17-Mile Drive Attraction Is A Symbol Of The Monterey Bay Area
One of the landmarks of California – as iconic to this area as the Hollywood sign is to Los Angeles and the Golden Gate Bridge is to San Francisco – has taken a hit.
Not from vandals or selfie-seeking Instagrammers (thank goodness) but from nature. The Lone Cypress tree in Pebble Beach, CA, was damaged during a winter storm. The famous tree – featured in movies and symbol of Pebble Beach Golf Links – has lost one of its three major limbs.
Ironically, it happened during the AT&T Pebble Beach ProAm golf tournament (the course will host the 2019 U.S. Open June 13-16) during a wild and weird storm in which it actually hailed during one of the rounds. There was also wind and rain and the 250-year-old tree took the worst of it.
Despite the damage, The Pebble Beach Company said an arborist has recently examined the Lone Cypress and confirmed it is “healthy and remains secure on its rocky perch.”
The tree is perched on a rock along one of the most scenic spots on the California coast. It’s a major destination for tourists along the 17-mile drive, a curvy and spectacular road that goes through Pebble Beach between Monterey and Carmel. The drive, which costs $10.75 per vehicle, is one of the top things to do for visitors in this area.
You can ride a bike along it for no entrance fee and that is how I saw it the last time a couple of years ago. I got a bike from Blazing Saddles on Cannery Row in Monterey and rode with a few local friends to the Lone Cypress, where we stopped and – like dozens of others – took pictures, selfies and marveled at the ancient tree and surrounding beauty.
So the tree was damaged and it looks different now. It’s just nature and it may look even different in the future as that limb regrows or some other natural change happens to it. It’s still there and is still an attraction for locals and tourists.
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