The hills are alive… April is peak wildflower season in Monterey County-and the 50th Annual Wildflower Show April 15-17 in Pacific Grove is a rare opportunity to view over 600 varieties at one of largest such shows in the world.
This Golden Anniversary event, held at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, will feature the wildflowers of the California central coast as well as basket weaving demonstrations, sketching classes, lectures, and arts-and-crafts for kids.
WILDFLOWER WALKS AT POINT LOBOS
Meanwhile, everything’s coming up Eschscholzia californica (California poppies) at Point Lobos, where the Monterey Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society will lead an easy four-mile “Peak of Wildflower Season” walk on April 20. For more info, or to make a reservation call (831) 375-7777.
NEED A PLACE TO STAY IN PACIFIC GROVE (WHILE PERUSING POSIES)?
Sea otters, seals, tidepools, pocket beaches and a mile-long coastal trail…
If you love the beach, look no further than this 4 bedroom/3 bath beauty just one block from the white sand dunes of Asilomar State Beach.
You may have heard about the catastrophic road failure on Highway One south of Carmel (photo) but due to a rockslide further south near Limekiln State Park on March 24, about forty miles of Highway One on the Big Surcoast were closed briefly to all traffic.
However, as of March 26, Caltrans announced a plan to open one lane of Highway 1 at the site of the southern slide for an hour at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and then continuously overnight beginning at 6 p.m. The highway isstill closed at Rocky Creek in the north, and may be impassable for another month.
Due to the highway closure, the May 1stBig Sur International Marathonwill take place on an alternate “out and back” course. This newly created course will begin just before the Carmel River Bridge and head south on Highway One to a turnaround point in the vicinity of Rocky Creek Bridge, and will detour through Point Lobos State Park on the return trip.
Marathon organizers are encouraging participants who had planned to stay in Big Sur to secure alternate accommodations in Monterey, Pacific Grove, Seaside or Carmel. Meanwhile, we are extremely happy to report that it looks like some sunny weather is coming our way this week! For up to date highway info, call Caltrans toll-free hotline at 888.836.0866.
The next morning, Pamela Burns (now there’s a good Irish lass), owner of Monterey’s Wild Plum Café and Bakery (731 Munras Ave in Monterey) will serve St. Patrick’s Day Scones (currant with lemon curd – yum!), Irish Soda Bread, and of course, Corned Beef with Cabbage.
That evening, Great Big Sea (“two parts Irish Rovers crossed with AC/DC”) will deliver a tsunami of music when they take the stage at the beautiful Sunset Center at Ninth and San Carlos in Carmel-By-the-Sea:
Meanwhile, Fandango Restaurantat 223 17th Street in Pacific Grove will offer a wee bit of Irish tradition: Irish Stew or Corned Beef and Cabbage for $17.95, and two special $5 “green” drinks: Midori Cosmopolitan or Midori Sours. St. Paddy’s Day diners will also be invited to enter a drawing for a “mini-pot of gold:” a $50 gift certificate.
And for a real local pub experience, well, you can’t beat the Mucky Duck, 479 Alvarado, Monterey. Voted Best Singles Bar for fourteen years in a row, the Mucky Duck has indoor and outdoor fireplaces, a full bar, flat screens, dartboards, dancing, and Happy Hour everyday from 4-7pm ($3 draft beers, $3 well drinks, and 50% off appetizers).
Your family just might break into song once you learn to make authentic pasta and pizza at Cantinetta Luca in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea:
Pizza Secrets Class
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
March 24, May 26
Pasta Secrets Class
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
April 21, June 23
In these hands-on, 90-minute classes, you’ll learn:
PIZZA: proper heat, making great dough, shaping the pizza, different styles (and everything else you want to know about the world’s favorite food).
PASTA: how to make great dough, different types of pasta and pasta machines, cooking times and procedures, and recipes for dressing the perfected pasta.
Maximum 10 people per class, so make your reservation now. $50 per person plus tax and 18% service fee.
And if you need accommodations in Carmel (and a place to test those new recipes) consider “Bay Laurel,” a new, “old world” cottage with a gourmet kitchen, a Viking six burner range, a lovely outdoor patio and a Mediterranean garden.
On March 26 at the Big Sur 2011 “Mud Run” – a five mile loop on roads and trails beginning and ending at Freeman Stadium on the Cal State University Monterey Bay campus.
This challenging course includes hills, water, obstacles, a tunnel crawl, five-foot wall, and fourmud pits. Showers are provided at the finish, and there’s a free beer station along the way… talk about a “fun run!”
The race is limited to 1,000 individuals and 300 teams – participants can pre-register at http://www.bigsurmudrun.org/
50th ANNUAL WILDFLOWER SHOW
NEED A PLACE TO STAY IN PACIFIC GROVE (WHILE PERUSING POSIES)?
You may have heard about the catastrophic road failure on Highway One south of Carmel (photo) but due to a rockslide further south near Limekiln State Park on March 24, about forty miles of Highway One on the Big Sur coast were closed briefly to all traffic.
Roller Derby at Fort Ord – the newest entertainment on the Monterey Peninsula!
On March 26 at the Big Sur 2011 “Mud Run” – a five mile loop on roads and trails beginning and ending at Freeman Stadium on the Cal State University Monterey Bay campus.