California’s Highway One, Monterey with an eye on the bay

June 3, 12:11 AMSF Active Seniors Travel ExaminerCarol Canter

If you have only half a day to catch the newest exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, it’s surely worth a stop on your Highway One road trip, or the easy 100 mile drive south of San Francisco. But take an extra day or two, a week if possible, to deepen your connection with the ecosystem the aquarium so brilliantly reveals.

Go tidepooling, whale watching, scuba diving and kayaking in the rich waters that form part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which extends 276 miles from Marin to Cambria.

Walk, jog, or bicycle along Monterey’s shoreline trails, wharves and piers, with stops to wine and dine on the bounty of the region.

On Cannery Row, recapture a whiff of what John Steinbeck described as “a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light …” in his 1945 novel immortalizing this now legendary lane. In its heyday, Cannery Row was the sardine capital of the world.

The largest company on the row in those days of peak business -- when nearly a quarter of a million tons of fish were processed in a year -- was the Hovden Cannery. It was also the last to shut down, in 1973, more than two decades after the sardines had disappeared.

But the cannery was given a new lease on life when it was rebuilt in 1984 as the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which in turn helped revitalize Cannery Row.

Now celebrating its 25th year, the beloved institution has educated millions of visitors on ocean conservation, thrilling them with a fascinating “undersea tour of Monterey Bay.” The aquarium’s centerpiece, a three-story Kelp Forest, offers a divers-eye view of the leopard sharks, wolf eels, rockfishes, sardines and countless other species that form a living kelp forest community.

The moon jellies, captivating for their ethereal beauty, are now a favorite permanent exhibit. The current show, The Secret Lives of Seahorses, probes the mysteries of these charismatic fishes, with heads like horses, tails like monkeys and pouches like kangaroos.

After observing the California sea otters in their aquarium home, visit them face-to-face in their kelp beds in the bay.

Rent a one-, two- or three-person kayak from Monterey Bay Kayaks or Adventures by the Sea. If it’s your first time out, sign up for a guided tour.

Kayaking isn’t difficult, except in adverse weather, and two hours paddling on Monterey Bay provides optimal exercise and entertainment.

You might catch a playful sea otter feasting on a giant crab, after cracking it open with a giant abalone shell. Harbor seals and sea lions will be barking up a storm, or snoozing on the rocks, their fur coats glistening in sunlight. Don’t be surprised when they circle your craft, and dive underneath!

This geologically remarkable bay, which contains one of North America’s largest submarine canyons, is more than ten thousand feet deep in places – deeper than the Grand Canyon!

Adventures by the Sea also rents bikes. Pedal the unparalleled Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail which extends eighteen miles from Asilomar State Beach in neighboring Pacific Grove to Castroville, -- self-proclaimed artichoke capital of the world.

The trail connects the many parks along the coast, where you’ll find picnic tables, bike racks and heart stopping views. You will also find some of the area’s best tidepooling in Pacific Grove.

Don’t leave Monterey without exploring at least a few of its nearly forty historic adobes. These meticulously restored nineteenth-century buildings, with secluded gardens and furnishings of the era, recreate life in Monterey dating back to its Mexican roots.

Highlights include the First Theater, built in the 1840s as a saloon with adjoining apartments; the Stevenson House, where another of Monterey’s literary giants rented a room in 1879; and the Custom House, California’s oldest standing public building, from the days when Mexico ruled and required payment on all goods shipped into the region.

Free guided walking tours are held daily except Thursdays at 10:30am in front of the Pacific House Museum in Custom House Plaza. It's right by Fisherman's Wharf, where you can later grab a seafood cocktail or a harbor cruise.

Two outstanding hotels on Cannery Row perch right on Monterey Bay, with coveted views from guest rooms, gourmet restaurants and waterfront patios.

InterContinental The Clement Monterey

Monterey Plaza Hotel
 

A future article will highlight the wineries and vineyards of Monterey County, which some 85 vintners and growers call home. (www.montereywines.org)

For more info: 

Monterey CVB  - for comprehensive information and visuals, including a calendar of events.
 

Two June events of note:
World Ocean Day takes place this weekend at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, June 6-7 from 10am-6pm, celebrating the amazing ecosystem that covers 70% of our planet.
Monterey Bay Blues Festival June 26-28

The 52nd Monterey Jazz Festival, considered one of the world’s best, takes place September 18-20.