After a good night of sleep, we were refreshed.
We wasted no time after breakfast to start our morning.
Our walk to the Monterey Bay Aquarium took us by an assortment of homes, shops, and other businesses.
Making a visit to this unique aquarium had been a goal for a long time. This is a special place. A place where imagination and ingenuity have created an environment for capturing the stories about the Pacific Ocean and its impact on these California coastal communities. And at the heart of those stories are people.
Immediately, the displays draw visitors to people.
The ‘generosity and vision’ of David and Lucile Packard sparked the development of the aquarium. Mr. Packard once said that “the ocean is the most important frontier we have.” Clearly, the aquarium gives life to his words.
Through his fiction and nonfiction writing, American author, John Steinbeck, brought to life Monterey and Cannery Row. Steinbeck wrote about the people who breathed life into economy of harvesting the bounty of the sea.
Another important person was Ed Ricketts, who is described as “an ecologist before his time.” Mr. Ricketts helped people to learn about and understand the relationships of the Pacific’s sea life and its links to the region. His early studies helped to lay the foundation for future research. Also, Mr. Ricketts was the fictional character ‘Doc’ in Steinbeck’s Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday.
Without question, visitors learn about Cannery Row. The impact of harvesting fish and bringing the catch to the cannery for processing is told from the perspective of the workers.
Here is a quote that describes what it was like: “We used to dread getting up in the morning because we worked so hard. It was cold and wet with water running under your feet the whole time—Can you imagine squeezing the guts out of fish at three or four in morning?”
Early in our visit, we learned about sea kelp and its impact on the life of this region of the Pacific.
The entire aquarium is user friendly. Displays attract all age groups, but there is a special emphasis for children.
From the brilliance of the wave machine, the interior and exterior displays of sea life, the outside vistas, the friendly and knowledgeable docents, and the use of video to present information make the aquarium uniquely qualified to help us all learn.
This quote from Loren Eiseley caught my attention: “If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.”
From our first display until our last view from an outside vista, we felt the “magic of the water” at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
After our visit to the aquarium, we regrouped at the hotel.
We continued to explore. Our goal was to visit the Point Pinos Lighthouse.
As we drove and walked along, the blue sky, beds of flowers, combined with a shoreline of scraggy rocks worn by a relentless Pacific, made for unforgettable postcard images.
Occasionally, we came across a colony of at type of burrowing ground squirrel. Clearly looking for a handout from kindhearted tourists, these creatures did not rate highly with residents of Monterey.
Unfortunately, the lighthouse was closed. But again, the rocky shoreline, the hues of the ocean’s water, the crashing waves, the glide of pelicans, and the steady progress of fishing boats heading into port made for a remarkable afternoon.
We drove back to the hotel, then took a short walk to a local dive—Sly McFly for dinner.
On our after dinner walk back to the hotel, we purchased some chocolate.
Then, we made a decision to drive back out to Asilomar State Beach with the hope of seeing the sun recline into the Pacific.
We found a good spot for watching the sun sink, but partly cloudy conditions and a light rain shower limited seeing the sun.
Our drive back to the hotel wove us through the pretty coastal town, Pacific Grove.
Another non-stop day with lots of steps had us ready for rest.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium still swirled in my mind.
I thought again about how this magnificent facility for teaching and learning came together.
And my old brain has this reoccurring question—why can we collectively come together to create such a facility, and yet, we appear to be unable or unwilling to truly solve our ongoing challenges related to homelessness, health care, mental health needs, and food instability across America?
I wonder if we will ever fully see that contrast and commit to solving it?
might be baloney 