Adventures on Cannery Row

Greetings from Monterey, CA!

As I left Las Vegas, several hours behind Tasha who left early in the morning for a student trip, the temperatures just seemed to climb until we were in the high 80s and low 90s! I stopped in Lancaster, CA to visit with two friends from Alaska - Lindsey and Erika, who are in college there. It was great to spend some dinner and shopping time with them, just catching up, such a blessing! (We had to leave some of my car contents in Erika's dorm room though so that we could all fit in the car . . even then poor Erika was in danger of a landslide of items from the stockpile remaining in the backseat!). Then I headed to Santa Barbara, CA where I stayed in a hostel right near the ocean. Waking up, I was reminded that while this trip has been great - it is neither a vacation nor an unlimited adventure. I headed north without exploring much of Santa Barbara or San Luis Obisbo, their beautiful beaches and surf, hiking trails, museums, or food . . . another trip! But I did take the scenic route 1 up the California coast, stopping to see the elephant seals (you could smell them before you could see them), and driving through just a bit of fog (yet the sun was still shining!), before arriving in Monterey in late afternoon.

I met up with my friend Nikki, who was my roommate in Alaska, but is now working at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I explored the aquarium on my own and then wandered Cannery Row, and saw harbor seals and an elephant seal on the beach. I met up with Nikki, her husband Ron, and Nikki's sister Shannon at their house later that evening. The next morning Shannon made a really yummy California bagel breakfast - bagels, eggs, avocado, sprouts, and salsa! yum! Then we all went out for a hike at Los Lobos and saw sea otters, harbor seals, and sea lions - and oystercatchers, and had a late lunch on the beach. The dogs joined us for the beach fun, and I even attempted to learn skim-boarding. We finished the day with clam chowder down at Fishermen's Wharf. The next morning was leisurely . . I went into the aquarium with Nikki to meet her kids and watch a sea otter feeding and meet some of the river otters! Super cool.

Hit the road in the afternoon, northbound.