We decided to stay in San Jose, CA for one more day, so we
drove about 80 miles down to Monterey, CA to see the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Arriving about noon we opted to have lunch. Our venue of choice was Austino’s
Patisserie on Cannery Row, just across the street from the entrance to the
Aquarium. Since we didn’t have breakfast before we left San Jose we selected
the sausage sandwich and coffee. Yum-yum!
Then, on to the Aquarium. For
those of you who have never visited this aquarium, it is quite the site.
Located on the site of a former sardine cannery in Monterey, California, it was
founded in 1984. It boasts that more than 2 million visitors stop in every
year, with the number climbing. More than 600 species of plants and animals are
housed there. One thing I thought was interesting: the aquarium continuously
circulates 2,000 gallons of fresh ocean water from Monterey Bay through its
pipes every minute, day and night.
These circulate through the more than 100 exhibit tanks, bringing in food in
the form of plankton at night in unfiltered sea water. (During the day the
water is filtered for viewing
clarity; waste water is returned to the bay.)Among the sea life on exhibit are stingrays, jellyfish, sea otters (the only mammal exhibited at the aquarium), and numerous other native marine species. This aquarium is one of the very few in the world to exhibit both Bluefin and Yellowfin tuna. A specialized tank providing a circular flow of water is used to support and suspend the jellyfish.
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| Clockwise from top: 2 photos of Anemone and Sea Urchins; Giant Clam, Bat Ray, Clown Fish; California Moray Eel |
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| Clockwise from top (all jellyfish): Crystal; Moon; Egg Yolk; Umbrella; more Moon; and Purple-striped |
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| Clockwise from top: 2 photos of Giant Octopus; Stingrays, Leopard Shark. Scallops and Sea Urchins, and Lingcod |
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| Clockwise from top: Pacific Mackerel; Sea Nettles; Sheep Crab; Spiny Lobster; Shrimp; and Pacific Sardines |
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| Clockwise from top: Scallops; Anchovies; Sea Otter; various Rockfish; Green Sea Turtle; and another Rockfish |
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| The Open Sea exhibit |
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| Penguins! |
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| Sunfish with tuna in the background |
The
centerpiece of the Ocean’s Edge Wing
is a 28’ high, 333,000 gallon tank for viewing California coastal marine life.
It was the first in the world to grow live California giant kelp. The largest
tank in the aquarium is the 1,200,000 gallon tank in the Open Sea galleries, featuring one of the world’s largest
single-paned windows; it’s one of the few aquariums to hold the ocean sunfish
in captivity. The acrylic plastic used in the various tank walls ranges from 3”
to 13” in thickness, which enables them to resist the pressure and high total
force of the water behind them. The window at the Open Sea gallery is actually 5 panes of acrylic windows seamlessly
glued together through a proprietary process.
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| The Kelp Forest |
To
add to your adventure, here are some videos we shot at the aquarium. Enjoy!
On the trip to and from Monterey we passed through the town of
Castroville, which is touted as the “artichoke capital of the world!”
Castroville, named after the founding father Juan Bautista Castro, has a long
and colorful history beginning with the Mexicans and the land grants given to
the Mexican people who originally settled this area dating back to the early to
mid-1800s, moving on to the arrival of the Chinese in 1860 who made many
contributions to the area in agriculture, railroads and fishing. It’s said that
without the Chinese the agriculture industry would be in ruin. There were
fields of artichokes, strawberries, cabbage, and others we couldn’t identify.
In doing research on the town of Castroville, I found that Marilyn Monroe was given
the honorary title of Artichoke Queen in 1947 during a visit to the Monterey
Bay area. Numerous photos taken of her wearing the sash with the wording
“California Artichoke Queen” were used in advertisements and passed throughout
the produce industry. Who knew…?
That evening, upon returning to San Jose, we made a stop at the
local grocery to pick up items for dinner. The request was Mulligatawny (a
curried chicken stew), so that’s what it was, along with salad, crusty rolls
and fruit for dessert. YUM-YUM!
The evening wouldn’t be complete without a few games of Pegs and
Jokers. Gals: 5, guys: 2. Woot-woot!
