Ano Nuevo State Park

It was rainy but we had few options.  We could either 1) try to survive the day in the apartment, crammed in like mackerel (we prefer them to sardines) or 2) brave the weather, because almost anything is better than option 1.  On Saturday night we settled on a plan to drive south to Ano Nuevo State Park to visit the famous colony of elephant seals, that gathers on the beach between December and March to fight, mate, and give birth.

The drive down the coastal highway was beautiful and uncharacteristically quiet.  Really, no crying, whining, or fighting on the way down.  Even though we didn't have an online reservation, we were able to get in on a docent led tour less than half an hour later.

We didn't mind the rain but Anders was thoroughly disappointed with life.  He's normally very mellow, but he gave us his WTF?!? face for much of the hike.

 After a mile of walking we finally got close to the beach where the seals hang out.  Most of the adults had left to hunt at sea, leaving over 1,500 young "weaners" and pups.

 The docent explained that the pups are nursed for 3 months, after which their mothers pick up and leave them to fend for themselves.  He asked the kids, "What do you think about that?"  Without hesitation I said, "Sounds pretty good to me!"  A few other parents in the group chuckled in agreement.

 Linus is becoming quite the budding photographer, now that we let him practice with my point and shoot camera.  These last photos were all taken by him.

 The top photo is of a dead seal pup being eaten by gulls and ravens.

I drew a line in the sand to make sure the boys didn't fall off a cliff and into a harem of elephant seals.  Linus didn't think that was clear enough, and wrote "STOP" below the line.

IKEA meatballs for lunch.  We are always packing picnics, and these meatballs travel so well, need no utensils, and are tasty.

Parked on 14th Street.  Finally home: wet, dirty, and tired.  We carried 2 sleeping kids and all our stuff back up to the apartment, and did our best to survive the rest of the day.