Come Along on our Coastal Getaway!

We just returned from a great little family vacation to Monterey. Our escape to the coast really couldn't have been any better. The weather was perfect, the girls did great (especially with sleeping) and we were able to do a number of fun things. Here are some of our favorite pictures and memories (and check out the slide show over to the left-- if you double click on the box of pictures it will bring you to Picassa where you can view them larger)...

Our hotel was awesome-- with free breakfast, a boutique decor in the room, an outdoor fire pit and, best of all, located right next to the ocean. We were able to spend time there every day. Usually while Delia took her morning nap, one of us would take a long walk with Ella. We'd throw rocks in the water, write our names big in the sand, search tide pools, climb the big boulders or just watch the waves crash.

This is the Dennis the Menace Park that we knew Ella would love. Some favorites at this unique park were the swaying bridge, rock wall, zip line and garden maze. They also had a real train engine to climb and play on, but that scared her a little.



The thing we were probably most looking forward to was the Monterey Bay Aquarium and it did not disappoint! Some of our favorite moments from the vacation came from this excursion. Ella and Delia really loved the interactive children's area. Delia crawled around in a room with a water bed floor to feel waves and stood up with her hands pressed on the glass watching all the pretty fish. Ella especially loved all the touch pools. She felt starfish and petted bat rays. She also splashed in water tables, dressed up like a crab, sea horse, and fish and played in a corral reef playground. We saw the scuba diver feed the sharks and big fish in the giant tank and we all enjoyed a playful sea otter exhibit and a soothing jellyfish exhibit.



To me, this was the best part of the whole trip-- a glass room that had a huge wave crash over and into it every minute. Ella's faces of excitement and terror cracked us up for the half hour we played here!



Our hotel was also a block away from a Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, so we took a few walks over there. This place was so amazing and peaceful! While we strolled through the sun, more butterflies than I could count would float and flutter all around us. It was just a little patch of forest that was home to all these beautiful migrating Monarchs (and some deer too!).



Yesterday we went to Pt. Lobos to do some hiking. This place was super cool too. We added lots more creatures to our "Wildlife We Spotted" list: lizards, crabs, otters, a whale, seals (including a mama seal teaching her little pup to swim in a blue-green alcove, another favorite of the trip) and even mating sea-gulls! The hiking paths all ran right along the coast line, so the views were incredible and none were too strenuous or long.


This shows about 6 otters just bobbing along. One even has a baby on its tummy!