Monterey and Carmel

 I have fallen more deeply in love with my Ipad today. A few days ago, I downloaded a GPS app, for, I think, $1.99. Today it talked me through all the turns from Calistoga to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (more on that in a bit). Afterwards I sat in my car and used my cellular internet connection to go to hotels.com and find a nice little B&B in Carmel, for less than $60. Trusty Ipad guided me on, and I'm now there, sipping the remainders of yesterday's wine.

Also, the ipad battery has lasted all day, and still says it's got 24% left. And the car charger that I already had for my ipOd seems to work fine for it, too.

The aquarium lived up to expectations. Most enjoyable to me were the displays of sea jellies, including an opportunity to see baby ones through a microscope; and a large and amazing display of sea horses... from babies to adults to sea dragons (yes, there is such a thing) which surely do not look like they belong in this world at all. I tried to find someone who could tell me what the jelly marbles in Oregon might have been, but no luck. 

I was hoping to drive down to Ventura tomorrow and catch a boat out for a day in Channel Islands National Park on Thursday. However, the only boat on Thursday goes to Anacapa Island, and as near as I can tell, once you get there, there's a 1.5 mile nature trail, and that's it. Would rather go to Santa ...,  but no boat until Friday, and I need to be in  or near Yuma on Friday night, another fairly long drive, so I guess it will have to wait until another time.

I just got interested in the Channel Islands... truth be told, just learned of their existence... after reading T. C. Boyles' "When the Killing's Done" a few weeks ago. Good book.

So now I'm dithering about what to do for the next 3 days. May stick around here tomorrow and go biking. Seems like there are a lot of nice trails around here.