Monterey Aquarium, Fri 2/14/20

Happy Valentines Day!  And happy birthday to my Valentine sister!  Lucky me, my sweet husband presented me with a wonderful card and box of candy (o boy!).  Well, we pulled out of our cozy nook at the Inn at Tres Pinos Harvest Host site fairly early, though we had less than a 50 mile drive to Monterey.  Without a campsite reservation anywhere, we figured we'd need to get a move on!  There were two things we hoped to do while in Monterey:  1) go to the famous aquarium, and 2) hike in Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.

The Veterans Memorial Park is a first come, first served campground, and we were lucky to get there in time to snag a good spot.  Chris, the ranger, was a helpful, good guy, and kept his park clean and quiet.  Taps sounded at 10pm and Reveille piped through the loudspeaker at 7am ... Jimmy and I smiled at both.

After setting up, we made our way to the aquarium.  Visited here once before, can't recall what year, but we were shocked this year at the entry fee -- $40 for seniors, each!  We bit the bullet and went in ... it's enchanting, really and truly.  

I only took a half-million photos, so I'll share a few with you.  When we first arrived, the Sea Otters were fixin' to be fed.  This guy held my attention, however, with his comfy poses.

The huge tank that winds through two stories of the aquarium -- Kelp Forest -- is fascinating.  People like me stand and stare, mesmerized by the fish, etc., gliding past.  It must be like taking a tranquilizer! 

There's lots of smaller tanks and exhibits.

This strange-looking crab was in a tank by itself.

A cluster of Strawberry Anemones -- such pretty color. 

The pic above and the next two were also taken in the Kelp Forest.  Different "types" of Sharks and turtles and Rays inhabit the tank with quite a variety of fish. 

The funny-looking fish in center is a Sturgeon ... a leftover from ancient seas!

It's like armor-plated.

Shorebirds had their own section on the 2nd floor.  Sandpipers, Plovers, American Avocets and several others.

All the kids called out, "Nemo!" when they approached this exhibit.

So did I.

Angelfish?

When it came time to feed the African Penguins, we made our way up the stairs and joined the crowd at the windows.  These guys are just as much or possibly more fun to watch than the otters.  The kids loved seeing the penguins swim right up to the window.

Another favorite is the jellies, so exquisite ... from the tiniest to the biggest.

Delicate, all.  

Dude!

This will hold you spellbound!  At the bottom of a big tank, these anchovies or smelt or whatever they were, circled, like a murmuration of starlings, until a Hammerhead Shark or one of the rays swam into their midst.  They'd split and then regroup to continue their clockwise movement.  I guess they were fair game if one could be caught ... certainly the sharks delved into their school repeatedly.

We spent several hours in the aquarium, happily surrounded by sea creatures, leaving just before closing time at 5pm.  It was crowded, but probably not as much as it would be on the weekend.  Or as Everly Rose would say, "not too bad."  Instead of eating in a tourist-y restaurant at Cannery Row, we opted to eat at home.  

What a marvelous establishment this nonprofit, public aquarium is.  It's known for its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay.  Also, it was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest when it opened in October 1984.  Save your pennies and come to the aquarium if you get a chance!

Penguins on Parade, Thurs evening 12/08/16

Feeling down or blue?  I have the perfect antidote for you:  Maru Koala Park and Penguins on Parade!  Give a look at all this cuteness!

70 miles southeast of Melbourne's vertical artistry, our coach carried us down the road, through the countryside of fields and farms, past Koo Wee Rup, to family-run Maru Koala and Animal Park.  And the beginning of our afternoon adventures.

I must have been out-to-lunch when this excursion was announced because I was surprised when we stopped, and I was confused at first because I didn't know which way to go.  But, hey, no problem, I found my way to all the animals.  Here we'd interact with Australian koalas, kangaroos and wallabies, dingoes, emus, parrots, and wombats, except Jimmy and I didn't mess with the dingoes or emus and didn't see any wombats (they're nocturnal).

Who's the boss?

We could and did pet wallabies and kangaroos -- their fur is soft and silky.  For a quarter or a buck, I forget which, you could get a handful of pellet feed that they really went for, and I'm sure feeding them makes 'em pretty tame.  Mommy 'roos with joeys in their pouches seemed hungriest.  Darned if we didn't see joeys' feet sticking out of those pouches, but not a single one ever turned around and stuck its head out to say "howdy."  The lady below had a joey, with one leg poking out.  I think kangaroos and wallabies have interesting faces.

