It’s been some twenty years since I last went on a trip with just my mom and me. I was about 19 years old then and it was before I married Frans, had a child, and my mom got remarried. Every time we traveled together since that time was with other family members. But, when Buick asked me to bring a guest along for a 3-day, 2-night visit to Monterey, CA, I decided to invite my mom. And, guess what? She immediately said “Yes!” So, I hopped into the 2018 Buick Enclave I was reviewing for the week and embarked on an epic, and long overdue, mother-daughter road trip to Monterey!
Embarking on Our Mother-Daughter Road Trip to Monterey, CA
I have to admit that I was kind of nervous about our trip. When you travel with family, it can either go really well or… not. It turned out that I had nothing to worry about as we had a fantastic time together. In fact, we did nothing but talk during the entire two-hour drive down to Monterey. I don’t even remember exactly what we talked about as it was nothing deep or earth-shattering. We simply enjoyed one another’s company with a stress-free chat along the way. We didn’t even have any music on!
Later, we found out that the Buick Enclave has QuietTuning. This innovation includes active noise cancellation and helps reduce, block, and absorb noise. This aided in our ease of conversation. We were able to chatter away without having to strain our ears or raise our voices over the road noise. This was pretty remarkable since my mom sometimes has a hard time hearing but she was fine during our ride.
Monterey Mother-Daughter Road Trip — Carmel Valley Ranch
Before we knew it, we had already arrived at our destination (thanks to the built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi and Apple CarPlay). We checked in at Carmel Valley Ranch in Carmel, CA and picked up our room keys. A valet driver then took us over to the one-bedroom suite we were going to stay in for the next two nights.
What a beautiful, quiet, and spacious room! Too bad we couldn’t spend more time relaxing in our room or soaking in the saltwater pool and hot tub during our visit. At least we were able to take in the meticulously manicured grounds while watching wild deer and turkeys roam around.
Mother-Daughter Road Trip — Getting to Know the 2018 Buick Enclave
We met up with the other event guests in the evening and had dinner together. The next morning, during breakfast, there was an introduction to the Buick lineup. We also received more information about the Enclave vehicles we were all driving.
The 2018 Buick Enclave represents the image shift of the brand. Buick now aims to be smart, sleek, and stylish with features that appeal to a broader target audience. Starting at $40,000, Buick Enclave owners can experience luxe materials and features but at a lower price point. So what does that mean in layman’s terms? The 2018 Buick Enclave looks good, offers a smooth ride, is loaded with tech, and you don’t have to be retired to look good driving in one! Oh, and I loved, loved, loved the Rear View Camera in the rear view mirror — so clever!
Beekeepers for the Day at Carmel Valley Ranch
Next, it was time to jump in the car and head over to our first activity of the day — beekeeping! The hives were actually on the resort property so it only took a couple of minutes to get there. Wow, I had no idea that honey bees are so fascinating! I’ll have to tell you more about that in a separate post since there is too much awesomeness to fit in this one. We then suited up to get up close and personal with the honey bees. In case you’re wondering, it wasn’t scary at all.
The experienced beekeepers were very careful and the bees didn’t seem to mind us at all. When the beekeeper pulled out the first tray, the queen bee happened to be on it! Out of thousands of bees, the chances of getting a tray with the queen on it, and on the first try, was pretty shocking.
Lunch at Rocky Point Restaurant in Monterey was a bit further away but the view was worth it!
Checking Off Mom’s Bucket List — Kayaking
When I first invited to this event, Buick gave me a list of four activities to choose from for the afternoon part of our trip. Choices included kayaking or visiting Cannery Row, Big Sur, or a local lighthouse. I thought, for sure, that my mom wouldn’t want to kayak. So, I called her up to see which of the other three places she wanted to visit during our mother-daughter trip. But, when I asked her about it, she said, “You know, I’ve ALWAYS wanted to go kayaking!” It turns out that kayaking has been on her bucket list for forever but she never had the opportunity to try it. I almost fell off my chair laughing when I heard that. Who knew?!
When I asked her about it, she said, “You know, I’ve ALWAYS wanted to go kayaking!”
So, that’s what we did. We drove to Moss Landing to kayak. Since it was my mom’s first time, the owner suggested that we take a tandem kayak. This made it much easier for my mom, who was in the front. I, on the other hand, flexed muscles I didn’t know I had while trying to steer the kayak.
It was a wonderful experience, though. We loved seeing all the seals, pelicans, and sea otters. Yes, sea otters! There were several of them but, unfortunately, the current caused them to float away from us. It made me so happy that I could help my mom check this off her bucket list and that I could enjoy it together with her.
Savoring Our Monterey Mother-Daughter Road Trip in the 2018 Buick Enclave
With such a full day, we slept very well that night. Checkout wasn’t until 12 pm so took advantage of the extra time to sleep in and eat a leisurely breakfast in our room. So relaxing! But, all things must come to an end. It was time for us pack up the 2018 Buick Enclave and drive home. Even that was enjoyable, though.
Both my mom and I had a phenomenal trip together! It was quite an interesting experience to travel with my mom now that we’re both older and our circumstances have changed. The dynamics between us changed so much. We were able to interact, not as parent and child, but as two adult women. I was able to see a different side of my mom and she was able to talk casually without having to be “the mom.” Plus, she loved the fact that I was the one taking care of everything and all she had to do was sit back and relax. I’m so glad we had the chance to share this short but memorable adventure with one another! If you ever able to get away for a mother-daughter trip as an adult, I highly recommend it. 🙂
My mom and I were invited on an all-expense paid road trip with a loaned vehicle for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
2 comments
Loved seeing your Mom on the trip. So sweet. I can’t imagine going kayaking with my Mom. lol. Looks like you both had a great time.
Aww, thank you! It was pretty special to be able to do this trip with her and, yes, the fact that she wanted to kayak and did it with ease blew my mind!
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