CA - off to San Francisco

Our morning started by going to the Elkhorn Slough to check out the birds and scenery. We had been there once before but it was closed. We were disappointed as we arrived before it actually opened and then we didn't see many birds and needed to get on our way. We drove to SF via Hwy 1 which was incredible. What spectacular views off the Hwy with the rocks and water. We drove past Pigeon Point Lighthouse which is one of the tallest lighthouses in America. Hwy 1 has some hairpin turns that are close to the edge of the mountain. Once in SF we dropped our luggage off at Jeff's before going to the SF Arboretum where we hoped to see some beautiful flowers and if lucky, some hummingbirds. We were not disappointed.

CA - More Monterery Bay Aquarium pictures

CA - Monterery Bay Aquarium

Today's Tuesday and our itinerary included the Monterery Bay Aquarium. We had heard so many good things about the aquarium that it was on our list of must do's. The day started with showers before we got going but cleared while driving down Hwy 1. The aquarium was impressive though I don't know how it compares to the Camden Aquarium as I've never been there. We saw the Sea Otter exhibit feeding, the Outer Bay exhibit feeding and the Kelp Forest exhibit feeding. The special exhibit was The Secret Lives of Seahorses. I really loved the Jellyfish exhibit and the Monterery Bay exhibits. I learned so much that I didn't know about sealife.

CA - UCSC Arboretum

Monday afternoon we ended up at the UCSC Arboretum checking out their gardens of the world. We had looked for the migrating Monarch butterflies throughout the day Sunday and Monday but they have already migrated back towards their summer locations. We did see quite a number of hummingbirds but didn't get any good pictures. There were also some great flowering bushes at the arboretum.

CA - vacation pictures

California Coastline

Monday was our day to leisurely explore the CA coastline from Watsonville down through Pebble Beach. The day started sunny with temperatures in the mid-fifties that was so nice compared to the snowy mid-teens weather we left behind in NJ/PA. As we drove down Hwy 1 we stopped first at Moss Landing to see the egrets, seals and surfers. We stopped whenever we saw anything that we wanted to explore or where we wanted to take pictures. The scenery was spectacular with waves crashing on the rocky shorelines and beaches. We spent the driving time talking and reminiscing about our childhoods along with talking about Mom & Dad.Pictured are Brown Pelican, Great Egret, Western Scrub Jay, Western Meadowlark and Seals.

On our Way

After several months of planning Saturday was the day I left Cape May County for our trip to CA and then China. Unfortunately, the snow started before I left and made driving terrible. It took about 3.5 hrs to drive about a 2 hr drive. But I did get there safely.

Yesterday, my sisters Leslie & Jenny along with myself were up, to the airport and on the plane at 7AM. We arrived in San Francisco at 11AM PST. After renting the car we drove down to Santa Cruz and drove along Cliff Drive. The scenery is beautiful. The surfers were out waiting for waves which were plentiful. Lots of people out out enjoying all kinds of activities. I saw several kinds of unusual bikes including 6 guys on unicycles plus recumbent bikes with and without attachments to pull children on the back. After checking in at the Best Western in Watsonville we went out to dinner at Applebee's. We were in bed by 8PM PST and up at 4AM. Now we are just hanging out until it's time to get moving.