We left San Jose Tuesday mid-morning hoping to miss the commuter
traffic. Thankfully, we did. Highway 88 was the route of choice for our return
trip over the Sierra Nevada mountains, the same road we took last week. There
had been an accident last Thursday evening in the town of Buckhorn, CA causing
a little detour through the town; the detour was still in place on Tuesday as
we drove through. Apparently, a tractor trailer had overturned spilling
hazardous material so a major cleanup was still in progress.
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| Cook's Station now, in 1953 and 1800s |
A little quaint place was what we were looking for as a lunch
stop. But nothing was open on Tuesday. So, Cook’s Station (at about 5,000 feet)
was our choice for a late lunch on Hwy 88. Built in 1863 as part of the Volcano
cutoff of the Carson Emigrant Trail, it’s one of 2 remaining “stations” on the
highway among the many that sprang up after the road was completed over Carson
Pass in the 1860s. (The other is Ham’s Station, located just over 3 miles east
at about 6,000 feet). We arrived at 1:45—they close at 2:00, but agreed to
serve us. What a funky place!
Originally opened in 1863 as a stage stop, with a dining area,
rooms for rent, and a brothel. Stage coaches and cattle drives would stop there
to spend the night. Cattle and horses would be watered and fed and corralled while
the cowboys would get a home-cooked meal, their clothes washed, a hot bath and
a clean bed for the night. The brothel was also available.
“Stations” as they were called, were located about 5 miles
apart, which is about as far as a cattle drive could go in a day. Cook’s was
even a Pony Express stop for the 2 years the Pony Express was running.
The original Cook’s Station burned down in the 1920s, burning
down again in 1953. The current building was rebuilt in 1953 in the same spot
as the first building. Over the years the building has been a restaurant,
general store, gas station, bar, sportsman’s supply store, and a trailer park.
Many folks even say that Cook’s is haunted. Numerous ghost
seekers have seen and even spoken to ghosts from the 1800s. People who have
camped in the RV park below Cook’s have told of loud talking, saloon music,
singing and laughing coming from Cook’s dining room during the middle of the
night even though the dining room is closed and empty. The noise is so loud
that it has awakened campers as far away as 100’! Ghost hunters have spent the
night in the dining room and have recorded many ghost voices on tape, and have
taken photos of auras in the room.
Many ghosts have been seen throughout the years, but there are 6
that are spoken of most often. One is of a transparent cowboy who has been seen
and heard by many walking and talking across the front porch at night. There is
also a group of 3 cowboys seen throughout Cook’s, who are friendly and who have
spoken to the ghost hunters. Another is a large, friendly gray cat named Buddy
that abandoned Cook’s over 15 years ago. For 8 years Buddy lived in Cook’s
basement, happily taking handouts and affection from those patrons willing to
share. Sadly, Buddy was hit by a car in front of Cook’s and passed away. Ghost
hunters have made recordings of Buddy meowing loudly when no cat is around. The
last of the 6 most spoken of is that of a 10-year old little blond girl named
Sarah. She drowned in the 1800s in the well that is still out front of Cook’s
in a small building near the mailboxes. While she usually shows herself to just
children, some adults have seen her as well. She is most often seen in Cook’s
downstairs in a white old-style dress, waving and smiling. When asked about
her, the children who have seen her describe the same clothing, hair length and
color. Sarah has also been seen outside on the patio in broad daylight
listening to live music. She’ll poke her head up out of the spiral staircase
leading to the downstairs, looking around the dining room and has been seen by
employees after closing. Sarah is considered one of “Cook’s regulars,” and is
considered one of the family.
The current owners of Cook’s, Jack and Connie Seccombe, have
been a part of the Cook’s crowd for over 30 years, and continually strive to
keep the character and history of Cook’s alive. (Jack also writes extensively
about out-of-body experiences. Hmmm…)
Oh, and the food is really good! And the wait staff is friendly
and helpful. Dick had a real turkey
sandwich while I had a BLT with tons
of bacon. Yum-yum! It’s definitely worth a stop if you’re crossing the Sierra
Nevadas!
As we drove along, we crossed the Carson River a few times. I
saw a large doe near the river at the last crossing. Here are a few photos of the vistas seen from Hwy 88.
As we returned to the RV park late Tuesday afternoon we came upon
a new arrival. An RV that floats! We have always wondered how to take an RV to
Hawaii. Perhaps this is a solution.
