Monterey, California: One thing I did not mention last evening... this campground is directly under the Monterey Regional Airport flightpath, and adjacent to a golf course, so we have quite a bit of noise... occasionally... and stray golf balls... occasionally... though both dangers stop overnight and both begin again around 6a. It's fine. We are only here two nights.
This morning we walked one block to the main drag opposite the County Fairgrounds and caught the bus ($2 tap) which delivered us directly to the Cannery Row/Monterey Bay Aquarium area in 20 minutes.
Dave and I think we were last here in 1999 - when we were in our first motorhome, just after Lisa had gone off to college. I could not exactly get my bearings, though quite understandable. I do remember a lot of tourist shops, but now they are Bubba Gumps and the usual "find a pearl" places found at any seaside tourist destination. We walked around a bit and found a fun walkway behind all the shops to get a great view of the ocean/bay. We saw shore birds, seals and otters in the water.
Hundreds of thousands of tins of sardines and anchovies were packed here. It fed our army is World War II, and employed hundreds of immigrants. (Ironically, I opened a tin of anchovies this morning and made a bit of anchovy butter to serve with radishes as our appetizer this evening.)
I finally found fish and chips! Not only just fish and chips, but delicious fish and chips at a restaurant right on the water - The Fish Hopper. Probably a touristy place (definitely had touristy prices) but I had talked to a bartender outside the restaurant and he described how they hand-breaded the cod... and I was sold.
Fish & Chips just how I like 'em! Crispy with panko. Lots of lemon wedges. Tartar. Great fries. The cod was fresh and thick. Momma was happy. DT just had a bit of clam chowder, so helped me finish my fish. The fries were left mostly alone.
After lunch we walked a few blocks to enter the Monterey Bay Aquarium - one of the premier aquariums in the world. What an amazing afternoon. The aquarium has such incredible displays of so many sea creatures. Some are so bizarre it makes one wonder what our creator was thinking. A seahorse? Jellyfish? Dave and I were in the aquarium over three hours and I'm not sure we saw everything. The exhibits were extraordinary, but the employees and volunteers were over-the-top answering our questions. Truly a first-rate institution.
We entered the aquarium just as a diver was feeding fish in a kelp bed tank/exhibit. The diver was feeding the fish clams, crab, shrimp, vitamins, and other luscious things few humans can afford. The fish were mobbing him, which quite delighted the small children in attendance.
I made a little video (53 seconds) of the amazing jellyfish in the aquarium:
And Dave also made a (19 second) video:
While eating the fish & chips, we were outside on a sunny deck overlooking the bay. When we exited the aquarium, it was cold, windy, dark and cloudy. Brrrr. We caught the bus (a two block walk from the aquarium) back to our campsite and had a quiet evening watching Lenny's Commanders beat the NY Giants.
The weather is supposed to turn overnight and we are driving south in the morning.
Until my next update, I remain, your aquatic correspondent.
Campsite Information: Monterey County Fairground RV Park