Aquarium Of The Pacific

A sly old fish, too cunning for the hook

Time For A Sea Cruise Or Harbor Tour (Page Two)

Page One - Visiting The Aquarium | Page Two - Harbor Tour

We decided to see the top of the water for a while and warm up a little.


A short stroll to the cruise terminal


Nancy and Charlotte make an emergency stop at the ice cream wagon!

Emergency Stop At Bubba Gumps


We went to Bubba Gumps for a drinkie poo before the cruise


Nancy listens to one of Greg's stories


Charlotte got some decorating ideas for her living room


Thinking about Bob Fiedler


Hot sauce... a requirement


Two orders to go please

Back To The Pier


OK... We are ready for the adventure


The Whale Watching boat is just coming in


In line and ready to go


Out of the harbor we go...


Going up top to get a better view


We had plenty of seating today...


Nancy already has a new friend.... Mr. Bird


We are about to embark on an adventure


Greg found the bar


Absorbing the sun... The cool sea breeze makes it enjoyable


"Where is the bar??"


We are underway passing the Light House

Did You Know? - The Pike at Rainbow Harbor is located between the Long Beach Convention Center and the Aquarium of the Pacific. The tourist-oriented development has a large number of restaurants and a 14-theater megaplex Cinemark movie theater.

The Gameworks keystone attraction closed and has re-opened as Kitchen-Den-Bar. There is also a four-level, fee parking-structure, metered street parking, a pedestrian overpass supporting teaser artwork resembling a steel rollercoaster, an outdoor amphitheater, an antique Spillman carousel (1920) and a solar-powered Ferris wheel.


The Queen awaits our arrival


Parker's Lighthouse


Still magnificent after 70 years...


We asked Greg not to stand up and fly like in the movie


A look back toward the output of the Los Angeles River

Did You Know? - The Los Angeles River (also known as the L.A. River) starts in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly 48 miles (77 km) southeast to its mouth in Long Beach. Several tributaries join the once free-flowing and frequently flooding river, forming alluvial flood plains along its banks. It now flows through a concrete channel on a fixed course.

Environmental groups and park advocates support the removal of concrete and the restoration of natural vegetation and wildlife. There are also plans for a series of parks along the river's city frontage in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles River also flows through several Los Angeles County communities and has been featured in many Hollywood films.

Before the opening of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the river was the primary source of fresh water for the city. Although the Los Angeles region still gets some of its water from the river and other local sources, most comes from several aqueducts serving the area. The river suffers pollution from agricultural and urban runoff.


It was a beautiful day


What are they talking about?? Golf!


The fishing boat was coming in with bunches of birds following


Nice breeze on the bay


A great day for sightseeing


Camera in hand


We had the ship almost to ourselves


It's a buoy

Did You Know? - A buoy is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with the sea wave.

The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is (in UK English) now most commonly pronounced identical with boy, as in buoyancy.

In American English the pronunciation is closer to "boo-ee."


They crawl up onto the buoy and take a nap...


That seagull better be careful


Off we go


The harbor was full of ships


The Castor Voyager is a crude oil tanker


You can find almost any of 67,000 ships location on-line
at http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/


244 m long and 42 m wide


Everyone is sleeping today... Only one guy waved at us


Note the quick escape system on the back of the ship


Time to sail over the bounding main

Did You Know? - "Sailing, Sailing" (also known by its first line "Sailing, sailing, over the bounding main") is a children's song about sailing on the ocean. It was written in 1880 by Godfrey Marks, a pseudonym of British organist and composer James Frederick Swift (1847–1931).


One of the four Long Beach pumping islands


They bring the trucks to the island, load them up, and off they go

Did You Know? - The THUMS Islands are a set of four artificial islands in San Pedro Bay off the coast of Long Beach, California. They were built in 1965 to tap into the East Wilmington Oil Field. The landscaping and sound walls were designed to camouflage the operation and reduce noise, and they are the only decorated oil islands in the United States.

After a 1964 court case that gave the state of California mineral rights to the area, the islands were built at an estimated cost of $22 million in 1965, the islands were operated by THUMS, a consortium named after the parent companies who bid for the island contract: Texaco, Humble Oil (now Exxon), Union Oil, Mobil Oil, and Shell Oil.

The rim of the islands are made of 640,000 tons of boulders from Catalina Island, and the islands were then filled with 3.2 million cubic yards of dredged material from the bay.

The islands contain significant landscaping, a waterfall, and tall structures concealing the drilling rigs, including one known as The Condo and mistaken for "a ritzy hotel" by those on land.

The structures are lit in colored lights at night. The aesthetic mitigation cost $10 million at time of construction, and was overseen by theme park architect Joseph Linesch. They were described by a Los Angeles Times writer as "part Disney, part Jetsons, part Swiss Family Robinson".


We made it! YEAH!


"Let's go to Old Ranch and have a drink!"

Old Ranch Here We Come


Nancy introduced Paul to a Brandy Manhattan


She looks so good after four of them.. Amazing


Greg decided to munch on some onions


Checking in with Vince


"Onions for all"


Carri takes it all in


Almost a giggle

Page One - Visiting The Aquarium | Page Two - Harbor Tour