We got in quite late last night but that's OK we were able to sleep in. Continental breakfast went until 10 and the aquarium didn't open until 10 so it's all good.
It's not huge but what they do have packs a punch. While SeaWorld was about the razzle dazzle shows and large marine life, Monterey Aquarium was about education and smaller marine life. We were both awed and amazed by Monterey. They have huge tanks and beautiful displays and LOTS of informative staff members that answer questions about pretty much anything. We saw the kelp forest feeding - Ralph donned his wet suit and climbed in the tank and fed the diversity of fish that they have in that tank (including sharks) while answering questions through it in helmet mic. That kelp forest tank has two very large pipes that go out into the ocean that the aquarium is right next to. The pipes have very light filters so that animals can come into the tank. They said that starfish the size of pencil eraser have come in and now live in the tank. But the water circulates and things like plankton also come in and keep the natural balance in the tank. We watching a couple of presentations in their auditorium - one on white sharks. It was very interesting to note that up and down the Baja coast the majority of the white sharks there are only 2 to 4 years old and sharks that age only eat things like fish and smaller things. They avoid adult sharks as well since the larger ones would eat them. Once these adolescent sharks reach 12 feet in length they graduate so to speak and that's when they start eating bigger things like seals and what not. Apparently there are a lot of adolescent sharks on the Baja and surfers and lifeguards know about them but are never concerned because they aren't the big ones. The adult sharks spend a lot of time in the open ocean between California and Hawaii. Note to self don't go swimming there. I learned so much in that presentation. My view on sharks has changed.
Then we watched a presentation on Luna: A Sea Otter's Story. Haha haha and that's when the awwwwwws started. Luna got separated from her mom when the weather turned really bad. She was only days old. An otter watcher (yes there is such a thing and I'll tell you more about it after this) found her and searched for her mom along the coast (carrying Luna in his arms so she could continue calling) but they couldn't locate her so he brought her back to the aquarium. They fed and groomed Luna (sea otters don't have blubber so they have very thick fur. Because of this they spend 3 to 5 hours a day grooming themselves). But Luna still needed to learn otter behavior like breaking abalone with rocks and diving for sea urchin, so they introduced her to a surrogate mommy otter they have already there and while it was anything but love at first sight, eventually Luna learned proper otter behaviour and she was eventually released back into the wild. Since then she's had four pups of her own in the wild. Apparently its not unusual for mothers and pups to be separated during very bad storms. Sea otters were almost hunted out of existence. Before the invention of synthetic fabrics we used animal furs to keep warm and sea otter pelts were the warmest. It go so bad that the sea otter population got down to only about 50. I'm happy to report that through awareness and conservation efforts their numbers have gotten up to over 3,100. That's where otter watchers come in. They scour the shoreline, by boat, helicopter and land to watch the populations. Once they find sea otters, divers go in under then and capture them in a large basket, bring them in for tagging and then they are released again back into the ocean. All in under less than an hour. But sea otter watchers also go out after storms and rescue lost babies like Luna.
Sea otters are one of the top predators in the kelp forest. They feed on urchin and abalone and various other shell fish. They keep the urchin population down so that the urchin don't destroy the kelp by over populating. It's a fragile system, like everything on this planet, and it can be unbalanced.
The more you know.... lol
Anyways we really enjoyed Monterey Aquarium and if you ever get down this way it's well worth the visit. Plus your admission etc goes toward more rescues, feeding, upkeep etc. They have amazing displays (I have barely touched on them but ask us when we get back cause we've got stories) and it'll boggle your mind. It doesn't take long as it's not nearly as big as the other places we've been, we were out of thereby 2:30.
After the aquarium we got on the road and headed up to San Fransico where were are spending the night. We stayed in the last of the name brand hotels last night. From here on out its inns and whatnot. San Fran we had a tough time finding a decent place on the net but upon arrival we were pleasantly surprised. This is by far the most spacious room we've been in. Upon check in we queried about Chinatown and best place to eat. He kindly directed us to leave our vehicle here and catch public transportation. He also recommended his favorite place to eat. We unloaded the car, placed everything in the room, signed into wifi and then headed out.
Catching the bus to Chinatown was not a problem. The stop was close by and it was a little ways to Chinatown so walking would have been out of the question. When we got off the bus the resturant was only a block away and while it didn't look like much on the outside the food was agreeable. Two San Fran cops came in and sat at the table next to us. After we were finished eating kels politely asked them a question that we've been dying to know since we got down here and they were very friendly and welcome us to San Fran. After dinner I wanted to go shopping in Chinatown so we decided to walk for a bit. On the map I saw the Chinatown archway and so we decided to walk there. We made it and just as I was taking a picture a Chinese man was walking across the street and asked us if we knew how lucky we were to take that picture. So we talked with him for about 1/2 an hour, mostly about ancestry (he thought I had Asian heritage but I explained to him that I'm actually native which he said then yes I do have Asian ancestry and he proceeded to explain why). He was pretty nice. And very informative. We then continued on our way but alas all the shops were closed :'( So we started back. I really wanted to ride a trolley while we were here and as soon as we got back to a trolley street one came along. We only rode it for 1 block but it was cool nonetheless. We walked about a block and a bit and our bus to take us back to the inn was coming along so we hopped on it. Kels needed a Walgreens and there's one 2 blocks from the inn so we went there then came back to the inn. And now we are in for the night.
Up next: Alcatraz then up to Mendocino for the night.
Signing off...
