This past Thursday, my dude and I decided we'd take a short day trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and take in some of the sites around the area. It was very much needed. Life in this house has been stressful and unpleasant and I couldn't wait to get away from it. This trip had been planned a couple of times before in the weeks prior. The reason for our not being able to go was of course, rain. It just wouldn't stop raining on the days we were available. Sad and disappointing. Finally, it was decided that we didn't care if it rained and we were gonna go anyway. We thumbed our noses at mother nature! And you know what? It totally paid off. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed it immensely. Our weekends are never open so it had to be a weekday, which means that the crowds would be smaller. Not to mention the threat of rain would most likely keep people away. Which it did, but there was still a good amount of people and schools who showed up.
The excitement the day before was so great that we weren't even able to get a good nights sleep! The plan was to depart at 6 a.m. and arrive at around 9:30 a.m. Road conditions weren't expected to be favorable so we had to take that into consideration. Anyway, we went to sleep at 4 a.m. and what do you know? I didn't set the alarm clock correctly (I am notorious for this and he knows it!) we ended up waking up at 6:10 a.m. Sam, ever the pessimist, exclaimed "Great, this is NOT a good start Emelia." to which I replied "Oh fooey, get dressed and let's jam!". We got dressed packed some beverages, which mostly consisted of Red Bulls and Amp energy drinks, and hit the road. One last stop at the gas station for some sandwiches and boom, we were on our way. The morning was so beautiful and bright. I tried to get some snap shots, but the camera on my phone was not cooperating. This worried me, because I was anxious to take many photos on this trip. I finally decided that I was gonna use my iPod touch instead. Turned out to be a good idea. Many pictures were taken, many.
The rain wasn't expected until after noon so getting to the aquarium at opening was imperative. Opening time was at 10 a.m. and we got there at 9:30! Which means we made very good time. After arriving and finding our destination, we had to find a good parking spot. We then walked to the entrance and since a line hadn't formed yet, decided to walk to the deck near the Members entrance. As we grew closer to the rails, it became apparent we had made a very good decision in coming. The morning was so beautiful and the coast line so peaceful. There was definitely some overcast and the sun wasn't shining very much, but it was beautiful none the less. We stood there until opening and went to stand in line for tickets. I don't think I need to describe what went on after this. I'll let my photos and video tell the rest.
That's me!
The Giant Octopus. This was the best I could do.
I believe this was a White Tip Reef shark. Even though being eaten by a shark is my biggest fear, I still marvel at them and love them very much. Seeing them really took my breath away. I can't wait until they get another Great White again. I am soooo there.
Sam, looking mysterious.
This dude was peeking out of a rock, it was too cute.
This little duck was angry. He kept chasing off all the other ducks.
The Aviary was wonderful, and it was really nice to talk to one of the volunteers there who was very knowledgeable about all the birds.
Oh. My. God. The Southern Otters! I couldn't stop watching these cute little ladies! We paid them one last visit before we left. That's how cute they were. Kind of wish I had bought an Otter plush. Opted for the Polar Bear instead,because it was on sale. >.<
The Jellies!
This was a feeding time presentation, but it was way too crowded to enjoy. So we moved on.
So corny, I know.
Dude, sea turtles!
More jellies!!
The Secret Lives of Sea Horses exhibit was so lovely. I wish there weren't so many people at this exhibit. I really wanted to stay longer and enjoy this one.
At this point we got pretty hungry. We hit the gift shop, threw around some cash, got our hands stamped so we could re-enter and went in search of some food.
This was the view from our table at the restaurant. Paradiso. So pretty.
Local rock fish w/ spaghetti and veggies. Yummers.
Ah his favorite, a cheeseburger and fries.
Yet another window picture, and the food was great. Yum.
These Seagulls must have thought we had food, because all they would do was beg and line up. It reminded me of Finding Nemo "mine!".
Before we left, we did visit the aquarium one more time. Mostly to visit those adorable Sea Otters.
I'm really glad we decided to test our luck. It was well worth it and I think we deserved it. Can't wait to go back and explore a little more of the city. I'll leave you now with the video footage I got. They are mostly short clips. Enjoy and later gators!
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