SALINAS to REDDING – fishing in Monterey

Saturday – fortunately the ‘inside storms’ of yesterday have cleared, however the weather outside is not the best. The skies are still grey and misty however not to be undaunted we head off for Monterey and our first port of call the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

We find some parking close by and on the way walking along Cannery Row I see this sign – all I need now is a big shawl with lots of fringe, some large gold ear-rings and a crystal ball and I am set!

This part of Monterey is really lovely but as the weather is against us we head on in to the aquarium in the hope that when we come out – being true optimists – the skies will be fine.

There are loads of people who have the same thought – and of course there are loads of children.  To be honest I do not mind children – I have two of my own – but those who race around annoying the tripe out of everyone while their parents think it is a hoot are intolerable.

I can see Kylie already wincing and thinking nasty bewitching thoughts.

Never mind, we will try our best to be patient.  Consulting our map we decide to head on over to the exhibit entitled Jellies – Living Art.  These are also what the aquarium calls ‘Drifters’.

Before getting there we stand under a huge glass dome which contains schools of anchovies.  There  is a sign on the wall that reads ‘The sea is as near as we come to another world’ and looking at the many thousands of anchovies I can really believe it.  As we stand there we are hypnotised with their shimmering silver bodies. Incredible.

We tear ourselves away and continue our search for the Drifters.  But next is a huge tank of Pacific Mackerel – not as interesting – they spend their lives swimming along the US coast covering hundred of miles a year. Built for speed and distance they look like little torpedoes.  Finally arriving at our destination we discover that there are many, many different species of jelly fish.

Usually when I think of jelly fish I think of the ones I see washed up along the beaches of home – uninteresting blobs of goo that have seen better days.  After wandering past the many tanks of these creatures I now have a much different opinion of them.

There are two exhibits of jelly fish – but for the sake of not hopping to and fro I will put them all together.  The second exhibit is called ‘Drifter’s Gallery’  The species we saw in both of these exhibits included :

** Purple–striped jellyfish.  They appear near the shores of Monterey.  Their sting isn’t fatal but it can be painful.  Their tentacles trail about 4 metres or more behind them and to watch them drifting through the water is amazing.

** Black sea nettles that grow over 1 metre across and they have long flimsy tentacles as well.

** My favourite of all – the Lion’s Mane jelly.  They are so majestic but there are about 5 of them caught up and their tentacles are intertwined.  They are pulling and tugging on each other and we are quite concerned as we don’t know how they will get themselves apart. However, when talking to the attendant she assures us that everything will be OK and that it happens all the time.

** Egg yolk jellies which look exactly like an egg yolk in the top of the jelly.  Not being an egg person – some look a bit scrambled for my liking.

** Sea nettles – their tentacles sting and their frilly mouth arms are covered with stinging cells.  When the tentacles touch their prey the cells paralyse it and hold it tight.  Their meal is then moved to the mouth and is finally digested.  That is today’s bit of stomach turning information!

** Moon jellies which are clear domes with their very own light show going on.  One exhibit has them in the dark so that you can see the lights.

As we move from tank to tank the music being played seems to suit and has such a calming effect on us we seem to be lulled into a daze.  That is, of course, until we are woken by screaming kids.  Time to move on to the Outer Bay.

This massive tank parallels the life in Monterey Bay and houses sun fish, schools of tuna, rays and several species of shark including hammerheads which are incredible.  We also see the Pelagic barnacles that live cemented to solid objects floating loose in the ocean.

The weather has cleared a bit so we go outside to the viewing area to see what is happening in the bay (read – to get away from the noisy children!).  There are some rocks not too far out and lounging around looking extremely fat and contented are some seals together with some black sea birds.

It is nice to stand out here and listen to the ocean and the seals without our minds being invaded by screams and yells of rug rats.  There are also lots of kelp beds along this part of the coast and we see some kayakers paddle by ever so slowly so as not to disturb the wildlife.  I am sure that there are Kayak tours one can do – but not for us.

Heading back inside we go through the Wave Crash Tunnel which is what it would be like to stand in a wave.  We hear the sound of the oncoming water and then woosh – it’s above us, over us and gone.  Naturally the kids love this – so it’s time for us to move on.

