29/04: Seals, Rock and Trees
Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
About 5 miles north of Hearst Castle is the The Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery. From the Friends of the Elephant Seal website, "The northern elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris, is an extraordinary marine mammal. It spends eight to ten months a year in the open ocean, diving 1000 to 5800 feet deep for periods of fifteen minutes to two hours, and migrating thousands of miles, twice a year, to its land-based rookery for birthing, breeding, molting, and rest." The current season is the female and juvenile molt (grow new skin and hair). It takes about a month for a Elephant Seal to molt. Ed and I spent an hour watching these facinating creatures and could have easily spent a couple of more hours there.
The elephant seals seam to enjoy laying next to or on top of each other.
Juveniles practice fighting with each other. The Elephant Seal on the right is starting to get the distinct elephant seal nose.
The seals were curious about the bird and moved towards it.
When we left the hotel, it was cool and foggy. Happily, the fog is beginning to disperse.
You can see the layer of fog, land below and just a little bit of land above. I think it's going to be hazy today.
At one of the pull offs the ground squirrels were really cheeky --- this one walked right up to Ed's shoe. I guess people don't pay attention to the signs that say don't feed the wildlife.
Ed tries to squeeze a bit of geo caching in every day. Today the find took us on a dirt road that climbed part way up a mountain. Ed found the cache and we got a great view.
and found these cute flowers and and interesting plant.
There aren't very many places where you can get to the beach but we found one.
The view from another pull off. If you look closely you can see the highway winding it's way along the coast.
At the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, the McWay Falls drops over a cliff of 80 feet into the Pacific Ocean (depending on the tide).
Another view from the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.
Big Sur Redwood trees at the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.
The Bixby Creek Bridge is a reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch bridge that opened in 1932.
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is just south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. For some reason many guide books and other tourist pamlets overlook this park. Ed and I found it fancinating and would suggest anyone you loves nature to visit it if they find themselves in Carmel or Monterey.
Harbour Seals moms and pups. They spend a lot of time sleeping on the beach.
One of the pups.
Point Lobos is one of only two places where the Monterey Cypress can be found in the wild.
More beautiful rocky coastline.
The elephant seals seam to enjoy laying next to or on top of each other.
Juveniles practice fighting with each other. The Elephant Seal on the right is starting to get the distinct elephant seal nose.
The seals were curious about the bird and moved towards it.
When we left the hotel, it was cool and foggy. Happily, the fog is beginning to disperse.
You can see the layer of fog, land below and just a little bit of land above. I think it's going to be hazy today.
At one of the pull offs the ground squirrels were really cheeky --- this one walked right up to Ed's shoe. I guess people don't pay attention to the signs that say don't feed the wildlife.
Ed tries to squeeze a bit of geo caching in every day. Today the find took us on a dirt road that climbed part way up a mountain. Ed found the cache and we got a great view.
and found these cute flowers and and interesting plant.
There aren't very many places where you can get to the beach but we found one.
The view from another pull off. If you look closely you can see the highway winding it's way along the coast.
At the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, the McWay Falls drops over a cliff of 80 feet into the Pacific Ocean (depending on the tide).
Another view from the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.
Big Sur Redwood trees at the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.
The Bixby Creek Bridge is a reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch bridge that opened in 1932.
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is just south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. For some reason many guide books and other tourist pamlets overlook this park. Ed and I found it fancinating and would suggest anyone you loves nature to visit it if they find themselves in Carmel or Monterey.
Harbour Seals moms and pups. They spend a lot of time sleeping on the beach.
One of the pups.
Point Lobos is one of only two places where the Monterey Cypress can be found in the wild.
More beautiful rocky coastline.