Page 97 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2021 REDISCOVERING CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL COAST

Adventures by the Sea wide pedestrian and bike path where once a rail-
Mary bowed out of the bike ride - she doesn’t road used to run, and stopped at the historic can-
play well with bikes or horses. But when Ron dis- nery worker shacks. The three tiny cabins, the last
of over 100 that once dotted Monterey’s water-
covered he would ride the e-bike over mostly flat
terrain, he enthusiastically signed up. As the meet- front, housed the men, mostly Mexican, Spanish,
ing time approached, he grew apprehensive - was Japanese and Filipino, who worked in the canner-
ies or fished for sardines. Up to four men fre-
the ride too long, was he too old, was the bike seat
padded. quently shared one small cabin.
His concerns evaporated when he greeted his From the bike trail, we could see the rustic
guide at the offices of the tour company, Adven- wooden shed that was once the laboratory and
tures by the Sea. Jan Burns was a fellow Baby home of respected marine scientist Ed Ricketts.
Boomer, although in much better shape than many Academically, he was best known for his research
of us. She’s been leading bike and kayak tours for compiled in “Between Pacific Tides.” But it was
Steinbeck who made him world famous, drawing
over two decades and, as Ron discovered during
their three hours together, she is an exceptional on Ricketts as the model for Doc in “Cannery Row”
guide - super knowledgeable about area history and “Sweet Thursday.” The author and scientist
became good friends in the 1930s, and when Rick-
and lore. She also knew the best spots to stop,
chat and snap photos.. etts’ lab burned down, Steinbeck financed its re-
building. He even worked a bit with Ricketts
The tour began with a visit to the city’s commer-
examining marine specimens. Cannery Row and
cial pier, almost taken over by smelly and loud
seals and sea lions. Nice to observe from a dis- Sweet Thursday, that made both Steinbeck and
tance, but not so nice close up. We carried on to a Ricketts world famous.

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