Our first day on the road took us to the Grand Canyon. We were at the GC years ago when Will was in Middle School. On that trip, JD, Will, and Steve hiked down the Kaibab Trail to the canyon floor, had a picnic at Phantom Ranch, and then climbed back out via a dark and icy Bright Angel Trail. This time, Sue, Teddy, and I were content to walk along the rim in the evening and then explore it again the next morning. It goes without saying that the view is absolutely breathtaking. These pictures can't begin to do it justice. Teddy was less impressed with the view than with his close encounters with deer and elk.
Our destination was Morro Bay on the Central Coast of California. Susie found us a beach house, and Will and Maya drove up from Los Angeles to join us. Our first day trip took us to a beach just north of the Hearst Castle at San Simeon. The beach is a famous breeding ground for elephant seals. The narrow sand beach was populated by thousands of seals. The bulls reach a length of about 15 feet and can weigh almost 7000 pounds. The females are much smaller, weighing in at about 2000 pounds. Many of the females were nursing newborn pups, which weigh about 60-80 pounds at birth. The variety of sounds they produce is indescribable. Teddy was VERY interested in these enormous sea creatures and tried to converse with them.
Here are a few pictures and videos of two different landscapes in two days: the Grand Canyon and the sea elephant breeding grounds:
https://picasaweb.google.com/115513772064488057894/GrandCanyonSeals
No comments:
Post a Comment