California chapter, but I am very uninspired, photographically speaking, with the coastline.

Monterey 17 Mile Drive  May 2014 #15It’s rocks, sand, and waves …

Monterey 17 Mile Drive  May 2014 #17

Sand, rocks, waves … trees in the distance …Monterey 17 Mile Drive  May 2014 #22More rock, sand, waves … yay. Monterey 17 Mile Drive  May 2014 #25There were a few variations along the drive.  Here, those bumps on the rock out in the ocean are birds, but they are so far away.  I’m uninspired to get my other camera lens out …

Monterey 17 Mile Drive  May 2014 #21There’s a golf course here – world famous Pebble Beach.

Monterey 17 Mile Drive  May 2014 #6 Monterey 17 Mile Drive  May 2014 #9The iconic image, perhaps the one that’s worth the $10, is “The Lone Tree”:

Monterey 17 Mile Drive  May 2014 The Lone Tree #30Although, it’s not exactly ‘alone’ … It’s just the one enshrined in bricks, a little bit farther away than the other trees, and used as some corporate logo at one point …

Monterey 17 Mile Drive  May 2014 The Lone Tree #35It is pretty here, though.  Hey, look, more rocks and waves, but at least there’s a cliff …

Monterey 17 Mile Drive  May 2014 The Lone Tree #37I suppose if you want to photograph the not-so-alone Lone Tree for $10, take the drive.  Else, I think you can get as good – if not better – pictures just driving the public access part of the coast.  Here are my pictures from Monterey not on the 17-mile drive that I took the last time I was here:

Monterey Peninsula: A short stop for some photos

So long from Monterey!