Visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium - Part I

Just after Christmas, Erick and I took a two-day mini-vacation and drove south to the Monterey Peninsula.  We stayed at the Centrella Inn in Pacific Grove, a national historical landmark 1889 Victorian-style building  - a 15 minute walk from the Monterey Bay Aquarium along an oceanside trail.

(All photos taken with my Olympus SH-1. Click a photo to see a larger version.)

Centrella Inn

Centrella's tree with alternating lights in colors and white

Our room at the inn - slightly updated Victorian

The walk to the Aquarium was a delight.

Looking across the bay

Pacific Grove history mural - Ohlone native fishermen and Chinese fishing village

Trees along the trail

Pedal power along the trail

Seal sculpture gives a clue to sights to come

There are several State Marine Reserves along Monterey Bay

Harbor seals resting in kelp

Harbor Seal close ups

Trail marker

A research facility of Stanford University is near the Aquarium

Research vessel on the bay

At the Aquarium:

The Monterey Bay Aquarium was a personal gift to the local community by David and Lucile Packard,
who gave an estimated $55 million to help found the institution.
(Think Hewlett-Packard, HP)

On the way to the Aquarium, we walked by the Cannery Row of the
book by John Steinbeck.  Near the Aquarium entrance is a section with
a remembrance of Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts.

Glimpses of wildlife as we grabbed a quick lunch after our drive and walk:

Harbor seals and a gull

Cormorants and gull

The Kelp Forest:

View of the tank

Feeding time

Life forms in the kelp forest:

Near the bottom

Leopard shark

Anemones

Close up exhibit of kelp forest bottom dwellers

Kelp and coral

In the Open Ocean exhibit:

Sardines

Tuna

Shark

Sea turtle

Anchovies

In the Tentacles exhibit - octopus and jellyfish:

Octopus

We headed back to Centrella Inn after our initial visit, planning to return the next day.

We spotted this on the way back and decided to add to it

The ocean as evening approaches