Montery Escape

Favorite Vacation Moment

Monterey Bay, CA

by Kvakoc March 09, 2008

Matthew and David at the wharf - They loved the boats!

In May of 2006 we had to move becasue our landlord sold the house we were renting and then one month later in June my husband had lost his leg due to complications with his diabetes. All our summer plans ahad been cancelled and the entire family was feeling pretty wiped out emotionally and physically after dealing with all the changes brought to our lives. We needed a vacation more that anyone we knew so we decided to head to the California Coastline during my older son's fall break from school in October. We found a very nice motel just outside of Monterey to stay at . We were able to save some money by going during the off season and not staying right on the beach. Our first day we drove to the beach and let the kids play in the water. We found a little inlet were there were no waves so they could enjoy themsleves. It was also good because a boardwalk ran along side of the beach so my husband was able to take in the scene from his wheel chair. We were able to walk to the wharf where there were many cute little shops and restaurants. We got quite a kick our of all the restaurant owners offering free samples of "the best clam chowder ever" each claiming theirs was the best. When we found the one we truly did think was the best we stopped for my favorite dish - clam chowder in a bread bowl. We left there and took a drive out to a historical lgihthouse. The boys had never seen a real lighthouse so they were thrilled. We then headed back to the motel to relax for the evening. The next day we went to The Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was so exciting to see the looks on the boys' faces as they discovered sea life that htye never had seen before. The aquarium was very handicapp friendly so my husband was able to fully enjoy the exhibits as well. We spent hours in the aqwuarium just taking it all in. After the aquarium we drove along the scenic coastline and headed to picnic grounds along the beach for an early picnic dinner. We sat there watching the waves and just enjoying being a family. The waves seemed to wash away all the anxiety and stress we had had over the past few months and as we drove home the next day we felt like we could tackle whatever life dishes out to us.