Monterey Day 1 – July 17, 2018

The number one thing people always mention when you say to are going to Monterey is the Aquarium, so naturally, that’s where we went.  It just happens to be located at the end of Cannery Row so we would be able to hit two ‘must sees’ in one day.

The weather was very cool and overcast so I guess that’s what inspired all the other visitors to the Aquarium on the same day, but it was jammed with lots of families with children.  I was surprised again at the high percentage of tourists from other countries based on the languages being spoken around us.

There are lots of beautiful exhibits in the  Aquarium, but from a sheer beauty perspective I think the display of the Jelly Fish were nothing short of amazing.  This display was alive and moving.

My favorite, and probably everyone else’s favorite, has to be the sea otters.  These little guys were so cute up close and personal, swimming on their backs, playing with toys, and grooming constantly.  People, including us, stood for long periods of time just to watch them do their thing.

Otter playing with his toy

By mid afternoon, we had had our fill of crowds and decided it was time to leave.  We walked through the cannery understanding more about the area from things we had learned in the Aquarium.  Actually, the Chinese were the first non-indigenous people to settle in this area.  Then came the Japanese, followed by the Sicilians who brought the skills to fish the sardine population.  During WWI this industry began to grow until it reached major proportions that created Cannery Row to can all those sardines.  Unfortunately, the sardine population was exploited to almost extinction and Cannery Row became unnecessary and a ghost town.

Thanks to several local members of the community, ghost town Cannery Row was turned into a major tourist destination complete with shops and restaurants.

Monument to the men who built Cannery Row

View of Cannery Row and Monterey Bay

Just to keep you informed, we have had to make a change in our itinerary to exclude Yosemite because of the fires in the park.  It makes no sense to go with the decreased visibility because of smoke and also increased travel time based on closed roads.  We will be staying in Monterey an extra day and then traveling directly to Reno for extra days.