742 March 3, 2022 Point Lobos
Happy Birthday David!!! We love you and we are so proud of you!
We woke up before the sun this morning. We watched the sky turn pink. The valley was dense with fog. The forecast for today was for clouds and rain.
I got out early to walk…these hills!!! I walked around the racetrack and just when I was on the last portion back to the campground, I ran into a locked gate. I turned back and walked the way I had come!
Today was our last day on the California Coast. We have spent the last two weeks wandering along the water’s edge. This part of America is very beautiful. If you haven’t seen it…put it on your list!
We wanted to return to Point Lobos. Last time we tried to go it was crazy busy. Today was the perfect opportunity to see the park. I think that the weather forecast kept people away. First, we hiked the Cypress Grove Trail. The Monterey Cypress trees only grow in two places in the world; here and Pebble Beach.
The trees are battered by salt water and wind and here they thrive. Biologists have tried to grow these trees elsewhere but they succumb to a fungus…they only grow here in this harsh Pacific environment.
The cypress trees drip with lace lichen.
This is a Natural Reserve. The park service is very serious about protecting the natural beauty of this place. Roads and signs are kept to a minimum. There are severe penalties for breaching the fencing.
There were danger signs on the cliffs. Visitors were advised never to turn their back on the ocean; to be vigilant and to watch for large waves that could sweep you out to sea.
Next, we walked on the North Shore Trail. Here we saw a group of harbor seals leaping through the water. We sat to watch.
Old Veteran.
In the next cove, we saw a sea otter mom and her baby.
We stopped at the Jeep for a snack. People always stop to ask where we are from. They marvel at the fact that we have traveled across the country to be here. There are not too many East Coast visitors out this way. We get lots of questions about our roof top tent. When we talk about selling our house and living our dream, we hope that we inspire others to follow their dreams. Everyone says that they want to be doing this…we wonder though how many people will seize the chance and make it happen.
We took the Sea Lion Point Trail. We could hear the sea lions barking no matter where we hiked. Their noise could be heard over the roar of the crashing waves.
We also saw these pelagic cormorants nesting in the cliffs.
The waves here are particularly violent. I am not sure if this is normal or if it was exacerbated by the incoming storm. The Devil’s Cauldron is an area of especially turbulent water.
Deer grazing in the nearby meadow.
We got back to the RV and just a short time later, light rain began to fall.
We are not entirely certain where we will go tomorrow. We are going to head east and south. We had hoped to go to see Sequoia National Park and the Sierra Nevada Mountians but the weatherman has forecasted 12-18 inches of new snow there. The roads are likely to be closed and we are ready to go somewhere warm.