Native Australian birds.  Clockwise from top left:  Galah Cockatoos, Sulfur-crested Cockatoos, Major Mitchell Cockatoo, and Australian Wood ducks.  All were wild except for Major Mitchell, but he was the coolest!

Me and Bernice making a friend.

I don't know how common or rare an albino kangaroo might be,

but I do know everybody's gotta go sometime.

Koalas sleep 20 hours out of every 24, and when they're awake, they eat (good idea).  This little guy was asleep with its head hidden in the eucalyptus leaves at our arrival, but as we were making ready to leave, it woke up and commenced eating.  For twenty bucks, anyone can get a photo taken with a koala, hopefully awake, while petting and feeding it, but you have to sign up.  Sorry, no sale, but I'd like to pet one sometime.  

After an hour or more at Maru Koala Park (what a fun place!), it was time to move on, toward our dinner destination near Phillip Island.  Late in the afternoon, the pastoral landscape was easy on the eyes, but dark clouds were moving in again.

Our big coach pulled up on the side of Mario's Bayside Bistro in San Remo (the town on the mainland end of the bridge to Phillip Island), where our group seemed to be the lone patrons, but it was early (5ish).  Chef Mario and staff were waiting for us and they served up very fine dinners. Sonya and I enjoyed our vegetarian pasta, and tho Jimmy can't remember exactly what he ordered (at this point in time), he said it was delicious.  With a big smile on his face, Mario came out of the kitchen to chat and shake hands.  Coffee and dessert got us nice and comfy for the rest of our drive (10+ miles) to the penguins on Phillip Island.  We made it onto the coach and then ...

... those clouds turned to this (above) ...

... and then this -- coloring between the lines!

Whoa, look at these Cape Barren Geese,

sporting gray feathers, chartreuse beaks, orange stockings and black shoes.  

At the western end of Phillip Island, where both The Nobbies Discovery Centre and the Penguin Parade (two of the islands top tourist attractions) are located, we met up with our ranger tour guide, hopped off the coach and out into the wet, woolly wilds of the windy boardwalk, windy being the operative word.  While the boardwalk is wheelchair accessible, I'm gonna tell you that the wind was so strong off the sea that we could barely stand up, seriously!  No rain was falling, but everything felt wet.

Rain squalls hover about the coast.

The surf was CRASHING in the wind.

Bernice and Ibby trying for a selfie with an Albert photo-bomb!

We were told that Seal Rocks (islands, back, center) is home to Australia’s largest colony of fur seals with an estimated 16,000 inhabiting the area, but we didn't see any.  Around half a million people visit the Nobbies Centre yearly, with 53% being international visitors like us.  Not too many others were Out and About this evening!

We couldn't keep our hoodies on, but we needed to 'cause the wind hurt our ears.

Another reason to be on the boardwalk is to see penguin burrows, and if you're lucky, one will be home, as above.  These Little Penguins nest in burrows.  To get here, they waddle over rocks and up the fairly steep hills from the sea, and their return has to be almost as arduous.  They're the smallest of all penguin species, about 12" tall.  No one wanted to hang around the boardwalk and we made our way back to the - ahem - gift shop, and the coach.

The Nobbies area is closed one hour before sunset each day to protect native wildlife. From the Nobbies, it was a two-mile, one-way drive on the Boulevard to Penguin Parade car park, which was already full of cars and buses, watching wallabies hop along with us.  In fact, wallabies were all over!

Again, this is accessible.  But crowded.  We made our way down the path above to a viewing stand with bleachers set up.  Because other busloads (tourists draped in plastic against wind and potential rain) had already grabbed all the primo seating, we'd have to stand in the second tier back.  Possibly short people like me could could squeeze in front. The wait for nightfall began.  We were entertained by watching wallabies cavort on the hillsides near us. 

Penguins arrive at sunset every night of the year.  And you could hear the voices in the crowd when the first few penguins appeared emerging from the surf.  "Look, over there, I see them!"  Sure enough, a few, then a few more, and then they burst onto the scene and made their way toward their own pathways alongside our paved path (waddling or scurrying or occasionally one would seem to be scratching its head, saying, "do what?").  The fencing protected the penguins from the milling crowd, who started moving forward, including us. We just stood, smiling down at the little dudes, and watched as wave after wave of penguins moved uphill toward burrows. We could hear them, but I can't duplicate what I heard. 

