Rugged beauty in the Central Coast

For our first vacation together, my husband (then boyfriend) and I went to California's Central Coast in late winter to explore the one of the most ruggedly beautiful places in the world.

Our trip began in the San Francisco Bay Area. We enjoyed lunch with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge through the large floor-to-ceiling windows of The Spinnaker restaurant in Sausalito. We then worked off our food walking through the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Fisherman's Wharf and the beautiful Victorian homes on tree-lined streets.

Then we were off to the Monterey Peninsula. Our home base was at the Sandpiper Inn, a most charming bed and breakfast tucked away on a quiet street in Carmel. The innskeeper serves an organic breakfast every morning, and tea and cookies in the afternoon. There are no TVs in the room, but we didn't need it. Every morning we woke up to the sound of waves crashing on the Carmel City Beach only one street away, and that was all we needed to get out of bed and out exploring.

At Cannery Row, we rented bicycles for a 14-mile ride that hugged the Monterey coast - up north to Sand City and then back south to Pacific Grove. You'll never have parking issues - it is definitely the best way to enjoy the scenery.

The Central Coast, for lack of better words, is simply beautiful. It is a place where mountain meets ocean. The drive down to Big Sur via Highway 1 is spectacularly defined by its cliffs and rugged coastline. Inland, fog banks roll into valleys and lush forests. It's easy to feel lost in them.

On the hiking agenda were the 6.4 mile hike on the Fire Road Trail to the Tin House and the short stroll to the McWay Falls overlook at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. We also headed to Los Padres National Forest, hiking the Skinner Ridge Trail to the twin summits of Devil's Peak (4137 ft) and Mount Carmel (4147 ft). It was not technically difficult, but we still gasped on the last stretch. Fog had just rolled in as we reached the summit so we missed the panoramic view of the valley below.

Our adventures had left us completely wiped out that we slept right through dinner for two nights.

We were met with a cold front on our last full day, so we opted for the easy but scenic Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, a haven for sea otters, sea lions, birds, kelp forests and more. We explored under drizzle and strong winds as the incoming storm rolled in from the ocean, bringing large waves smacking onto the rocky shore. Dramatic views at every turn.

Point Lobos has many different coves to visit. There is even a marine reserve accessible only for experienced divers. If you are visiting and don't want to stray too far away from Monterey and Carmel, you must at least visit this incredible place.

Finally, a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium proved to be a great way for us to read about and examine the ecosystems and animals that we encountered on our trip.

The natural beauty of this region is just so inspiring. We fell in love with the Central Coast that we decided to get married there eight months later.