The adventure… part 23; Cruisin’ the crazy coast of California with your tour guide, Me!!!… part 5… Big Sur…

Posted on July 13, 2021 by pouringmyartout

Well, we are still on day 4 of the adventure, if you go back and consult that map I made. But we are getting into some new stuff. Big Sur is a town on the California coast. It is sort of a hippy/artist community.

After seeing elephant seals early in the morning, and then trying to stop for photos at every overlook on that part of Highway One, I was heading north again. The road climbs and then turns inland once more.

And it was time for a late breakfast among the redwoods.

They weren’t serving breakfast food anymore, so I ended up with a BLT and an awesome cheese plate.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm… cheese…

Nice view. The river was in front of and below me.

The mountains were behind me, still partially shrouded in fog.

I even had company for my meal, a scrub jay.

You gotta love Big Sur.

I drove just a short way down Highway One, and got out to stretch my legs by the river.

Nothing like a walk in the woods to help with digestion.

And redwoods make the best woods.

Yup.

One last view of the valley where Big Sur nestles.

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A short poem about fog, which has nothing to do with the adventure, except that I have been posting a lot of pictures of fog…

Posted on July 13, 2021 by pouringmyartout
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The adventure… part 22; Cruisin’ the crazy coast of California with your tour guide, Me!!!… part 4…

Posted on July 12, 2021 by pouringmyartout

I almost feel guilty about the number of photos I took on this one particular day on this one part of the adventure.

I really tried to make it a challenge to pull over at every little bit of open shoulder to snap a photo in each direction.

That isn’t as easy as it sounds, but it is as time-consuming as it sounds.

It is just that the Central California coast is so awesome.

You are hugging huge cliffs, twisting on this narrow two lane highway in the fog and clouds.

Sometimes you are right down by the beaches. Other times you are way up in the middle of the cliffs.

The ocean spreads out far below you.

You are surrounded by nature.

And if you don’t stop, the views are just zooming by.

As I mentioned, this isn’t the the mild and warm Pacific Ocean of farther South. This is wild, crashing waves, jagged rocks, cold water, and kelp forests full of Great White sharks.

It just has a feel to it.

You should do this drive if you are ever in California.

Make time for it.

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The adventure… part 21; Cruisin’ the crazy coast of California with your tour guide, Me!!!… part 3…

Posted on July 11, 2021 by pouringmyartout

Driving North of Highway One. It is magical.

The sea grows more wild. The coast more jagged. The wind more cutting.

The fog becomes a living thing.

Even the wildflowers are hardier.

The coast will always surprise you.

As a Bay Area boy, I know fog. You can stand on the cliffside in Central California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and in ten minutes, the scene will change thirty times.

Things vanish and reappear.

The fog thins and thickens, all the while shifting position.

It almost makes it seem as if the world is moving around you.

The sun pops in and out of view, adding its shifting light to the scene.

I think the fog adds to the beauty.

It gives a feeling of both depth and shallowness to the views. It adds to the adventure.

But do not get too caught up in the seaward view.

There are things to discover behind and beside you.

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Is the world going to end because of stupidity???

Posted on July 10, 2021 by pouringmyartout

You know, If the world ended with an asteroid hitting us, I could accept that. A nuclear war brought about by panic, well, not great, but believable. Alien invasion, sure, why not. I could even deal with a virus that wipes out humanity before the scientists come up with a cure.

But if we all die from a virus that we have a cure for, because too many idiots refuse to get vaccinated, and variants multiply and get worse and worse, that is just ridiculous.

If we all die a slow death from the effects of climate change because too many people in a position to do something about it are afraid to anger their base, that is just pathetic.

And if we keep putting more of those cowards into positions of power due to restrictive voting laws passed by those very same people, that is just evil.

Deniers and stupid people are going to kill us all, and we need to build a wall and put those people on the other side of it.

If you are in a lifeboat, and a guy says, hey, we need water. We should chop a hole in the bottom of the boat and make a well, you don’t sit around debating with him and his supporters about the merits of the plan. You tie the idiot up and keep an eye on him.

Just a suggestion.

