We planned two trips to Monterey, because it’s an easy drive and we always love spending time there. The first trip was amazing because nature was on full display.
We like to stay in Moss Landing at the KOA, and here you can see why. A beautiful uncrowded coast, with the harbor and slough in the background. Note the 500 foot smokestacks in the background you will see them in a different light at the end of the post!
We had never seen so many pelicans and seal lions at one time. They were everywhere! We watched the sea lions for an hour just playing in the water. They either swam just inside a wave, or body surfed a wave. That must be how humans got the idea to try this!
Our biggest surprise of the day was to see a whale breach just offshore! We had never seen that from Moss Landing before.
We also visited the Moss Landing Harbor and Elkhorn Shough.
We noticed a replica of the Western Flyer, which was highlighted in John Steinbeck’s Sea of Cortez. It will be going to Baja later this year.
Wildlife was everywhere here too! We enjoyed watching the pelicans swoop down and drop in the water, coming up with several anchovy at a time. The otters were also out in force.
Lots of otters in the water.
As usual, you can count on a beautiful sunset every evening.
The next morning we went to Monterey for a walk from Fisherman’s Wharf to Lover’s Point in Pacific Grove.
There, too, wildlife was everywhere, even in places that humans were supposed to be!
This guy was lucky to get the bench all to himself!
This guy will have a huge neck ache when he wakes up!
Here’s what the marine mammals and sea birds were after….an explosion of anchovies.
The coast was just as beautiful as ever.
This spot was like a super highway for birds. Flock after flock of pelicans and other birds flew by here, before dropping down and gliding just above the water.
On our second trip, we did this walk again, but this time with a friend who had just retired! in the background is the House of Seven Gables Inn.
This is a fun B&B that we have stayed at a few times. They have a telescope in the parlor to watch the whales in season.
Unfortunately our trip was cut short by a man-made disaster. While at our RV, just after dinner, the park manager came by to let us know there was a fire at the power plant and a shelter in place order was in effect. I said thanks, but he said I really needed to step outside and see it for my self. This is what I saw at the power plant just on the other side of Highway 1!
Shortly after that, an evacuation order was given and everyone in Moss Landing had to leave. It was not fun unhooking and leaving at 9pm, and I didn’t relish the drive home. Everyone helped each other and we managed to leave safely and arrive home shortly after 10pm.
Here’s some more information about the fire, which actually made the national news!
It turns out the old PG&E Power Plant also housed the world’s largest battery storage facility, with 500MW of battery storage. These storage facilities are useful to even out power needs in the grid, but it’s still a new industry and has some safety issues to work out!
A crazy end to our trip, but all is well that ends well!
Al & Deb
MobileMosers.com 
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