Whales, seals, and pelicans in Monterey

Three days in San Francisco and we are now on the road again, heading south on Route 101 to Monterey for the night.
The last three days have been pretty tiring with the usual early start and out onto the coach for a tour or visit of some description. Yesterday morning it was down to Pier 39 area and onto the boat to Alcatraz, visit, good audio tour and then back to land side to walk and explore.
With so many on the tour it is interesting to hear just where they ended up, how far they walked and just how many got ever so lost. Lots of little individual adventures so it was always interesting when we met up to hear of the day’s adventures, compare notes and decided if anyone had had a real bargain or had been “ripped off”.
Heading south out of the City, nice bright morning with no mist for a change which is apparently unusual, onto the freeways which were five lanes wide each way and jam packed in both directions, so although we do not have a particularly long run it will be a bit slower than usual
We passed San Francisco Airport which we will be transiting through in about ten days time when we eventually make our way homewards, it is within a crick balls throw of the Highway and there were British Airways planes sitting on the apron.
Onwards through the well known “Silicon Valley” which has grown massively over the last ten years, saw the double decked trains heading north to the City, new housing developments, greenery, and a slowly rising thermometer.

Passed through Castro, the artichoke capitol of the USA, and have arrived in Monterey which is beautiful. Had a walk alolng the piers at the first stop and saw seals and pelicans all within a matter feet from us. A few miles off shore there a number of different species of whales with the seabed as deep as 9000 feet and it is possible to spot whales most days of the year. All the restaurants had samples of their clam chowder on offer so about twenty samples later we had had the equivilant of a bowl of soup !! and even tried arcichokes in garlic, very tasty, along with noodles and beans.
A short distance round the front we arrived at the famour Monerey Canneray where they unloaded hundreds of tons of sardines which were then canned and transported out of the State. It is also the home of the Monterey Acquarium and a few from the coach took the visit there.

Heading for Pebble Beach later on.