Love the California Coast!

"The Rock" in Morro Bay

Yesterday we took our time driving from Santa Barbara (Buellton, actually) to our home in the San Francisco Bay area.

At first we were in search of a winery called Black Sheep Finds in Lompoc. We drank their 2005 Genuine Risk Merlot  while on vacation and loved it. We wanted to bring home a few bottles. We couldn't find it so we ventured to San Luis Obispo, then on to Morro Bay where we had a yummy seafood lunch at Giovanni's Fish Market.

Then on a whim we decided to go to Moonstone Beach in Cambria so Elli could collect some cool rocks and then to San Simeon to see the enormous elephant seals and their baby pups. We saw a glimpse of Hearst Castle on the hill. Then had a long and windy drive home (in the dark) along the coast - 4+ hours.

Trying to get a closer look.

The long, sloooooowww line at Giovanni's Fish Market.

View from the car window. Amazing, huh?

The sun is starting to set on Moonstone Beach in Cambria.

Collecting rocks before it gets dark.

Sammy the chocolate lab (age 2) swam in the surf.

Kahlua, the grandma (age 16) supervised.

We didn't see the NO DOGS on the beach sign until we drove away.

Oops.

30 minutes later. I couldn't stop taking sunset pictures. It was so pretty.

A blurry view of Hearst Castle from the car.

See all the tracks? The big daddy elephant seal is talking to us.

I think he's telling us to "Go away, humans!"

There were hundreds of people watching and taking pictures.

Yowzer. That's quite a face.

Ok, ok. We're leaving. Soon.

A mom and her pup.

You have to see it in person to understand how HUGE these animals are.

And how many of them there are on the beach. They talk. They wrestle. They jump on each other.

They run across the beach - it's sort of a humping slide-type motion.

Ya gotta see it for yourself.

It's dark. Time to go home.