Pacific Journey: Seattle to Monterrey

The cruise was over, but not our vacation. We wanted to play in Seattle, for example.

The iconic Space Needle was a necessity, of course. We actually did the Space Needle before the start of the cruise, but I’m throwing it in here.

We could see Mount Rainer, Mount Baker, downtown, the Ferris Wheel, and even our cruise ship from the Space Needle, but my favorite spot was on a rooftop below, where giant harvestmen lurked. At least they didn’t also bob up and down, as live ones do!

Of course, we had to visit the famous fish-throwing scene at Pike Place Fish Market.

We also walked over to the nearby Post Alley to see the cool yet disgusting Market Theater Gum Wall. This wall is considered by some to be one of the top 5 germiest locations in the world, after the Blarney Stone. My teenage son was remarkably grossed out, but I got him to add his own gum to the wall (he threw his). I was brave and actually stuck my gum to the wall very, very carefully.

Our day continued with excellent seafood, as well as a tour of Seattle’s historic Underground. It has to be one of the most unique and bizarre tales of urban renewal out there — definitely worth doing if you visit Seattle.

As the rest of our family headed back to Austin, the boys and I set out for the camping portion of our vacation. Our big plan was to head straight down to Big Sur and then take our time driving up the Pacific Coast as we returned north.

We drove by Mount Rainier in Washington and even stopped in to the Mount St. Helens visitor’s center. But the clouds were too low for great pictures, so we headed on our way through Oregon and down into Northern California. The above rain cloud took my breath away, and it almost made the nearby Mount Shasta seem downright dull, despite its rainbow.

Yet Mount Shasta is an impressive stratovolcano. Scientists consider it, like Mount Rainier, to be a dangerous threat for future eruption.

As we drove farther south along Hwy. 5, the boys had a chance to see many of California’s vast orchards and farms. We saw olives, spinach, berries, and more, but I was most in awe of the huge sunflower fields.

We drove past Stockton, then cut over to the coast, coming out right at Monterrey. We would be camping down at Big Sur, but since we were ahead of schedule we stopped in to enjoy this historic and beautiful town.The Monterrey Peninsula is known for its beautiful scenery and wonderful wildlife. The coastal waters are home to harbor seals, sea otters, visiting whales, and many, many birds.It always amazes me that harbor seals can flop themselves up onto such high rocks.This little one was well camouflaged among the rocks — one had to look closely to see it (compare to photo above).When you are pelican-obsessed like I am, it’s remarkably better to have a digital camera in your hand than a film camera. Brown pelicans always seem to be in migration when I visit California, and I love watching them fly by. Usually they are in a long line as they fly, but this group got a little wild and crazy.At the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, we oohed and aahed over marine life such as Purple-striped Jellyfish. This is an equally beautiful Egg Yolk Jellyfish.Likewise, a tube anemone. I have to admit, Monterrey Bay Aquarium really is a good one, especially for families. As our true destination was Big Sur, we headed down the beautiful Highway 1. As is always our luck, the fog rolled in just in time for our drive. But no worries, we loved it just the same.