Cal Poly Pier | Week 9 | Beach a Week

The Cal Poly Pier opens to the public twice a year. Professors, instructors, and students man touch tanks and research stations to educate the public about the research they conduct via the program. Super geared for kids, the day provides up-close-and-personal looks into the lives of sea creatures as well as campus projects.

Excited to get to the pier

The pier was donated to Cal Poly by Unocal and is a little more than a half-mile long. You can still see, along the side, the pipes that used to carry oil from ocean to shore.

Pier

Seaweed under the pier

The seaweed below the pier.

Looking toward Avila Beach

Looking from the pier to Avila Beach proper. That beach way over yonder is the main beach people visit when they come to Avila.

Looking towards Dog Beach

This is the beach we went to for Beach a Week #7, Dog Beach.

Photo from Coast News

I was really excited to see all of the exhibits once we got onto the pier. This seastar touch tank had a huge crowd with one brave soul holding a many-legged sea star (nee starfish) and people were encouraging a little one to touch it.

Turned out that the brave soul was my mom and the little one refusing to touch it was my niece, Ysabel. The moment when I figured it out is caught here by the folks at Coast News (photo credit, Christopher Gardner/Coast News).

Mom holds the sea star

Here’s my mom, holding the sea star.

Ysa wants nothing to do with it

Here’s my niece refusing to touch the sea star.

Nathan's missing teeth

Nathan, my nephew, was brave enough to touch the sea star and game enough to show me his missing teeth.

And is very silly

Six going on seven is a great age.

Family

Me, mom, Bec, Nathan and Ysabel (thanks Steve for taking the photo).

Beach a Week 9

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