The new Disney and Pixar movie Finding Dory traces the forgetful fish’s family roots back to Morro Bay, where the colorful characters find a marine sanctuary. No such place really exists in Morro Bay, but a little more than 100 miles north along Highway 1, you can find a similar facility.
My family moved away recently—my mother, stepfather, and little half-sister, Lori—and so one of our goodbye outings included an afternoon at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. My wife and I also took Lori to see Finding Dory, which got her excited for the visit to the aquarium.
We took separate cars because my parents had stops to make along Highway 101 mostly for regional foods they wanted to take with them to their new home out of state. My wife and I opted for Highway 1, passing by Morro Bay—Dory’s fictional home—and heading for Monterey.
There is plenty to enjoy along this route, from Cambria to the slumbering Elephant Seals, or the fantastic hiking trails at Hearst San Simeon State Park. But, we had a destination, so we didn’t dawdle and kept cruising north.
This drive is long, if you’ve never done it, but it is worth the more than an hour delay over the inland route. There is plenty of windy road, clinging to the cliff face of areas like Big Sur and just after San Simeon, so you’ve got to take it slow, unless you want to risk flying off the cliff for hundreds of feet, smashing into the ocean.
This stretch of Highway 1 may seem dangerous—both my wife and I have heard stories from elders of inebriated hippies who drove over the cliff “back in the day”—but it’s a truly awe-inspiring, picturesque drive. There are plenty of overlooks and vista points along the way for photo ops or just to stretch the legs and take it all in. We were comfortable taking the northern route up the Pacific Coast Highway, as it hugs the mountainside, because it was daylight.
We made a stop in Big Sur to get a bite and a drink at Big Sur Bakery, which looks almost like a gold rush-era cliff settlement. The croissants were flaky and the coffee strong, so we relaxed a bit there, enjoying the mountainous, wooded view before hitting the road again.
Once in Monterey we found some all-day parking for $10, met my parents and little sister, and began trekking down Cannery Row to the aquarium. There is lots to do on Cannery Row before you even approach the entrance to the aquarium, including visiting famous restaurants and kitsch stores with souvenirs galore. One shop caught my wife’s eye, Monterey’s Tasty Olive Bar, so we returned there that afternoon and scored a big bottle of smoky walnut oil after sampling dozens of oils and vinegars.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a spectacular facility that wasn’t too crowded on this particular Monday afternoon. It’s a wonderful place to take the kids, but anyone with marine biology on the mind will have a great time.
All under one roof, and thousands of gallons of water, you can get up-close views of many species of marine life. The sea otters are right up front when you arrive, which gave me a flashback of when I first went there as a youngster. The aquarium staff hand out maps that clearly mark the times they feed the furry little critters, so you can plan your day around seeing the animals at their most active.
There are sharks, and jellies, and schools of sardines. There are tide pool exhibits, deep-sea exhibits, and hanging kelp forests. One of Lori’s favorite stops was, of course, the touch-tank area. Her little hands—still bedazzled with sparkly blue nail polish thanks to my wife—tentatively stroked the spines of a sea urchin. The sea cucumber made her a little uneasy, and I tried to demonstrate the safety of the animals by letting a decorator crab crawl across my palm.
She wasn’t having it, but that’s OK. She got to make her own crayon etchings (now hanging on our refrigerator), learn about marine pollution, safe tide pooling, and she even went home with a little Finding Dory necklace. Though she is now far from home, much like the small blue, forgetful fish from the film, my little sister will always remember the relaxed afternoon of wonder we enjoyed together, coming close to the creatures of the deep blue, and connecting over our shared curiosity regarding nature.
Arts Editor Joe Payne and his wife got see the Strawberry Moon rise on the drive back south on Highway 101. Reach him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 7-14, 2016.