Our RV travels take us all over the country, but most of the time we plan our route to take advantage of our membership parks where we can stay for free (or nearly free - we do have dues which work out to about $50/month.) Sometimes, we end up having to pay (as much as $60/night) so that we can be within a reasonable driving distance to a single-visit attraction like the Hearst Castle, or really close to a multiple-visit destination like our daughter, Shannon's home or to San Francisco.
San Benito, a Thousand Trails preserve (and therefore one of our freebies) is an hour away from the Monterey Bay and Peninsula area, not a drive we'd want to make a half-dozen times, but it is close enough to make a few trips to see the sights in the area. This time we took in Cannery Row, a section of the bay made famous by a John Steinbeck novel (his home and a museum dedicated to his works is in nearby Salinas.) It has been converted into a typical "tourist trap" collection of shops and eateries - even someone with a fertile imagination (yours truly not included) would have a devil of a time seeing what it was really like during its heyday. So what the heck, we acted like the tourists we are, went into a bunch of shops, and ate a really delish meal at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. We also toured Fishermans' Wharf (more shops and restaurants,) but the jewel of our day was the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the second largest in the world (after the new Georgia Aquarium) and one of the best in the country. Its location right on the bay allows it to use the actual bay waters in some of its displays. It also has the world's largest single-paned window in the Outer Bay display. Even though its a little pricey, don't miss taking it in if you are closeby.
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