Monterey Bay Aquarium

Mark’s cousin hit a milestone birthday in July.  Dare I share the number?  I probably shouldn’t.  Playing a round of golf at Pebble Beach was number one on his bucket list.  His wife set up it all up and off we went.

Mark is a big golfer.  He was even captain of the golf team in high school.  Playing Pebble Beach was a dream of his, too so there was no way we were going to miss it.  Me, I golf.  Not well.  I call it getting my money’s worth, as in I see the entire course.  Hitting it straight down the fairway every single shot is so boring.  Even if we women were included for the round of golf, there is no way I would have paid that much money to stink it up.  I know my limits and they are city and community courses.

The guys played two rounds, the first one on Keith’s birthday at Pebble Beach and the next one on Saturday at Spyglass Bay.  Did you know that Spyglass is rated among the top ten hardest courses in the country?  I am so glad I wasn’t included to play.  So glad.

The guys were absolutely giddy as they teed off.  It was fun to watch.  Mark said Keith didn’t stop smiling the entire round.  I really wanted to be at 18 when they came up and thankfully Linda and the other ladies did as well.  We got there in time to see them putt at 17 and watch them from drive to putt on 18.  If it’s possible, the course is even more beautiful than on television.

Saturday they played Spyglass and Keith’s wife Linda wanted to walk the course with them.   I had other plans.  Saturday morning for me was going to be at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  Going there was a sure thing as soon as we decided to make the trip.  I love that place.  When we lived in California, we weren’t close enough for an annual membership but we made enough trips to the bay area for several visits before moving to Arizona.  Our last time there was in 2006 and it was way past time for a return visit.

This time would be different as I was going by myself.  If you haven’t done this, I highly recommend it.  There’s something very relaxing about meandering through an exhibit at your own pace.  It was a mile walk from our VRBO to the aquarium and I arrived right as they opened.  While the crowd when one direction, I went the other.  I had the jellyfish exhibit almost to myself.

The jellyfish are so cool!  I stood there taking in every different species.  The Cross Jelly was captivating, so small and virtually transparent.  I watched them move up and down for probably five minutes.  That would never happen if I wan’t alone.

Our daughter-in-law loves sea turtles and I tried to get a good picture for her but the darn turtle wasn’t cooperating.  It must have been feeding time at the surface because he didn’t move from that spot.

The jelly fish wing ends at the Open Sea exhibit.  The viewing window is 90-feet tall and is the biggest tank I’ve ever seen.  While trying to get a good picture of the sea turtle this giant fish caught my eye.  I mean giant.  It moved through the water looking like a sideways sea turtle.  The aquarium has great informational signs everywhere so I quickly learned my new giant friend was a sun fish.  Here’s a fun fact:  adult sun fish can weigh 5,000 pounds!

I stood at the Open Sea for a while taking it all in.  Parents were taking pictures of their kids standing at the glass, I remember doing that with our boys.  Some kids were so excited to see all the different sea life swimming before them.  Others rattled off fun facts about different fish, I so remember that with our boys.

I watched the rays as I moved down the viewing window.  One was particular outgoing swooping around while kids jumped up and down.  Then he was looking at me, really looking at me so I had to take his picture.

The crowd was catching me so it was time to move on.  Next up was the kelp forest and the habitat displays.  There were several different kinds of crab, tentacled fish and sea plants to see.  Some of the crabs were just like you’d see on Deadliest Catch but many more were so small.  The Langostino Crab were an active bunch.  They moved en masse then stopped only to move again pretty quickly.  It was tough to get a picture.

The squid and octopus were mesmerizing.  It was my lucky day, the big octopus was not only out of his hiding place but he was slowly moving around. And, he was moving on the glass so you could see his tentacles!  It was wild seeing them up close, the larger ones seemed to be almost flat like they were suctioned on the glass with all their might.

I forgot just how vibrant sea plants were.  The white-plumed anemone reminded me of the truffula trees from The Lorax.

The viewing area for the kelp forest is large, almost as big as the open sea.  I was going to take my time looking.  The lighting wasn’t great for a no-flash picture so I only managed a few successful shots.  This guy hung out at eye level as if to tell me, “Hey lady, take my picture.”  Tiger sharks, sea bass, and a ton of other colorful fish filled the giant windows as they swam around.  The lower area had more sea plants and lots of sand dollars.

The flamboyant cuttlefish is very unique.  A very odd looking fish but oh, so cool at the same time.  Several of them were in a 360 degree display tank and each one was a different color.  The sign describing them noted that they spend their life in Technicolor.

Of course I had to check out the sea horses, they are just so cute as they bob up and down.  The eels were out and about as well.  Well, not so much out like swimming around.  They were out as in thrusting their heads out of their holes.  They looked like they were practicing for a Halloween scare house.

I saved the otters for last.  They are just the cutest little things.  One was hanging out on his back right next to the glass and I could see the little rock that he uses to break open mollusks.  This little guy was smaller than others in the tank, a couple of them were really big but I wasn’t moving from my spot.

I finished everything just in time to hustle back to the Open Sea exhibit for feeding time.  I learned that many of these fish don’t eat everyday.  Out in the open sea, they may go days in between meals.  They fed the sun fish first, having trained them to come for food when they see the PVC cross dropped into the water.  After that they dropped chunked fish in and those that were hungry ate while others just swam completely disinterested in the food floating by.

I still wanted to see the guys play and my Uber driver dropped me at the course in time to see them play their last 4 holes.  The marshal gave me a ride to their hole.  Everyone else was there as well and Mark joked that they had their own gallery.  We oohed and aahed at the impressive drives and clapped at each successful putt.  I hope he doesn’t get used to that.

After they finished their round, we drove back to Pebble for a finishing drink at the famous Tap Room.  The room is lined with pictures and score cards while the hallway showcases tournament cups.  Not for the faint of wallet but the perfect way to end Keith’s birthday affair.  Happy new decade Keith!