Two months ago a friend from the photography club and I made reservations to see the elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Reserve. Docent led tours out to the sand dunes leave the visitor's center every 15 minutes. Individuals are not allowed to walk out on their own; to see the seals, you must be on one of one of the tours and they fill up months ahead of time. As we packed our gear into my car, we questioned our sanity. Weather.com forecast a 100% chance of rain and the forecast was right on. It rained the entire 60 miles to the reserve, the entire tour and the entire drive home. It was not heavy, but it was unrelenting and with the wind, horizontal. I left my Nikon in the car. I had no way of keeping it dry. After we piled on layers of clothing, head gear and gloves, I pulled out my small Pentax and covered it with a shower cap (taken from a motel room just for this purpose). 
I was here several years ago and the beach in the above photo was littered with bull elephants lying on top of each other, maneuvering and posturing for the best position. Most of the adult seals have moved on this year, but we saw several groups of very expressive pups.
I was here several years ago and the beach in the above photo was littered with bull elephants lying on top of each other, maneuvering and posturing for the best position. Most of the adult seals have moved on this year, but we saw several groups of very expressive pups.
What's a little cold, rain and wind when you can spy on elephant seals.
By the time we returned to the Visitor Center, my Levi's and gloves were soaked, but my new waterproof jacket did its job well. After a stop in Davenport for a cup of hot tea and a bowl of soup at a table next to the fire place, we headed home. This was a good day; cold & wet, but good.
how interesting aunt susan... i love the face of the seal...
ReplyDeleteYou are a true photographer! And the seal pix are awesome!
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