Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery

To read more about Cambria and the elephant seals visit: https://www.athenalucerotravels.com/post/cambria-sparkling-gem-on-california-coast

Elephant Seals hang out year-round on California’s coast. A long weekend getaway to Cambria, a rugged, low-key beach town off Highway1 between Los Angeles and San Francisco, brought us face-to-face with wild elephant seals who “own” the beach at Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery. There are about a dozen rookeries in California, but they are on islands. This rookery is the world’s most accessible one because it is not island based. A natural setting, travelers along Highway 1 can pull off the road to view (for free) the aquatic mammals. We watched with fascination their behaviors, antics, and shiny wet bodies as they slithered onto the sand following dips in the sea. The seals populate the beach during all seasons for different reasons: birthing and breeding take place from December to March; mostly adult males come ashore to molt and grow new fur from April to July; and after summer, it’s time for the teenagers to have their fun in the sun.

This mesmerizing spectacle held us captive until lunch time. From the rookery we continued on Highway 1 to nearby Sebastian’s General Store to sink our teeth into its famous “chic burgers.” We not only satisfied our taste buds, we learned about the general store’s fascinating history.

Видео Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery канала Athena Lucero Travels