Monterey Bay Aquarium is a delight of frolicking sea otters, delicate jellies, colorful choral fish, and awkward coastal birds. The Aquarium first opened its doors to the public on October 20, 1984 in the former 1916 Hovden Cannery. It currently boasts 34 major galleries with close to 200 exhibits featuring 550 different species totaling 35,000 creatures in residence. It is a joy for all ages but the child in me was particularly a thrill.
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is one of the most remarkable natural destinations along the California shore line. It is host to one of only two naturally occurring stands of Monterey cypress trees. Sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, great blue herons, snowy egrets, pelicans, and other remarkable wildlife regularly visit the point. Best of all, almost every foot of the shoreline is covered in hiking trails.
We are not inclined towards ghost tours. Being a history buff, I get a little salty when tour guides start playing fast and loose with well documented points of local history to fix someone's odd experience into the larger tapestry of local events. Yet, when we saw that a magician and mentalist whose work we have followed would be in town doing a ghost tour, we decided to give it a go.
An upside of travel is the many beautiful places we can visit. Few compare to the cultivated grandeur of Napa Valley. Of course, the reason we were there was no so much to look at the sprawling vineyards and grand tasting rooms but to actually taste the valley's celebrated export: wine. We came with one exceptional winery in mind: Vineyard 29. The consistently 90+ rated wines from this winery are the product not only of prime location but highly advanced technology used in sorting grapes and every other step in the fermentation and bottling process.
Mark Twain described Mono Lake as "lifeless, treeless, hideous desert... the loneliest place on earth" in his work Roughing It. And while adjectives like "desolate," "harsh," or "bleak" may be appropriate, "hideous" would not. Lake Mono is an expanse of lacy limestone sculpture flanked by majestic mountain ranges. This shallow saline soda lake is a thing of beauty.
With plans to camp at Imperial Sand Dunes canceled, we find ourselves, late in the afternoon, wondering where we will spend the night. Fortunately, the ranger at Imperial Sand Dunes has some advice: check out Tumco Ghost Town in the Cargo Muchacho Mountains.
I had thought we would spend the night in Imperial Sand Dunes Recreational Area. What I hadn't anticipated was the park's extreme winds and camping permit prices.
And we are back on the road! This time, for are are traveling for some human-made scenery: the open air art gallery or East Jesus, in Slab City.
After big horn sheep, our second greatest interest is in hiking a slot canyon. Along with being on our way, Palm Slot Canyon is accessed by a rough road that requires 4-wheel-drive, which scratched our overlanding itch. Though, our eagerness to tackle such a challenge may have gotten us in trouble.
Sometimes, someone may set their keys on the drivers seat while they put on a jacket. Sometimes, another someone may lock the car, ready to begin a hike.