Enjoying Monterey, an historic California hot spot

(This should be applied to people of all genders and generations). On a recent trip to San Francisco, I ventured 345 miles north from Los Angeles and just short of 125 miles south of San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Highway to the Monterey Peninsula. The orange and black monarch Butterflies have made the Monterey Peninsula, Butterfly Town, U.S.A., a resting stop for the migrating monarchs from cold Canada to warmer Mexico. Literally, more than tens of thousands of the butterflies descended from one tree when my tour guide shook that tree. The peninsula's most important attraction is the old fishing town of Monterey that had gained fame for whaling and sardine canning and the home of the young author John Steinbeck who made Cannery Row world famous. The astounding marine life, representing more than 700 breeds of the animal world is a noteworthy experience at the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Cannery Row. In addition to the fish from Monterey Bay, there are sea otters, sharks, penguins, and sea lions. This summer history buffs and families can cash in on the historic haunts of Monterey, the first capital of California. This area is regarded by many as the country's most historic city west of Williamsburg, Virginia, Monterey celebrates its cultural clout with special events, mesmerizing museums and tours of the very buildings that appear in the archives as far back as 1770. I also learned that there are some fascinating firsts attributed to Monterey including the fact that first recorded mass was celebrated north of San Diego in 1602 by the Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino. His fleet sailed into Monterey near present-day Fisherman's Wharf. As a matter of fact he was the first European known to land in Monterey and is responsible for naming the region for the Mexican viceroy, the Count of Monte Rey. Then in 1770, Father Junipero Serra and a Spanish army general established a presidio at Monterey where the priest led another mass at the same spot. He later supervised the second of California's 21 missions (Carmel Mission) and was the headquarters for all of the California missions. Father Serra's grave site is on the Mission's grounds.. The first California State Historical Monument, the Fisherman's Wharf Custom House was a source of revenue for the Mexican government from 1821-1846. Mexico collected taxes from foreign merchants who used the port. In 1846, an American Navy Officer raised the American flag on the Spanish-style adobe building and claimed California for the U.S. Today the building is a museum and was designated as the #1 California State Historical Monument. More firsts for California included the introduction of the printing press in 1834 and the first newspaper in 1846 called the Californian. The Golden State's first newspaper defined its mission to be "free and independent; unawed by power and untrammeled by party. The use of its columns shall be denied to none..." And the first marketed cheese, Monterey Jack. While the origin of Jack cheese is credited to Spanish Franciscan friars who came to Monterey from Mexico in the 1799s, several theories seek to explain who first marketed t as "Monterey Jack." Some credit Monterey County resident Senora Juana Corta de Boronda, who used a housejack (press) to make creamy cheese that she sold door-to-door to support her husband and 15 children. Another story credits Dominic Pedrazzi, who used a jack to make cheese in Carmel Valley. The most common theory links the name to early Monterey landowner David Jacks who had a local dairy and sold his creation as "Jack's cheese", later to become commonly known as Monterey Jack. Not to be missed, in my judgment is the drive along the 17-Mile Drive that connects Monterey to Carmel, whose mayor was Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood. Additionally the drive is the home of some very valuable real estate including the famed and most expensive and stunning tournament-class public courses in all the world, Pebble Beach Golf Links and five other golf fairways. Pebble Beach was patterned after the incomparable courses in Scotland and Ireland with the ocean as a backdrop and the windy conditions to contend with. In addition to all the firsts and glorious landscapes, there is the world-class Monterey Jazz Festival.For more travel information contact your travel professional or call 888-221-1010.Copyright by Marcia AbramsonE-mail: mascribe@aol.com