Day 51: We left the camper and bikes at Teresa & Mike’s to make a day trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In addition to various tanks of fish, jellyfish, puffins, and sea otters, there is a giant tank with deep ocean fish and another giant tank with a kelp forest community.
An interesting display on the rise and fall of the sardine fishery in Monterey Bay recalls the Monterey of John Steinbeck’s time (his “Cannery Row” was based on the neighborhood where the aquarium now stands). Several displays are geared for children and others focus on the problems of overfishing and oceanic pollution. The amphitheater show was an engaging multimedia presentation of the historical and cultural development of Monterey revolving around the fishing industries of the bay. We also watched three different 15-minute shows in the auditorium. All were superbly and attractively presented. We took a break to stroll along part of the pedestrian and biking path along the shore of the bay and spotted a couple of sea otters floating on their backs in a nearby kelp bed. Before leaving town we had dinner at a local seafood market and restaurant (the grilled sablefish and trout were very tasty and not too expensive).