Almost Alien
These jellyfish seem almost like creatures from another world... which I guess they are (if you consider the oceans another world...) But their gracefulness and subtle colors are incredible to behold.
Feeding Time in the Kelp
The fish in the Kelp Tank display get some food from the diver, while a volunteer fields questions and offers many interesting facts about the kelp, seaweed, and fish.
Slow Dancing
These multi-colored anemonies sway gently in the tank's synthesized waves.
For the Birds
A variety of avian residents find the coastal exhibit home. Many were injured in the wild and are being rehabilitated here in this tidepool in miniature prior to their reintroduction to the wild.
Iceplant on the Rocks
At one of many tiny coastal parks in Pacific Grove (just west of Monterey) you can wander down to the rugged shoreline to examine the tidepools, or sit up amongst the blossoms and iceplant.
Sea and Sky
We headed for the beach at Carmel, an quaint resort town south of Monterey. We decided to go to one end of the beach, well away from the crowds that didn't bother leaving the sand close to the parking lot. Out here, there's nothing but sea, sky, sand, and sun. What more do you need?
Painbrushes over Bixby bridge
We were never able to figure out if these were Indian Paintbrushes or Monterey Paintbrushes, but the reddish flowers in the foreground seemed a bright accent to the jade ocean and deep blue skies.
Big Sur Retreat
Chilly, but not quite icy, is how I would describe the water here. A plunge into the stream woke you up, but it was refreshing, considering how warm the weather was.
Inviting Swimming Hole
Sunning on a rock, or eating lunch in the shade of the trees, it seemed like a perfect place to spend the afternoon.
Baby Redwoods
These youngsters grow quickly. Only a few decades old, they're almost a hundred feet high. But they're tiny compared to some of the old growth along the coast. Muir woods has some stately giants that reach three or more times higher up, and are easily twenty feet across.
Clear Blue Sky
While we spent the noon hours in Big Sur, the coastal fog was being blown away. Now, on the drive back up to Carmel, there's barely a wisp of cloud in the sky... and probably that's just a jet's contrail.
Thistle and Iceplant
Both the dry, thorny thistle and the succulent iceplant tint the coastal hills with magenta and purple. Though you couldn't tell from the photo (except from the whitecaps on the waves,) it was very windy here... standing was very difficult.
Carmel Creek Park
We decided not to go to the popular but crowded beach at the heart of Carmel (you can see it off in the distance here) and instead caught some rays here at this less visited but still beautiful beach just south of town.