One of the amazing things about living in California is all of the amazing State Parks in our backyard. We had been wanting to go visit Ano Nuevo State Park to see the elephant seals, so we waited until the cold season to visit as they are most active.
On our way to the State Park, we stopped at a lighthouse to break up our trip a bit. Side-note: We are crazy spoiled now! We used to drive 4+ hours regularly in Texas, but after a little over an hour, we need to break now!
After another 20 minutes, we drove into the park. It was both windy AND cold when we went, so we were lucky enough to see the elephant seals in all of their glory!
The only way you can visit during the "active season" (December - March) is to take a guided tour with a docent. These leave every 15 minutes, so it wasn't a problem to jump on one.
The great part of going with a guide is that we got off the wooden trails and were hiking around the dunes in search of rogue seals. Basically, these guys that aren't with the pack are the "losers" that know they won't be mating with a female this season.
On the main beach, we saw some fighting between males, but nothing too crazy. Any time one male got too close, the alphas would start barking at them in warning. It was pretty funny to see and hear!
On the way back home, we stopped in Pescadero for lunch. We had been through the town before, so we knew we loved the Arcangeli deli's bread and sandwiches. We also shared a quick wine tasting at Sante Arcangeli, that was, unfortunately, pretty bad.
Overall, it was a nice sunny day spent on the California Coast!
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