Last Day- Monterey, CA

Spending my last day in Monterey is sad yet I am thrilled to go home. I been away from my girls for 3 days and I miss them terribly. I am not the type of guy that likes to take business trips but these NMC conferences are so good for me and my inspiration for instructional technology ideas, multi-media development and pedagogical thinking in the way on how to better serve the faculty to create better tools for them to create better learners. We learned how developers can create "kick ass" tools, but what does it mean if the user themselves the student don't be come "kick ass" users? That is a lot to think about over the summer and I plan to spend a lot of my time thinking about those instructional values.

I was able to spend some alone time on Cannery Row and visited the Ghirardelli Chocolate and Ice Cream shop. The back patio looks out to the ocean and is a wonderful place to enjoy their famous hot fudge chocolate sundae.

I do know I will be back to this beautiful area and look forward to showing my wife around and another visit to the aquarium. I kind of feel like Homer in this picture, just looking back one more time at this stunning coastline. Living in the desert I don't get views like this, but to quote The Terminator... "I'll be back!"

17 Mile Drive- Monterey, CA

Today, I spent my free time after the conference on a tour of the famous 17 Mile Drive along the Monterey, California coast. This was the most beautiful scenery I have ever scene. This drive goes through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach along two famous golf courses; Spanish Bay and Pebble Beach. The road runs inland past Spanish Bay, then adjacent to beaches and up into the coastal hills, providing scenic viewpoints. Travel along 17-Mile Drive takes as long as the traveler likes, a minimum of 20 minutes to Carmel without stops. There are numerous turnouts along the road to stop, take pictures, or get out and stroll along the ocean or among the trees.

Monterey Bike Ride

This is along the bike path that strolls along Monterey's beautiful coastline. I would of loved to keep on riding to explore more of this beach but we had limits on the time we had with our rented bikes.

Monterey Bike Ride

Today after the conference workshops I ventured out for a long coastal bike ride along Monterey, CA most beautiful beaches. This place was an absolute dream. I never in my life imagine riding a bike in a more stunning location. We rode about 15 to 17 miles total and the sea air and the breeze made it so easy. Took many photos along the way and just enjoyed the short time I have here.

I would really love to come back and show my family how special this place is. It is a small town feel with a very laid back and calm atmosphere. Nothing compared to San Francisco. This place is very special and I can imagine living here would be very expensive.

Bubba Gump

Tonight we ate dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp in Monterey. This is the
very first location of this now widely popular chain of resturaunts.
Of course the
movie Forrest Gump made this a house hold word.

The food is very good, a bit pricey. One thing you must have is their
speckled strawberry lemonade! Very good. Tonight I enjoyed a nice
cheerse burger and fries.

Cannery Row Stroll-Monterey

Cannery Row in Monterey is a small stretch of shops, places to eat, and beautiful views of the ocean. I was loving the weather while walking around down this awesome historical area. Had dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp and sat on the patio facing the ocean. Living in Arizona that is a visual stimulation that I never get to experience.

Having traveled to San Francisco just a few weeks ago this is much different type of experience. It's more laid back, extremely clean and filled with many shops and eateries. I look forward to after conference exploring and checking out other parts of this town. Tomorrow is filled with conference workshops but afterwards I will be renting a bike and exploring Monterey Bay.

Monterey California

Spending some time at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I have never seen an
aquarium so beautiful. The sea horse exhibit was amazing. Really
enjoying the weather and walking down Cannery Row. We are about to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp. This was the flagship location started up in 1975. We had dinner on the patio facing the ocean and the view was amazing.