Greenfield California in Monterey County

So if you were wondering where the produce section of your grocery store comes from, it’s Monterey county California. If it grows in the ground, we either saw it, smelled it, or ate it. As fresh as the steaks were in Texas, that’s how fresh the lettuce is in Greenfield. One day I was up at sunrise walking Mollie with nothing but the wafting smell of cilantro. We drove through towns that only grow artichokes and a town that only grows garlic…Gilroy, CA.

Although we spent 2 weeks there, our little family was apart a fair amount. As a result, we did things in the area as much as possible when we were all together. The first full day there we headed to Pinnacles National Park for a great hike and some much needed fresh air. Another amazing National Park we got to visit on this journey.

On day two we ventured out to the Monterey Aquarium. I hadn’t been in years and Kimberly had never been so it was a good first stop. It truly is an amazing place…albeit a bit too crowded for my liking. After several hours we found a great spot for lunch and people watching.

Kimberly traveled mid-week through Saturday so Mollie and I spent our first day alone together walking Carmel Beach. I was surprised at how fearless the little puppers climbed the rocks and played in the surf…well until the unexpected wave got us. We got soaked and sandy before enjoying our picnic overlooking the ocean. As soon as we returned to Yolo, the tired pup passed out. Unfortunately, I was abruptly awakened by the smell of salty/seaweed dog. GROSS!! I bathed the stinky puppers.

I found and booked a flight to Philly to, in some way, try to sort through the information I was getting about Catherine via family group texts and the few phone calls I was able to have with her. So, I got Mollie comfortable, I packed my bags and parked the TOAD at the Monterey airport. Kimberly landed a few hours later and jumped in the car and headed back to Yolo, seamlessly.

The visit was as hard as I expected and all I could hope for was to be helpful and strong.

When I got back to Monterey it was hard to function for a day. I did a coast to coast, round trip, in a 5 day period. But we squeezed in a day trip to the Santa Cruz boardwalk and found a dog friendly pub before leaving our perfect spot at Yanks RV resort.