Saturday, October 6, 2018

Monterey Day of Fun



I spent a fun day exploring the Monterey Bay Aquarium and parts of Cannery Row.

I have a membership to the aquarium, and while I visit often, there is always something new to see, or discover that I missed on a previous visit.

I don't remember seeing this skeleton before. I am not sure which sea animal this is.


Before I got started looking at the animals, I popped in the gift shop. This mama and baby otter were soft and fluffy.

I don't know if this shark was trying to eat me or give me a kiss.

The otters were splashing around in their pool.




After watching the otters, I went to the kelp forest.


Many different types of foliage grows on the hard surfaces beneath the water, and a lot of animals attach themselves on there, too.


These fish reminded me of sardines. That was a popular fish for canning in this very area before the aquarium was built.

Here is an area for indoor birding.

These fish swim in the water where the birds live. I wonder if that is their lunch.

In the same area where the birds live is an open tank with sharks.


Look at that ray's face! It is adorable!



This bird stood on one leg.


Birds.

Another bird.




Adjacent to the bird sanctuary is a touch pool exhibit. You can feel the different types of sea plants, and there are a few animals that you can gently feel with two fingers. I touched the kelp, but I knew my paws were too fuzzy to touch the wet animals.









After leaving the bird and ray area, I went to the Splash Zone. This place is meant for small children, but bears can enjoy it, too.


These are what everyone calls the Nemo fish.

And there is a Dory.



These tropical fish are pretty.



I'm going to come out of my shell.


I love the pink of this fish, and the yellow on the tail makes a nice color combination. I'm going to call this a Lemonade Fish.




The pink, purple, blue, and green work well together. Nature has an eye for color.




There are places in the aquarium where you can go out onto observation decks. Sometimes you are able to see seals and otters, but mostly birds.

I love the blue of the sky and the water.




A group of birds rests on the rocks. Maybe they are resting between seafood meals?



This was a giant penguin egg.




This is the aquarium's logo.


This exhibit was new for me. I hadn't seen so many crabs in one place before.




There are so many birds here. This one if a puffin, I think.



There was an exhibit where they had some octopus art on display. This one is a full back tattoo.




This critter is translucent, really neat!




Getting kissed by a fish.



If you like to eat seafood, like I do because I am a bear, getting the Seafood Watch app is a good idea. It will tell you which foods to eat so you can reduce harm to innocent sea animals and prevent over fishing.


There was another exhibit about Baja California, and how the climate is affected by the ocean. We often have events like El Nino where the ocean warms up by one or two degrees and causes a lot of rain and storms. And for as much as a year can attract different fish to the water, and change the landscape.









Where are the bottom parts of these little guys?










Fish.


This crab looks a lot like a spider.



After a few hours in the aquarium, it was time to walk outside for a bit.

I went to ItSugar which is a fun candy store. They have a lot of bear stuff.


This kit is for making your own gummy bears at home. I could have a lot of fun with flavor and color combinations.


After the candy store, I went to Bubba Gump for dinner. I had tried it earlier in the year when I went to Universal Studios. I liked it so much that I wanted to have dinner there.


I got a waterfront table! I was very excited.


They have a big menu full of sea goodness.

I tried this blended fruity drink. It had edible glitter around the top. They let me keep the cup!








After filling up on a tasty dinner, I headed back home. It was a long, full day and I was ready to rest.

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