Triple Play!

[dolphins_log]

We left San Francisco and traveled down Highway One.  It wasn't really raining, though folks down here call it rain. 

First Stop: Point Montera.  Mr. C. mentioned this lighthouse in one of his private posts.  It's the one that was found last year to be a missing Cape Cod lighthouse that was thought demolished.  SURPRISE!

Second Stop: Pigeon Point.  Both Pigeon Point and Point Montera are operated as youth hostels.  Poor Pigeon Point though, is suffering from a little disrepair.  No one had the authority to refurbish it and the Coast Guard could only maintain it.  That was until 2005.  Now the race is on against time.

Third Stop:  Ano [~ over the n] Nuevo.  Ano Nuevo light station is on an island.  It was abandoned in 1948.  We weren't sure we would be able to do this one as it's on a nature preserve. Elephant seals haul out here to mate or molt depending on the time of year.
We discovered that it was possible, but there was a thick fog to deal with.  There was a 4 mile round trip hike involved [that's a harder type of walking].  Part of the hike is in sand [Prince Feisal: "I think you are another of these desert-loving English."].  Shades of Punta Gorda.  There are also strict rules about staying on the path.  Shortbread had me go first so I could watch for the endangered San Francisco Garter Snake.  And in fact we did find one.  Shortbread leaped back before she could see it.  She wanted me to club it with my tripod [not really].

We finally arrived at the first look out.  ...and could see nothing.  Fog.  We hiked out to the second lookout and found the preserve attendants.  In the distance there were a few elephant seal males having some intense discussions with a back drop of driftwood logs.  Out where the island was... fog.

We talked for a bit about the seals and about the island, about San Fran and Puget Sound.  About a half hour later I noticed the top of what looked like old chimneys.  Slowly the fog lifted and we got some great pictures.  After taking all the shots I could want I turned my attention back to the seals.

ME: "Oh my god!  That's not drift wood.  Those are seals!!!"  What I thought were dry driftwood logs were all Elephant Seals.  ..over 600 of them.  More pictures.  I think I've taken over 300 photos by now.

Now we're in Watsonville.