4/30/2000 The Big Sur Walk
I was not quite up to doing a real marathon--at least not this year, so
Theresa and I decided to do the 10.6 miles walk version of the Big Sur
International Marathon ( http://www.bsim.org/
).
We always heard good thing about Highlands Inn at Carmel Highlands ( http://www.redshift.com/~hinn/index.html
), which is about 4 miles south of Carmel By the Sea. We decided to stay here. I
think we were spoiled by Kea Lani in Maui. We were disappointed with the room.
The furnishings looked very dated. The next morning Theresa had a lot of problems
even turning on the shower. I guess next time we will try out the Tickle Pink
Inn ( http://www.ticklepink.com/
) next door.
However, we were impressed by the view of the ocean. We could
even hear the sound of the crashing surf.
It was a pity that Theresa and I did not bring our swim suit. Check out the view
from this jacuzzi!
The swimming looked very inviting also.
While Theresa was disappointed by our room #519, she was impressed by the public
areas.
The highlight of the evening was our wine and dining experience at the Pacific's
Edge restaurant.
Instead of carbo loading for our big walk next morning, we decided to go for the
5-course chef's dinner. Lobster bisque was strong, creamy, and delicious.
I was in love with this fresh crab cake salad with bloody oranges.
We were really entertained by the wedding taking place right below.
The third course was a velvety shelled lobster. Scrumptious.
I never say no to Muscovy duck breast.
We capped the evening off with a puffed pastry dessert and also ice cream.
The view from our seat was also grand.
A Pacific sunset was included free of charge :-)
What a meal!
We were especially impressed by the roaring fire in the lobby.
Theresa was contemplating about the fact that the next morning she had to wake
up at 4am! Ironically it was I who had problems sleeping at night due to the big
meal that I had and also these people right above us on the third floor making
all sorts of creaky noises all through the night. Believe me, I was a cranky guy
when I finally got up at 4am!
The Big Sur Walk
We got a
ride from our shuttle bus from the Carmel Middle School to the Rocky
Point.
We were
ready to start our adventure.
This was
the official starting point of the 10.6 miles walk.
The sun was rising slowly.
Before the official start some people waited for some coffee, and we waited to
use the bathroom. We waited, we waited. At least we got to meet a few
people from Germany near Cologne. There were 5 walkers traveling with 33 other
people who were running in the marathon. This truly was an international
marathon. We then gave up when the walk officially started with a air pistol.
Off we go with the mass of humanity at 10 minutes to 7.
We definitely enjoyed a beautiful sunny day along the Central California Coast.
The weather was perfect.
Along the way we were encouraged by some of the musical groups.
More beautiful scenery. We even heard the barking of seal lions in the distance.
We were especially impressed by these million-dollars home along the coast. Do
you believe that this house actually had grass on top of the roof?!
Here was one of the aid stations. We had some water and Gatorade.
A spectacular house at Carmel Highlands with a ocean-side swimming pool and a
fantastic view of an intimate cove.
Here was the marathon man heading toward the finish line.
The brass quintet motivated the runners and walkers for the final push.
We walked past the Point Lobos State Reserve.
A couple of more miles to go here at the Carmel River Beach.
There were some serious and not-so-serious signs along the way. Here was the
sign for the "Last Fuguen Hill!" :-)
The course was great. The volunteers were great. The scenery was great. Not so
great was the bathroom situation. At the beginning of the walk we waited for
more than 15 minutes. We then skipped past all these other places that had huge
lines. It was a miracle to finally find a place without lines.
Only 1 more mile!
Being such a competitive person, Theresa did not wait for me to cross the finish
line. She left me in the dust as I took this picture :-)
We made it! It took us slightly more than 3 hours to go for 10 miles. Frankly
Theresa and I were not really that tired. We were ready to walk some more. It
was finished so quickly--now we know why there were three other possible detours
in order to lengthen our walk.
We drank and ate heartily. There were a lot of healthy snacks, fruits, etc. They
treated us very nicely.
Another successal conclusion to another adventure. Theresa and I both agreed
that we will return in the near future. Who knows? Maybe I'll do the half
marathon next year!
