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After a very long wait, here is the second part of my hike.
One of the strangest sites on the trail was an outhouse located around 1,100 meters in elevation directly below the fire lookout. Thanks to its great sweeping view of the area, you could really go in style!
We made it, but I can tell you that when we got back to the truck I was drinking virtually everything I could get my hands on!!
The main highlight from the park are the caves you get to crawl through that house bats. In the heart of the cave, it was nearly pitch black while water could be heard running nearby. Not only was it a great break from the heat, it was very peaceful.
For starters, the price was only $30 for the day and included a wet suit, the kayak, a life jacket, a pullover jacket, and complete instructions. This was my second time kayaking (the other time was in Hawaii) and that was a few years ago, so after getting fitted with a suit, the 15 minute instruction portion was very helpful. I now know what the "Three B's" are and how to use them to get back in the craft.
I went with a co-worker who was also interested in taking a shot at the water, so we decided on a two man raft. After getting a few final words of wisdom, it was off to the water.
For the next three and a half hours we were able to enjoy Monterey from the water and see the large variety of homes and businesses in the city. Although you are a bit limited with where you are allowed to kayak, the 1 mile stretch has numerous chances to see a wide variety of wildlife. We saw countless sea lions, birds, otters, and ducks. The highlight for me was having a sea lion come up next to the kayak and try to grab the oar from me by biting it. Check out the video!
This is a definite must-do for anyone visiting Monterey when the seas are flat.
As many of you know, the Big Sur area out here has been hit very hard this year with two large forest fires. So far, well over 100,000 acres have been burned in the Ventana Wilderness. Recently, they reponed Highway 1 and today I had a chance to drive down with a co-worker. Although the sky was overcast due to the marine layer and the smoke, it was still breath-taking.. Here are a few of the pictures:
It is important to remember that not everything in Big Sur was impacted by the fire. For example, the famous bridge built in 1932 is still there as incredible as ever.
There are numerous spots along Highway 1 with perfect photo opportunities. In this area, the water close to the beach has an awua blue color that is stunning.
For the most part, the fire was unable to jump Highway 1. That means almost all areas down by the water were not impacted by the fire.
Here at the Big Sur Station, virutally all of the land behind the grounds were burned. Instead of green hill sides, everything was a dull slate color, making it look like an alien landscape jutting to the sky.
The contrast between the living and the dead is jarring. It is amazing to think that by next year, life will start to return to the mountains.
There were many signs around the area showing support for the firefighters.
This one had a whopping 1,745 comments on it which meant I had to read it! After all, what can be better than an editorial piece about burgers, gays, religion, McD's, and boycotts? BRING IT ON.
Mark Morford, one of the most entertaining and biting writers out there, goes into details about recent American Family Association boycott of McDonald's due to the VP joining board of directors of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
Regardless of your opinion of the boycott, the article has a few real gems in it:
- Your final proof that God laughs and snorts and doesn't give a flying McRib sandwich about any particular gaggle of humans, particularly those who profess that they know and love and worship him more violently and blindly than anyone else.
- Wildmon and Dobson join Jerry Falwell and Jesse Helms in the Great Gay Bath House in the sky.
- AFA is a bunch of troglodytic knuckle-draggers with the sociosexual awareness of a fungal spore,
I saw this when I lived in Chicago. If you get a chance and want to see something completely different and amazing, I highly recommend it! By the way, the play is based on a German children's book called "Struwwelpeter:"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Struwwelpe
For starters, Ezurbub here on LiveJournal a couple of months ago recommended that I try using Hospitality Club to broaden my horizons. Their simple concept attempts to connect people from around the world who have an interest in traveling and meeting locals. I was fortunate enough to have a fun couple from the Netherlands stop by for a day here in Monterey. Although both of them currently live in the Netherlands, they are actually from different countries -- he is from France and she is from Spain. So, my big challenge was to figure out where to take a couple from Europe who were going to spend less than 24 hour in Monterey. After thinking it over, we ended up walking along one of the beaches, went down to the Carmel Highlands, spent some time at the wharf, had a nice Thai dinner, and drinks in downtown Monterey. During our time together, we had some great conversations including a discussion about international politics, some difference between Americans and Europeans, and life in general. Since they have returned home, I heard back from them, and it sounds like they both had an enjoyable time here. Now I need to travel there!
The day after they left my friends James and Mansoor from Monterey came to town. Again I was playing tour guide, but this time we had two full days to plan out what to see and do. Thankfully both of them are explorers at heart (especially Mansoor) so we had a chance to trek all around the area. We went to the usual hot spots including the aquarium and wahrf, but we also went to some more "remote" places such as the beach near my apartment. The best part of the beach? Seeing James run in the water when the waves were low and then sprinting back to higher ground when he saw one of the large waves barreling down on him. Mansoor (again the adventurer) ended up crawling up one of the areas away from the trail and eventually talked us into following him. The view from that spot was breathtaking and extremely peaceful.
After they left, Daylon and I went to San Jose for a day. He is traveling for much of this month, so it was our only chance to spend a little time together. I found the downtown area to be a nice mix of commercial and high density residential buildings along with a good assortment of museums, parks, and neighborhoods. The day was capped off with a trip to the Cheesecake Factory.
Since that point, Daylon is now on his journey and I have been working a slew of shifts. I would love to talk about work, but it would probably bore all of you to tears.
The fine folks over at Aint It Cool News recenty reported that their screening of WALL-E received an incredible reception and praise from all demographics. I was a bit leery of the news, afterall screeners sometimes report inflated results. However, today I noticed this quote from critic Richard Roeper: "One of the best movies of the year. Just so beautifully done."
Could this finally be the year that an animated film wins for Best Picture? If WALL·E is as good as the early buzz suggests, let's hope that it gets a fair shake from the Academy.
Earlier this year, I had the chance to attend the annual celebration at the Land of Medicine Buddha Center just outside of Santa Cruz. It is very difficult to encapsolate such an amazing experience.
Over the next few days, I will post my thoughts about what happened.
For now, just enjoy the video.
Overall, we both had a very enjoyable time visiting the aquarium. Although it might be classified as a tourist trap as it is one of the main highlights in the area for visitors, it is also a place that many local residents are very proud of. In fact, the entire operation does not receive any taxpayer money and does not have a budget deficit. Thanks to all of the support from the Monterey Bay community, it has been able to operate without any financial problems.
One thing that is fun to consider with any museum is if someone just had an hour to spend at a place, where would you recommend that they visit. If you find yourself in Monterey with very little time to spend at the aquarium, I would recommend checking out the otter area, the jelly fish, the waterfall where the little kids freak out, the huge fish tank and the view of the bay from the back of the center.
We also had a chance to have lunch in the upscale restaurant and found the food to be very good along with a great view of the water. Each table has a pair of binoculars so you can view the multitude of sea life that is just outside the windows. They only serve sustainable seafood, so not only is it pleasing to the pallet, it is also environmentally friendly.
This clip from the aquarium features the otters. Come on...admit it...otters are cute!
No one can watch this and not want one for a pet!
