At the start of this Christmas Break, we sure enjoyed the blessing of having multiple pastors on staff again! Dave does not have to preach the Old Years or New Years service this year and found himself with a rare lighter week. He was pretty excited for a change of scenery so we planned this little Central Coast getaway. Surf pounding, wildlife encounters, and the fresh salty sea air is always therapeutic, so even though this trip was short, it was recharging!
We stayed in a central location and hit a wide variety of stops in San Simeon, Cambria, Paso Robles, SLO, Morro Bay and Los Osos. First stop was the Elephant Seal Rookery at Piedras Blancas. This is one of only two places on our state's coast where tens of thousands of elephant seals stop on their migration each year. Isn't that instinct amazing? Why this beach and not the one next door? Right now it's the season for the humongous bulls to come and claim their territory, fighting each other for dominance before the females start arriving in a few weeks. This was hilarious and fascinating to watch. What a strange creation the elephant seal is! It looks, sounds, and moves so odd!
Mostly the seals just lay on the beach looking dead, but every few minutes there was movement and battle and great bellowing! Delia made this funny video when we couldn't stop giggling about the jiggly way they flop around or the sign warning us "Caution! They're faster than you think".
Our second day of getaway was 100% rain all day. So my plans for hiking and tidepooling were kinda shot. We bundled up in raincoats and braved a few scenic stops at Montano de Oro State Park...
But, mostly this day was spent in San Luis Obispo, where we roamed through the cute boutiques and cafes, browsed bookshops, and toured the iconic mission.
Dave does not have to preach any of the sermons this weekend, but he did have a funeral come up, so on our last day he was feeling the call to head back and get to work. It was also his birthday! The rain cleared, making this day our warmest and sunniest. A wonderful breakfast at the darling, local cafe and a few hours at the beach watching otters, seals and sand pipers playing finished off our little Vitamin Sea Vacation! A birthday that has otters in it is always a good birthday. :)
1 comment:
Jen, you took some amazing pictures. So great that you could get away as a family and take some time to relax and enjoy nature (even the rain). I remember visiting some of these spots with you and the family. The seals are so fun to watch. I agree - how did God design them to know exactly which beach to go to? I also remember checking out the mission, and learning about it's history. Happy New Year 2023! Our love to all of you.
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