then we packed up, checked out, and said goodbye to the best western victorian inn. it had been a lovely home for the night...especially since it was the only one we could find with rooms available. as it was, we apparently took the very last two in the joint.
we drove the short distance down cannery row to the aquarium.
the aquarium is housed in a building that was originally a sardine factory, built in the early 1900s. i don't even know what this is, but i'm sure it was important at some point.
i would've liked to read the signs and see the pictures that told the history of the building, but everyone else was excited to see the sea life, so off we went.
it was fun to stand in this little area and watch the ocean waves come in and crash over the glass ceiling.
and we could've stayed here for hours, just watching the adorableness of the sea otters.
jellyfish are always fascinating to look at, and there are so many different types of them.
also quite mesmerizing were the giant schools of fish that swam around in giant clusters. it was all very "finding nemo" in there, heh.
hello, mr. ray!
these guys attracted their fair share of visitors, too.
it was a gorgeous day, and we went outside for a few minutes to take in the view and breathe in some fresh air.
back inside, we checked out a few more sea creatures.
they were definitely riding on the "finding dory" wave. most of the gift shops featured a wall of merchandise just like this:
i liked these.
when we were done at the aquarium, we headed towards pebble beach.
by then, we were ready for some lunch. at the pebble beach resort, we found it.
as we drove along famous 17-mile drive, we found seal rock. actually, we heard it. those guys were barking like mad.
and of course, we stopped to see what's known as the symbol of pebble beach...the 250-year-old lone cypress.
from there, it was about a 5-hour drive home. we debated finding another hotel to stay the night somewhere halfway in between, but ultimately decided that we were ready to go home. about an hour and a half away, we decided to stop for dinner somewhere that made the girls perk up a bit:
since we hadn't been for the old lady's annual birthday dinner, we made up for it that night. it was delicious and filling and helped make that last stretch of the ride home a little better.
home at last!
so much laundry. oof. i'm still trying to catch up.
haha, not really. we all know laundry is an endless battle.
My son is in the navy and his next duty station is monterrey. He moves there from san diego in about 6 weeks. I'll definitely be re-visiting your posts when i go visit him
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