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| The perfect RV? |
Wednesday morning we rolled out early so we could meet Hollee
and Anastasia at home in Incline Village, NV to join them for their 9:00 a.m. session
at “Tahoe’s Connection for Families” toddler school. What a hoot! Enjoy the
photos of Anastasia and the kids at toddler school.
Dinner Wednesday evening was with dear friends from the RV park, Libby and Ray.
We opted to eat at “Red’s Old 395 Grill” in Carson City. Established in 1999,
the restaurant is a favorite of folks from all around. One of their claims to
fame is their “Greatest Bar on Earth,” featuring 101 different beers from
around the world, 67 of the finest premium Tequilas in the world and other
premium liquors. They also have a bottle collection of over 1,000 different
varieties of beer spanning the globe. They say that each and every bottle was
consumed by one person! (Gary Ray, you should’ve started a collection of your
own! Ha!)
Membership in Red’s double-secret, unspoken, backwards-cap
Fellowship of the 101 is another claim to fame. Those brave members who “dare
take up thy mug and vanquish all 101 different frosty beers, shalt have thine
name inscribed on thy sacred tablets and have bestowed upon them a mighty
mantle of triumph…a Fellowship T-shirt!” And, you’ll receive free food, free
beverages, free merchandise, and other items of mystery.
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| An Indian motorcycle |
Thursday morning we put our behinds on our bikes and rode around
the park for about 20 minutes. That’s about all I can do, as my butt and hands
get numb. We’ve done all the adjusting to my bike that we can do so I guess
I’ll have to get used to it. Ugh! We did see this magnificent piece of
machinery that Dick was excited about.
When we returned and checked our texts and emails we received
sad news that a dear friend from Rockport, Texas, Ida (who worked in the RV
park office where we stay there), passed away from cancer. She had fought a
hard battle, but unfortunately couldn’t beat it. We are sorry for the loss
being felt not only by her family, but by all who knew her, and who came to
love her at the park. Her favorite color was purple, so these are for her.
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| Purple Clematis |
Friday afternoon we had a great time taking care of our
granddaughter, Anastasia, while her mom and dad worked. What a happy and smart
little girl she is!
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| Top row: Anastasia taking her first "selfie" and a photo of Grandpa. Bottom row: GG (Grandma Gail) and Hollee with Anastasia |
I made dinner there that evening, introducing Hollee and David
to Mulligatawny. It was a hit (again!). We returned home to this sunset.
Saturday was a day spent around the camper, although we did ride
our bikes in the morning. Dick adjusted my bike stand and changed out the outdoor,
wireless, thermometer sending unit that was recording 70 degrees when it was
actually nearly 100 degrees. The rest of the day was spent inside reading and
planning our southern migration beginning in September, as the outside
temperatures soared. And, it was really windy!
Sunday, while I stayed home and read, Dick rode took a 90 mile motorcycle
ride to Silver Springs, NV and back. On the way he saw wild horses freely
roaming around, in and out of Nevada route 50.
In the little town of Stagecoach, NV he saw a sign for a “Tiger
Zoo”. Curiosity got the better of him and he had to visit and sure enough he
found a federally licensed Tiger Zoo with 6 animals, 2 Siberian white tigers
and 4 Bengal tigers. The zoo is operated by “Tiger Pete’s” S.A.B.R.E. (Siberians
Are Becoming Rapidly Extinct) Foundation.
The S.A.B.R.E. Foundation was particularly intriguing. Peter
Renzo, president of the foundation, has been working with exotic big cats for well
over 30 years. He is federally licensed to own and operate this exotic “zoo,” and is one of the most experienced tiger behaviorists in the world.
All his tigers (2 Siberian white and 4 Bengals) are human
imprinted, meaning that when he trains and cares for these big cats, they spend
ALL their time with him. The animals tolerate him, accept discipline, and can
be very affectionate, much like the common house cat. However, with all the
imprinting and training these animals are still wild animals and extremely
dangerous. Renzo believes that it is only through education and awareness that
the tiger population can rebound.
We found this YouTube video of “Tiger Pete” hand feeding his
tigers. YIKES!:
That’s it for this week. Hope you enjoyed this week’s
communique! Until next time, we send our love and best wishes.
RJ and Gail
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