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CARMEL BY THE SEA

— And a few stops along the way—

Story by Cory Maryott February 10th, 2015

DAY TRIP TOwards CARMEL

In search of adventure, some friends and I hopped in the car and headed down the coast for a day trip. The eight of us planned to check out Point Lobos, only two and half hours south of San Francisco. We ended up making a few excellent stops along the way, and found ourselves catching the sunset in Carmel before heading home.

—Check out the promotional video I shot for this story (you can view in HD on Vimeo):

Verve Coffee Roasters, Santa Cruz

VERVE COFFEE ROASTERS

All great adventures start with coffee, so about an hour down the coast we stopped in Santa Cruz to fill up at Verve. The space is beautifully lit, has ample seating and of course the coffee was delicious.

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The cafe has plenty of outdoor seating as well
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We stopped for lunch at Gayle's Bakery

GAyle's Bakery

Cameron was quite adamant about stopping at Gayle’s for lunch, and we were all really glad we did. Gayle’s offers a ton of options for lunch, everything from mini baguette sandwiches and deviled eggs, to mac-and-cheese and squash soup. Though a lot of the food is perfect for picnicking, we opted to eat in.

The interior is cozy, and could easily be described as deli meets bakery meets grandma’s house. Many of the walls were adorned with decorative porcelain plates and with bright colored curtains. The food was great and the atmosphere was warm and inviting.

So much to choose from
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Don't miss your number when they call!
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'Just like grandma used make'
The rocky shore at Point Lobos

Point Lobos

After lunch we drove onward to Point Lobos. The rocky shore was beautiful, but it wasn’t long before we were greeted by the fog.

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The fog was quick to greet us.

The fog rolled in quickly. The landscape took on a somewhat eerie atmosphere, and suddenly it was as if we were exploring another planet. Over the years, the tides have carved out spectacular craters in the rock, creating a contrast of smooth and gritty surfaces.

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(worried for Cam's safety)
Eza on the cliff
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Escaping the fog a bit on 17 Mile Drive

Lone Cypress

In attempt to escape the fog and the cold at Point Lobos, we headed back north towards Carmel. On the way we went into the 17 Mile Drive for a bit, making a stop at the iconic Lone Cypress.

Quite frankly, Eza was more interesting than the lone tree.

Eza strikes a pose with Peedan
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The Lone Cypress
Catching the sunset in Carmel

Sunset in Carmel

On our way home we stopped to catch the sunset in Carmel. The sky cast beautiful reflections on the wet sands. All in all it was a perfect end to an amazing adventure.

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Sometimes ya' gotta get your feet wet to get the shot.
Footnote: Check out #BrunchClubByTheSea on Instagram for everyone else's photos from the trip. Don't miss my next story—hit subscribe to stay in touch.
Carmel, CA, United States