Next stop is the freshwater otters and the pretty coloured fish that inhabit their homes.  By the looks of things the otters have had enough of everything and refuse to be woken out of their sleep and who can blame them?

Although, suddenly one does lift his sleepy little head to see what all the fuss is about and then it’s back to sleep without a care in the world.

Obviously he wasn’t as excited about us as we were about him!

We move along to the salt water fish which includes Parrot fish and the likes of Nemo etc – and of course this is a ‘kid’ attraction to see Nemo. Such a pretty exhibit with the corals of pink and different colours.  The Parrot fish crunch on the coral and this then passes through the fish’s body and is deposited on the ocean floor.  Maybe a bit too much information?  The fish are very pretty with lots of bright blues, oranges and yellows.

Now it’s over to the penguins – such cute little creatures until shock, horror – we spy a couple of x-rated ones doing what comes naturally.  No, I am not putting a photo of that on here.

While we are patiently waiting our turn to get up to the front of the glass so that we can take some photos a nasty ill mannered child tramples on Kylie’s foot and practically knocks her out of the way.

Some four letter words are promptly spoken by Kylie and then this pushy kid’s relative has the nerve to have a go at Kylie about her language – all this at the same time that this brat is trying to push me out of the way.  Ha – fat chance!

This woman is either very brave or very stupid – no, it’s no contest – she is very stupid.  So while Kylie nurses her foot and counts her toes to make sure they are still there she has words back to Ms Stupid who turns a lovely shade of white.

It is now that Ms Stupid thinks that she had better make a quick getaway while she and the brat are still alive and they disappear into the crowd never to be seen again.

The moment at the penguins has been spoilt so we move on.  I know that aquariums and zoos encourage the younger members of our societies to learn about nature and that is a great thing but sometimes too many kids is just too many kids and it’s made even worse by their no brainer relatives who don’t realise that manners and patience are also part of the curriculum.

Anyway, I’ll get off my soap box and we will head to the Kelp Forest.  This is a relatively child free exhibit as the kids aren’t interested in tall bits of weed floating in the ocean.  The stems of kelp are so tall and there are lots of fish swimming in and out of them.

There is also a diver in the tank explaining to us interested and well-behaved adults how kelp grows etc.  The Kelp Forest exhibit tank takes in both levels of the Aquarium, that’s how high the stuff grows. It’s amazing to see the whole plant not just what we usually see floating around on the top of the water.  Of course it is not as thick as how it grows in the wild but still interesting.

Back to the exhibits and next is the Rocky Shore where the sand dwellers – anemones, starfish, crabs and sand dollars lay on the bottom of the ocean.

The anemones are so pretty and they drift with the tides like dancers. So many pretty colours, whites, pinks, reds and purples and it’s good because this area seems also to be child free.  This is very relaxing.

We do not go to the Touch Pools as we have seen similar pools at San Diego and more importantly there are loads of children touching and groping so it’s better to let them have their fun – and we will move on.

We have had a lovely morning – for the most part – so now it’s time to do what we always do and that is to shop!  Of course the store is always near the exit so we have a good wander around before deciding on our purchases.

After this we also decide that we are a little hungry so hopefully the weather outside has cleared enough for us to walk around outside.

We are pleasantly surprised – the clouds have gone and the sky is a brilliant blue so heading back to the car we discover Cannery Row and its quaint shops.

A lot of the shops are now situated in the old canning factories and there is loads of artsy craftsy stuff – locally produced edible merchandise in the way of olives, chutneys etc and an incredibly special lolly shop.

First off though I spy a fabulous T-shirt – which to my regret I didn’t buy. It’s always the way isn’t it?  It had a picture of a sea otter on the front bedecked out in a Harry Potter outfit complete with wand and glasses and on the top it read – Hairy Otter!  I should have got it – yep I should have. Oh well, maybe it will be here when I come back in a few years!

Above left is a photo of the newer, trendier shops – personally I prefer the character of the old ones.  Back to the lolly shop – they have every sweet imaginable.  From Bertie Bott’s every flavour beans (from Harry Potter) to Salt Water Taffy which I thought was worthy of a rather large purchase.  Best thing is – you can taste before you buy!