No photos of any kind with any means were allowed once they started ashore, so as to not distract, scare, or startle these little guys, but, as usual, that only means you, NOT ME.  It hacks me off to see people flagrantly disregard a rule like this, but I saw it done.  Reported one to a ranger, too.  So, the photos below I "borrowed" from the web, but you can find great videos on YouTube.  Here's one: Penguin on Parade video here:

Somewhere around 9:30, we ambled toward our coach, keeping watch on penguins not a foot away from us (on their side of the fence) as we all moved up the hill.  We were all going home, I guess. Except, we had a 90-mile drive back to our hotel in Melbourne, which, as I think about it, was probably a good way to decompress from our day.  We had such a busy day, exciting and full of fun and activity, new places and experiences.  I don't remember the drive back, but sure do remember the day!

Milford Sound, finally! Monday, 11/28/16

Milford Sound IS New Zealand -- this glorious fiord comes to mind when you think of NZ's South Island, along with earthquakes and the Southern Alps, not necessarily in that order. Arrestingly beautiful, it's been named one of the Wonders of the World.  Milford Sound is a destination, though the journey to get here from Te Anau and the cruise on the sound were the same to me, and so worth the effort.  Together they made a whole. 

This is an end goal ... once here, you have to turn around and return to Te Anau or Queenstown, 'cause there's no town to speak of, no hotels, streets or grocery stores at Milford Sound.  Instead, throngs of jabbering tourists burst out of coaches, step off buses ... those behemoths lined up like sardines in a single-layer tin ... forming queues, to get on their particular cruise boat, cameras clicking away.  Is this another spectacular spot on earth being loved to death?  I hope not.  Our little Road Scholar group had an 11 am (early) cruise booking, which meant we wouldn't be crowded out. Hooray!

Ready to board.  Gray skies prevailed on the sound before Noon.  Yes, it was chilly, but not cold. You could sit inside and stay warm or roam the outside decks.  You know where we were -- taking in the sights and pictures up top.  (Is it me or are the people taking "selfies," running from location to location, becoming real pests?  Do they even care what they're seeing?  They sure seem pushy.) 

Snow-capped mountains serve as a backdrop for New Zealand's bright red flag.

Above and below:  No shortage of waterfalls on Milford Sound, each meriting a heap of photos.  Two permanent ones exist, and a hundred or more during the rainy season.

Appropriately named Seal Rock.  After diving for food at night, New Zealand's Fur Seals bask and relax (haha) here during the day.  Above is one big ol' male with a herd of females.  Looks like a great place to slide off, whether you wanted to or not. 

Wild, rugged mountains!  Mitre Peak at 1692 m (5,551 ft) is the highest.  Milford Sound's deepest point is 390 meters (1280 ft deep).  I was reminded of a fiord cruise we took in 2010 through Western Brook Pond in Gros Morne Nat'l Pk, Newfoundland, though that one is an "inland fiord." 

One of the world's rarest, we were lucky to get a glimpse of the Fiordland Crested Penguin. Check out the distinctive, bushy yellow eyebrows.  Seconds after I caught it on camera, it plopped in the water.

Red kayaks dot the pristine water above (kayaks can be rented), and it looks like yellow kayaks below. This water has to be cold, but it would be an awesome experience, maybe one I'd like if I was prepared for the really chilly water/weather.  But, maybe it'd be a bit scary, too.

Like a water jet, wonderful Stirling Falls is on full blast!

Looking toward the Tasman Sea, Milford Sound stretches inland roughly ten miles (16 km). Slightly misty conditions near the sea added to the overall ethereal beauty.

Geez, this scene looks primeval.

Might Gandalf, from Lord of the Rings, be lurking around the corner?

Thin cascades dripped off every mountain.

Back on our coach, the driver aimed for Queenstown, maybe four hours away.  I sat with my face glued to the window, drinking in all New Zealand had to offer.  We'll spend a couple of nights in Queenstown, with lots more adventure planned.  What a once-in-a-lifetime day!  What a trip we're having!