Travelling along the coast was delightful, especially because we stayed in hostels such as the Pigeon Point Lighthouse (just south of San Francisco).

As we drove into San Francisco we visited the Marine Science Institute on San Francisco Bay. This was another relatively small centre but it ran programs on a large research vessel called the Robert G. Brownlee.

That afternoon we visited the Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

We then went our separate ways for a couple of days, Jane and I visited Bodega Bay and a Marine Mammal Rescue Centre www.tmmc.org.

Next Elephant seals and lighthouses ..