Pacific Grove, in the pine forests on the westernmost tip of Monterey Bay, is a magnet for wildlife, tourists, and scientists. Site of the first operational lighthouse in California and the first marine laboratory on the Pacific Coast, its beaches attracted camp meetings in the 19th century. Rows of tent housing that lined the original streets grew into charming neighborhoods of seaside cottages, lit annually by the Feast of Lanterns since 1905. Botanical and biological splendor attracted scientists like Edward Flanders Ricketts, made famous by his friend and one-time Pacific Grove resident John Steinbeck. Each year hundreds of groups use its famous conference center, Asilomar, and each fall tens of thousands of Monarch butterflies make a 2,500-mile journey to hang from the pines in great clusters of wafting wings.
A Collection of Personal Stories from visitors, residents, and through memoir writing classes, facilitated by Patricia Hamilton, and sponsored by the Pacific Grove Public Library and Park Place Publications. All sales to benefit the Pacific Grove Public Library.
A beautiful debut set around the creation of the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium--and the last days of John Steinbeck's Cannery Row In 1940, fifteen year-old Margot Fiske arrives on the shores of Monterey Bay with her eccentric entrepreneur father. Margot has been her father's apprentice all over the world, until an accident in Monterey's tide pools drives them apart and plunges her head-first into the mayhem of John Steinbeck's Cannery Row. Steinbeck is hiding out from his burgeoning fame at the raucous lab of Ed Ricketts, the biologist known as Doc in Cannery Row. Ricketts, a charismatic bohemian, quickly becomes the object of Margot's fascination. Despite Steinbeck's protests and her father's misgivings, she wrangles a job as Ricketts's sketch artist and begins drawing the strange and wonderful sea creatures he pulls from the waters of the bay. Unbeknownst to Margot, her father is also working with Ricketts. He is soliciting the biologist's advice on his most ambitious and controversial project to date: the transformation of the Row's largest cannery into an aquarium. When Margot begins an affair with Ricketts, she sets in motion a chain of events that will affect not just the two of them, but the future of Monterey as well. Alternating between past and present, Monterey Bay explores histories both imagined and actual to create an unforgettable portrait of an exceptional woman, a world-famous aquarium, and the beloved town they both call home.
Anyone who has ever stood on the shores of Monterey Bay, watching the rolling ocean waves and frolicking otters, knows it is a unique place. But even residents on this idyllic California coast may not realize its full history. Monterey began as a natural paradise, but became the poster child for industrial devastation in John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row,and is now one of the most celebrated shorelines in the world. It is a remarkable story of life, death, and revival—told here for the first time in all its stunning color and bleak grays. The Death and Life of Monterey Bay begins in the eighteenth century when Spanish and French explorers encountered a rocky shoreline brimming with life—raucous sea birds, abundant sea otters, barking sea lions, halibut the size of wagon wheels,waters thick with whales. A century and a half later, many of the sea creatures had disappeared, replaced by sardine canneries that sickened residents with their stench but kept the money flowing. When the fish ran out and the climate turned,the factories emptied and the community crumbled. But today,both Monterey’s economy and wildlife are resplendent. How did it happen? The answer is deceptively simple: through the extraordinary acts of ordinary people. The Death and Life of Monterey Bay is the biography of a place, but also of the residents who reclaimed it. Monterey is thriving because of an eccentric mayor who wasn’t afraid to use pistols, axes, or the force of law to protect her coasts. It is because of fishermen who love their livelihood, scientists who are fascinated by the sea’s mysteries, and philanthropists and community leaders willing to invest in a world-class aquarium. The shores of Monterey Bay revived because of human passion—passion that enlivens every page of this hopeful book.
The best way to enjoy California’s spectacular coastline is to drive it! Packed with information about charming seaside communities and featuring all new photographs, this beautiful four-color guide takes you along the 1,100-mile stretch of Highway 1. Whether you’re looking for a short, one-day jaunt or an extended tour of the entire coastline, Scenic Routes & Byways Pacific Coast California shows you the best places in the area to eat, stay, shop, and play.
Once there was an endless redwood wilderness, populated by only the hardiest of people. Then, the sudden blast of a steam whistle echoed across the canyons and the valleys-the iron horse had arrived in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Driven by the need to transport materials like lumber and lime to the rest of the world, the railroad brought people seeking out new ways of living, from the remote outposts along Bean and Zayante Creeks to the bustling towns of Los Gatos and Santa Cruz. Bridges and tunnels marked the landscape, and each new station, siding and spur signaled activity: businesses, settlements, and vacation spots. Summer resorts in the mountains evolved into sprawling residential communities which formed the backbone of the towns of the San Lorenzo Valley today. Much of the history of the locations along the route has since been forgotten. This is their story. Third Revision (February 2016) Addenda available at http://www.whaleyland.com/downloads/addenda1.3.pdf Exclusive CreateSpace Discount: Enter MU236Q6V into the coupon code field and get this book for $5.00 off! Offer only valid through CreateSpace. Review this book at GoodReads (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25144919)
The best way to enjoy California’s spectacular coastline is to drive it! Packed with information about charming seaside communities and featuring all new photographs, this beautiful four-color guide explores the rugged coast following US 101 and CA 1, from Santa Barbara to the Oregon border. These drives showcase the wonders and mystery of California’s fabled shoreline. Whether you’re looking for a short, one-day jaunt or a week-long tour of the entire coastline, Scenic Routes & Byways California’s Pacific Coast shows you the best places in the area to eat, stay, shop, and play.
Facing the radiant Monterey Bay, anchored proudly between Pacific Grove's downtown and famed Lovers Point beach, is the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History. The historic museum was founded in 1883 to house specimens collected by the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle in the days when horse-drawn carriages still meandered down a dirt road known today as Lighthouse Avenue. What started as a small octagonal building in what is now known as Jewell Park soon became a more impressive edifice, thanks largely to the help of community members like Mary Norton, the museum's first curator, and Lucie Chase, who donated to the construction of a new building in 1932. Others, including noted collector and taxidermist Rollo Beck and scientist Ed Ricketts, friend of author and Pacific Grove resident John Steinbeck, donated amazing specimens that remain on display.
