Monterey Bay & Vicinity
April 30 - May 4, 2006
Summary: The NWS Marine Weather Workshop recently brought me up the coast to Monterey Bay. I took this opportunity to take a long overdue drive up the central California coastline on the Pacific Coast Highway with Nicole. The drive was beautiful. The further north we went, the greener the hills got, and the more wildflowers we saw. Classic coastal California road trip. While in Monterey, I was in class most of the day, so I didn't get a chance to get out much and take some photos. I did however get a chance one evening to visit Ed up in Santa Cruz. On our final day, we checked out the Monterey Bay Aquarium before heading south to meet up with Lars at UCLA. Now, without further adieu, the photos!
The hills around Vandenburg AFB.
Nicole looks out at the view from PCH north of San Simeon.
The central California coastline.
One of the old historic bridges we crossed along PCH.
Another classic view from PCH south of Big Sur.
Spring on the PCH.
The kelp forest tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
A star fish smiles for the camera.
Don't ask me what kind of fish they are. Lars & Ed could probably tell you, but not me!
More kelp forest shots to follow.
The kelp tank...maybe my favorite tank at the aquarium
These guys, also known as anchovies :) swim in circles all day long. For these guys, the saying really holds true! It's not the destination, it's the ride! When you swim in cirlces all day long, how do you know when you've arrived? Are we there yet?
Cool creatures (again don't ask me what they are called) & Jellyfish.
The lighting on the jellyfish tank was awesome. Made for some neat photos.
THIS IS THE CHEAPEST GAS ALONG THE ENTIRE GRAPEVINE! If one must fill up while going over the Tejon Pass on I-5, may I suggest to you the gas stations at the exit for Frasier Park. Here you can fill up for a somewhat normal price of $3.39 for unleaded. However, the going rate for gas at either end of the hill (Grapevine & Santa Clarita) and in Gorman is between $3.59 and $3.69 per gallon! Ouch!