It’s only a little shop but it’s chockers full of everything.

Not wanting to spoil our lunch – we hurry back to the car and drive down to the parking area at Old Fisherman’s Wharf.  My boss Russ told me that this wharf is much better than the wharf at San Francisco.

We park the car and walk up and down the wharf deciding where to eat.  We know we want seafood but just where is the best – they all look good.  We go from place to place saying here, no here, no wait a minute here, finally deciding on Isabella’s on The Wharf.

We are seated upstairs near the window on the right above the awning and it has a lovely view of the harbour – we order drinks (I have California wine) and then we look over the menu.

It all looks so good we want to taste it all but for starters we order 1/2 Pound of Fried Calamari … which is Fresh Monterey Calamari dipped in seasoned bread crumbs, fried to a golden brown and served with garlic aioli and tartar sauce.  We also get some Original Buffalo Shrimp… crispy fried shrimp dripping in Isabella’s own buffalo sauce and served with a blue cheese dipping sauce.

Next – the Main Meal. Kylie wants a seafood platter but with everything – fish, prawns, lobster, crab etc. The poor waiter is at a loss because they only have set platters on the menu and then we tell him to just put a bit of everything on a plate and cost it accordingly.His eyes light up and he is away.

My feeling is money is no object – you can only spend it once and you cannot take it with you.   I order Fresh Hawaiian Opakapaka. This is pink snapper, charbroiled and topped with a ginger lime cream sauce.

Tyler, not being a great seafood lover has Steak.  I am sure he loved it as much as us other two took to the seafood. When the entree comes out it is enough for the three of us. Makes us wonder what the main meal is going to be like and then Kylie’s platter arrives and we are astounded with the amount of seafood on it.

It’s just as well that we have ordered more drinks as it looks as if we are going to be here for quite some time.

The other two meals arrive and we tuck in.  By the time I realised I wanted a photo, most of everything had been eaten.  Kylie is in seventh Heaven with her seafood and when we finally finish feeling no need to order dessert – we pay the bill leaving a healthy tip and we decide a walk along the wharf is in order so that we can at least walk down some of the food.

The wharf is a lovely place, blue skies, blue water, golden sunshine and a hint of a sea breeze what more could you want?  We make many stops just leaning against the rails watching the seals that themselves are relaxing on the buoys in the bay.  The seagulls are having their own party on the leftovers from the fishermen who have just brought their catch in to harbour and we are glad it has turned out to be a sparkling day. Everything is right with the world!

We walk to the end of the wharf and of course on our walk back – we visit many of the shops and naturally we have to continue to do our part to help the local economy. I get a fabulous winter reversible jacket for only $15 so that’s a bargain.

Thinking to myself ‘How am I going to get everything back home’ and then I remember I have two suitcases.  Plenty of room so – more spending!

Unfortunately it is now time for us to leave the ocean and Monterey as we head to our hotel at Redding where we will spend the night.  After being so close to the ocean for quite some time and driving along one of the most picturesque parts of the journey it is difficult to now head inland.  We go through Salinas where I see some vegetable crops being grown.  My work deals with companies in this area who grow seed for us but I don’t see any of their signs.

We then travel through San Jose – where I was just about to break into ‘Do you know the way to’ – but I was warned not to even think about it.  BUT it was OK for Kylie to hum a few bars so I joined in and there was  mutiny in the car.  There are some very interesting places on this drive – past Golf Land which is a mini golf course with all sorts of buildings etc on their little golf courses, that looks like fun and the mountains in the background are sparse and look devoid of any trees.  Further along  we drive over a l-o-n-g bridge that never seems to end.

We finally arrive at our hotel – the Redding Travelodge.  It is a nice, clean, comfy hotel and after checking in we realise that our holiday is nearly over and that we are nearly home. Needless to say we do not need any dinner as our meal from lunch was enough to keep us going for a week.  Only a couple of days to go before we can sleep in our own beds – well, my bed at home is thousands of miles away but you know what I mean.  It does not take much before we are all asleep – dreaming happily of ill-mannered kids being eaten by sea creatures!

Highlight of the day – the incredible meal at Isabellas!