To Monterey for Bay Star Shakedown Cruise (150)

We wanted to go somewhere close by for our first trip in the Bay Star, so we chose one of our favorites, the beautiful Monterey Bay!

The purpose of the trip was to try and test everything and work out any bugs we might find. However, the weather was so beautiful in October, we decided to play a bit.

First, almond croissants and a cappuccino at the best bakery in the area, Parker-Lusseau French Bakery located in an historic adobe. Better get there early to have a selection to choose from!

Then, off to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It had been awhile since our last trip to the aquarium, so we were looking forward to enjoying the experience.

The Kelp Forest is mesmerizing, and we can spend a lot of time here watching the fish.

The same goes for the Open Sea Exhibit. It seems impossible to have these sharks, tuna, turtles, and schools of fish in the same tank, but they do.

We eventually made our way outside after visiting the jelly fish exhibits, the otter feeding, and the penguins. It was a perfect day.

Just off the Great Tide Pool area was a small barge with what looked to be some scientific work in progress.

After visiting the aquarium, we strolled through Cannery Row, visiting a few shops along the way.

On the way back to Moss Landing, where we were staying, we pass through Castroville, the artichoke capital of the world,

So, of course, we had to stop by Pezzini Farms for some fried artichoke hearts and some other goodies.

The next morning, we went for a morning walk to enjoy the sunrise over the harbor.

Here, you will always find some otters in the water, and it’s much less crowded than the otter exhibit at the aquarium!

Oh yeah, this is our shakedown cruise, to find any issues in our motorhome before our first long trip.

To learn more about our new motorhome, see these two posts about the Bay Star and also Liquid Springs.

Most everything was found during the initial walkthrough. However, we found two issues during this trip.

First, when I turned the drivers side chair around to face the living area, the wire that powers the seat broke. I had to splice the wire back together, adding a little extra to make sure it doesn’t happen again (and it hasn’t).

Second, the awning did not want to extend. I was able to eventually extend it by pulling on the front awning bar, but I had to take it to the dealer to fix. They adjusted it but didn’t fix the problem, so it’s going back again this month.

We were very happy to have found only two issues in our new motorhome. They will crop up from time to time….driving an RV is compared to having your home constantly in a 6.0 earthquake, after all. However, we are glad to have our first trip under our belt.

Next, we are looking forward to our first long trip, all the way to Southern Utah for Thanksgiving! Sorry I’m a little behind in posts, but catching up!

Al & Deb