Ano Nuovo

The sky was threatening more rain.  We had not reserved spots for the Elephant seals tour at Ano Nuovo State Park today, mostly because it had been booked solid.  But today, we thought we could just try our luck. 

And luck we had. We got there just in time to join the next group, heading down to the 'rookery' where the elephant seals are breeding, sunbathing, and you know, living their lives. 

Jim and I had been here once before, years ago, before the children came into our lives. I remember being dumbfounded by this National Geographic-like action happening right before our eyes.  We were just a few feet away from these gigantic creatures, some were fighting, some were mating, some were swimming.  We were newly Californians, and were instantly sold by the bounty of this coastline. 

So today, we got to share that experience with the kids. They are just old enough to be able to follow what the docent was saying, and wise enough to know how amazing it was for us to enjoy this unique experience. 

The walk was 3 miles total, but the tour was over two hours.  A lot of that time was spent near the rookery where we stood near the elephant seals, who by the way, seemed oblivious to our presence.  

Most of the females had left, we were told, since they had finished nursing their pups, mated, and were on their way back to sea.  Lots of these pups were already 300 lbs, and yet they looked tiny compared to the large males who apparently could weigh up to... 5,000 lbs! 

The tour was informative, the 'show' was fun.  The most amazing thing of all was that after it was all over, we hopped into the car, drove less than 30 minutes south, and voila, we were back home.  It was the best kind of entertainment...right in our own backyard!