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Kayakers entering Elk Horn Slough by the sea lion dock
Sea lions at the Moss Landing dock (see below)
Vireya blooming in the cool greenhouse (as promised in first blog)Happy New Year, one and all! While I know that legalistically the first decade of the 21st century is not over till December 31, 2010, I am happy to bid farewell to the '00s. So, may the '10s be healthy, prosperous, and full of joy and love for you all.
Northern California has been enjoying the most incredible weather the past 4 days (today it's supposed to be sunny and 64 when the fog lifts). On Sunday, January 3, Rafael and I took his sister Tracy, sister Marty, and Marty's husband Bob to Point Lobos State Reserve, which is one of the most fantastic places on the planet. The sun was shining, the temperatures were right at 60, and, yes indeed, we were lucky because the gray whale migration was in full swing. Armed with three sets of binoculars and two fancy cameras with telephoto lens, we perched on the highest point above the seal rocks, and right away I saw a spout. Unfortunately, no one else caught that one, but over the next hour and a half, Tracy actually got a photo of one, and everyone saw some spouts and backs emerging as the whales traveled south to Baja. While I was waiting at the ranger station for everyone to come back, I peered a few last times through the binoculars and even saw one lift its tail totally out of the water in preparation for a deep dive.
On the way home from Carmel we stopped in Moss Landing at a dock built for kayakers and boaters that was finished in April 2007. It was almost immediately hijacked by hundreds, yes, hundreds, of sea lions. So many pile onto it that it almost sinks under their weight when it's fully loaded down. Since it is against the law to come close to or harass them, not a single kayak or canoe has probably been launched on the pier since it was built! The Reno television news did a great video story on them recently. For some reason (safety in numbers?), usually you can spot sea otters near the dock too. Sunday there was a whole gaggle of them--or whatever groups of sea otters are called--all lounging around on their backs eating shellfish. Pretty easy to spot, since the males get four feet long and weigh up to 65 pounds. (I have to confess I did not know that they are a member of the weasel family! They most be the most beloved member of the weasel family, that's for sure.)
