45. Moss Landing

My friend Barb and I met today for a walk around the nearby (halfway between us) harbor town of Moss Landing, home of MBARI—the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute—and of whale-watching enterprises. Here are a few photos.

The Moss Landing Power Plant (no longer active)

MBARI's newest research vessel, the David Packard,
named for the institute's visionary founder (and the
Packard of Hewlett-Packard fame)

MBARI's older research vessel the Rachel Carson.
We also saw the Western Flyer in the harbor, a 
reconstruction of the boat John Steinbeck and Doc Ricketts
traveled on in the Gulf of Mexico. It recently returned
from a 100-day voyage back in those parts. 

The dredging vessel, the Sea Horse—though it wasn't
actively doing any dredging that we saw.
A sizable barge did pull up alongside, as well as a
large tugboat. So it's definitely about to get going. 

Overhead at lunchtime.

This is Katie. I profiled her on Flickr,
on my 100 Strangers project. You can
read more about her—and the project
surrounding these enthusiastically-legged
seastars—there. It was super fun talking
with her.

A 156 million year old ammonite, one of several
beautifully preserved fossils in the courtyard
outside the Sunflower Star Laboratory and
Woodward Marine Market Restaurant.