Trip To Monterey Bay

We took a last minute overnighter to Monterey Bay. We've been trying to plan this trip for months and were so excited that we could finally pull it off. What a nice getaway! I REALLY miss living by the beach now, even though the weather was a bit cool. We never really got much sun and it was in the low 60s/high 50s. But I guess a welcome change from the 90-some-odd heat we've been having out here.

We drove the long way d0wn thru Santa Cruz, down to 17 mile drive & Pebble Beach. We were so happy to finally reach the coast! We got out and walked around the shopping area in front of The Lodge. (dont forget to click on any of the photos if you want to see them in a larger size!)


Then we went and showed Grayce the ocean!
After literally dragging Grayce away from the "wadder!!!" we continued our way on 17 mi drive. We stopped at the Lone Cypress, the icon of Pebble Beach. In a display at how rugged these cypress trees are, the Lone Cypress has been perched on granite rock, braving Pacific storms and wind for 250 years! Its really an incredible sight.


After drooling over gorgeous home after gorgeous home, we ended up at a beach next to The Links at Spanish Bay. But BRRRRRR was it chilly!!!

Walking Grayce along the beach

We got hit by some cold waves while searching for the perfect rock!

Despite how cold it was and that Grayce wouldnt let me put her down on the sand, she was again really upset to leave the water behind ("wadder wadder!! Peeas! Peeas!"). We kept having to reassure here that there would be plenty more water to come! We then headed over to check into the hotel. I think this was probably one of Grayces favorite moments. Perhaps because she had been in the car for almost 5 hours! She immediately ran to the window and saw more "wadder!!!" The pool was right below us and the ocean was off in the distance.


After jumping on the bed for 5 minutes, moving trash cans and chairs around, and unraveling some toilet paper, she ended up back in the chair by the window with her favorite stuffed friend - her monkey.
"Look Monkey! Water!" :)

We relaxed a bit, got changed, and walked over to Fishermans Wharf for some dinner. Along the way, we found a whole bunch of Sea Lions barking away in the harbor. I got a cute video of it, but Tim accidentally deleted it while trying to free some space for the aquarium. Oh well. Apparently, the conservation efforts of Sea Lions in Monterey Bay have been overly successful and the Sea Lions are everywhere. They have even been found in restrooms and bike trails. So they have had to put orange construction barricades up to prevent them from coming out onto the walking paths and public areas. Either way, they were so cute. For some reason they reminded us of Tex, just being lazy, sleepy, and snoring in silly positions. Grayce couldnt take her eyes off of them!

The two swimming were creating lots of noise barking away at eachother non stop like some sort of dominance competition.

After that, we enjoyed a nice dinner then headed back to the hotel for a quick dip in the pool (it was heated). Very short though because it was cold outside! However, we promised Grayce she could go swimming! :)

The next day we headed over to the main event: the Monterey Bay Aquarium. If you havent been there, you really must go one day. It is spectacular. We could have spent the entire day there, but we had to take the abbreviated "toddler version" tour. Grayce loved seeing all the fish and sea life. Lots of areas were dark so it was hard to take pictures, but here are some shots in the areas where you could see a little better.

Checking out a little crab and the anenome under a floating microscope

She was really nervous about these waves crashing over us in this tunnel. I think right after this picture was taken she called for daddy to come save her. :)

These used to be my favorite as a kid, the touch pools. Grayce just wanted to splash around in them, so we kept showing her how to "touch gently" and not to splash. But we would ask her where the starfish was and she would touch it and say "right there!"


The Sea Otter Feeding


Outside there was an area where guests could go on a mini scuba dive of the bay next to the aquarium.
Jelly Fish - an awesome display. I am just amazed at how primitive they are, yet some so deadly. There were a whole bunch on display, but these were pretty cool.

They had a HUGE Seahorse display. It felt never ending, I never knew there were so many different kinds of Seahorses! They had 15 different species, one of the largest collections. But apparently no one knows how many different species exist because they are so hard to identify and find. They just discovered the smallest species of seahorse in 2008. And, many of you may already know this, but did you know that they are the only animal where the male gets pregnant ?? I like their style!!! :)

Leafy Sea Dragons. Beautiful.

Peering thru the magnifying glass at the dwarf sea horses. They are the little white specs on the grass.

Checking out the California Sea Horses

Then we went to the Outer Bay feeding. This tank is truly amazing. It is huge. Some crazy facts: The Outer Bay’s window is 54 feet long, 17 feet high and 13 inches thick—one of the largest in the world. It’s so big you can view it from three levels. 1.3 million gallons of water pass thru it per day. NUTS! They have fish that are normally in deep ocean waters. Yellowtail and Bluefin Tuna, Dorado (mahi mahi), baracuda, a GIANT school of sardines, shark, rays...We showed up in time for front row seats to the feeding, which they do every other day. There is a Bluefin Tuna in there that is 250 lbs! Check out the video at the end for a clip of the feeding.

Here is a picture of the giant school of Sardines. It reminded me of Finding Nemo. It was amazing to see them avoid getting eaten during the feeding.

Here is a Dolphinfish/Dorado/Mahi Mahi...you pick a name :) You should have heard the crowd when the announcer said that the Dolphinfish is also known as Mahi Mahi. "Ohhhhhhhh!!!!" They change color based on their mood. Most times we saw them as silver or blue, but when the feeding started, they were often yellow, which means they are excited.

The beautiful coral reefs. I want this tank in my house :)


The fish were gorgeous. I played a game with Grayce and asked her where the pink, yellow, blue, etc fish was. She had so much fun pointing all over the place "right there! right there!"


Kisses for mama!
They had an exhibit with baby green sea turtles that came from a clutch of 82 at SeaWorld San Diego. Adorable little guys! :) Grayce loved them and kept giving them kisses ("muah!"). You'll see a clip of it on the video below.

Hi Turtle!

Pengiuns!! She also wanted to kiss them :)


They had a kids play area that we found last minute as we were breezing thru the rest of the aquarium before Grayce melted down. She started to get pretty tired by the time we hit the penguins & we knew we had little time left. But as soon as she saw a kids play area, there was no more whining! Note to self for next time - spend more time in the kids area! She could of spent hours there! :)

A cool tunnel to play in
Posing in a giant clam
They had a bunch of fish costumes for the kids to play in. Grayce found Nemo :)
Yay for slides!

We thought we had avoided the gift shop until they strategically placed one filled with stuffed animals right by the exit of the kids play zone. Smart little %*#%@! :) So as we're trying to walk by it, Grayce calls out "In there! In there!" Daddy couldnt say no :) Here is a picture of Grayce and Tim on the way out. Notice Grayce's new friend, her pink Sea Horse.

And within 3 minutes of being in the car, we had this:


What a FUN DAY!!! And to top it off, here is a short video of Grayce kissing turtles and the Outer Bay feeding. Enjoy!
(Click on the "full screen" option in the bottom right hand corner of the video to see it in a larger version.)