Junior's Amazing Journey

This week we spent a few days in beautiful Monterey. Though I had been there many times as a kid it had been over 20 years since my last visit. I have been wanting to take Junior to see the ocean and especially to visit the aquarium since he loves all things shark and ocean. He had an amazing time and so did I(I think Abigail enjoyed it to), such fun to see the look of awe on his face when he saw those sharks and fish up close.

We arrived Monday afternoon and went to Fisherman's Wharf to wander around and have an early dinner. Junior loved listening to the waves crashing on the rocks and looking out at the boats.

We left temps near 100 in Lodi and suddenly needed our sweatshirts in Monterey, no complaints about that.

People watching while the rest of us ate.

Yonder did a great job staying focused and not getting distracted by so many people.

Junior's big purchase at the shops, a pair of Jaws socks.

Taking a break and planning our next adventures. We stayed near downtown Monterey which was really nice. We were able to walk to the ocean as well as through the cute downtown areas. It was so nice that the place where we stayed was super strict about dogs. They asked questions allowed regarding service dogs and made sure he was the real thing. I was told 90% of the dogs coming through their doors are fakes. So sad that people think they should be able to con the system which makes it harder for those that actually need service dogs. We got lots of remarks about his great behavior and about CCI.

After a break we headed out for a walk to the beach and wharf. It was getting chilly so I was glad I had tossed in Junior's big wheelchair blanket before we left. Aside from the aquarium we had no plans and just decided where to go as we went. I think that was part of why the trip was so nice.

Beautiful flowers on a random building in downtown Monterey made for some fun photos.

boats, boats, boats

There was a lovely paved walking/bike path along the beach which was perfect for Junior's chair.

So much beauty

On our way back we stopped in downtown for some ice cream. What can I say, YUMMY, it was soooo good.

Junior all tucked in for the night and watching a movie.

Tuesday morning we headed to the aquarium. We were required to have a reserved time and go there quite early so wandered around Canary Row for a few minutes.

Then it was off to the aquarium. It was so nice that we could go in during the member time so had a short time without the crowds to see some of the exhibits. A friend had told us what to head to first(because it gets busy quick) so we started with the touch ponds.

He wasn't sure what he thought of some of the slimy sea weed.

One of his favorite things was the wave simulator

Then on to check out the big tanks with all the fish/sharks/turtles/etc.

Leopard shark

Sting ray

In this area you walked under a tank and could look up and see all the fish, Junior was quite in awe.

It was so neat to see that look of total wonder as we went to the various exhibits. He loved every minute of it.

Then it was on to the jelly fish exhibit

more fish

Taking a break outside. Between the crowds and masks we needed to step out for some air every so often.

Everything was beautiful

Yonder enjoyed getting a break. He did amazing but all those people are overwhelming for anyone.

Penguins

They had started allowing re-entry at the aquarium so we were able to walk down to canary row for lunch. We found a cute little pizza shop and then walked down to one of the piers to eat.

Junior decided that listening to the crashing waves was just perfect for a little nap.

We then went back to the aquarium for awhile so Junior could see a few of the exhibits again.

Octopus tentacles

The aquarium was amazing and we all enjoyed it. I do have to comment that with the huge crowds I didn't see any point in them requiring reserved time slots or masks for that matter. When you are packed in that tight its unlikely a mask is doing any good. But that said it was worth fighting those crowds to see the look on my boys face when he saw everything, he loved it and I suspect his shark obsession grew even more during this trip.

After a break back at our room we headed out for a long walk and enjoyed the farmers market that was being held in down town.

Exhausted after that busy day and out for the night.

Wednesday morning before heading home we stopped at Point Lobos for some hiking.

Absolutely gorgeous and they had some accessible trails.

Those spots down on the sand are actually seals

Enjoying the views

Photos just don't do justice to the gorgeous scenery surrounding us.

Yonder actually looks quite exhausted in these pics. He did amazing but we walked 5-6 miles each day with lots of hills.

There was a nest right on the side of the cliff and when I zoomed in with my camera we could see the eggs fairly clearly. In person they looked blue but when I took a photo with the zoom they look white.

There were some steps on one of the trails leading down to the beach. We stayed at the top and Abby went on down to the water.

Junior thought it was hysterical that Abby was needing to work so hard to push him. In some parts it took 2 of us to get him up the hills but we succeeded and his smile says it all. Totally worth all the effort and I hope someday to do this trip again. It really was a magical time and we had so much fun.

On the way home we took a different route to avoid all that bay area traffic. We stopped at a place called Casa de Fruita which was quite fun. We had lunch at the cafe then wandered around their store.