Headin' Down South to the Land of the Sun

After almost two solid weeks of rain, we were definitely ready for some sunshine. On the 23rd of December, we packed up our home and headed for San Luis Obispo. I specifically mentioned the date because our route included driving right through Sacramento. Not only did we venture onto interstate with more lanes than we had ever seen before, but the traffic two days before Christmas was a spectacle to behold. For many, this is probably a normal sight. However, for us, one of whose hometown has affectionately named their only major highway "The Road," and the other whose home is a good thirty minutes from the nearest town, driving through the big city was quite an experience. But we safely made it through, and had the promise of sun and sand waiting for us ahead.

San Luis Obispo is a beautifully varied place. We experienced everything from rocky beaches and vast fields of sand dunes to rolling hills covered in luscious green grasses. One adventure took us on a 4-wheel drive only road up to the crest of those rolling hills. We had a 360 degree view, and could see all the way to the ocean.

On Christmas day, we took a drive up the coast to a place called Moonstone Beach. This was the first place on our drive that we were able to practice our rock hounding skills. What a blissful feeling it is to be searching through an entire beach's-worth of sand and rock, and to actually find beautiful little treasures! Below is a photograph of the sand we were looking through--it was pretty just on its own! Next is the collection of moonstones we found, which is actually a type of white agate. 

Our Christmas day concluded with a short drive up to an Elephant Seal viewing area. After an entire summer of viewing and learning about the Stellar Sea Lions in Alaska, I was very excited to see these guys. How fun they are! We were lucky enough be in the area during their mating and birthing season, so there was much to see. It's hard to convey the immense size of these creatures, even through photographs. Keep in mind that the males can weigh up to 2.5 tons, while the females are much smaller at about 1 ton. 

Many of the seals congregated in big piles on the beach, but some chose to escape the chaos and had a little plot to themselves. We saw a few dominance fights amongst the males, and even a couple tiffs between the females. These guys make hilarious noises, and their smell is certainly just as extreme!

 

Much of the seal's time was spent soaking in the warm sun rays, which seemed like a good way to spend your time to us!