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The adventure… part 20; Cruisin’ the crazy coast of California with your tour guide, Me!!!… part 2…

Posted on July 9, 2021 by pouringmyartout

Let’s explore the central coast of California as I make my way north on Highway One, from the beach with the elephant seals towards Big Sur and the Monterey peninsula. This is day 4 of the adventure, if you want to go back to part 12 to consult the handy map I posted.

I stopped and made some new friends bellow Hearst Castle. That place is crazy. You should Google it.

I like making friends. I am not so shy with the furry ones.

Happy sea horses. HA!

I am not exactly sure when the coast of California becomes the central or Northern California.

There must be official dividing lines. Somebody should Google that too.

But I do know there is a vast difference between Southern and Northern California, especially on the coast.

For one thing, you get a lot more fog.

The hills go from dry, desert environment to something that reminds me of the Scottish Highlands.

And there is a wildness to everything.

There are a lot more trees.

The Pacific Ocean changes.

No more white sand beaches with palm trees and warm water.

It feels more sullen a lot of the time.

But we can discuss all that as we drive North.

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The adventure… part 19; Cruisin’ the crazy coast of California with your tour guide, Me!!!

Posted on July 8, 2021 by pouringmyartout

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The adventure… part 18; We say goodbye to the Elephant Seals, and continue our way North…

Posted on July 8, 2021 by pouringmyartout

Is that a battle cry, or a yawn?

Is that a nose scratch or a sunshade?

Nature is full of mysteries. For example, I said in an earlier post that the otters were cleaning themselves. My older daughter Jessica corrected me. They were actually spreading oil from a gland all over themselves to help insulate against the cold.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

You want a piece of me?

Come at me, Bro!

Whatever man.

Almost there… just a little farther…

Has anyone seen my moisturizing lotion?

And the battle rages on.

It is time to move on. We have seen a lot of animals, but now we will explore the coast of California.

As I drove North, I stopped at every viewpoint I could get to. Sometimes I didn’t even shut the door of the car, just got out and snapped a photo in each direction.

So goodbye, sleepy females and pups.

See you later, you not-big-enough-to-fight males.

And good luck, you aggressive, testosterone-laden magnificent male mammals.

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The adventure… part 17; Elephant Seals; it isn’t all just a giant seething cauldron of testosterone…

Posted on July 7, 2021 by pouringmyartout

Sorry, I used almost that line in the last post, and I liked it, so I added it to this post’s title. But it isn’t… just a mass of battling bulls. Last years pups and the females are just sleeping on the beach, waiting to see who wins the battles.

It is a battle to pass on their genes, because a few winners will end up with huge harems, and the losers… well…

They get none of this action.

Those are young pups, but not too young.

I don’t know if it is called shedding… or molting… or whatever, but many are still sluffing off the old skin, now that the water is marginally warmer. Somebody should Google that.

And the fight goes on.

Leaving the ladies less than impressed.

The birds stay well out to sea.

I don’t know if those guys are just resting between fights or are too young to participate.

Because the younger males wisely stay out of the way.

And who can blame them?

Not me.

Not in the least.

Looking for a fight.

No doubt he will find one… or more.

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The adventure… part 16; Moving on to some more mammals…

Posted on July 7, 2021 by pouringmyartout

I left Moro Bay early in the morning… so this would be the start of day 4 on that handy map I posted in an earlier post… heading North.

So we say goodbye to the adorable otters.

Look! I did get one shot of a mom with her pup on her tummy. That is a big pup, so probably from last year. A late bloomer, so to speak.

Bye, clean, sleepy little sea mammals.

Goodbye ground squirrels or whatever you are, although I saw many more on my adventure.

Goodbye Moro Bay, with your huge looming rock and triple smokestacks that I don’t think are making smoke anymore.

Goodbye, teeming flocks of seabirds.

Highway 1 veers inland for a short while, and I stopped to take some pictures, like this one of an old building.

And some of trees covered with Spanish Moss.

I like Spanish Moss.

Hello, Mr. Bull.

Then, we are back on the jagged Central California coast. There is one beach where the elephant seals breed. I always stop there when I do the much longer coast route.

I have no idea if this breeding season is already over and the bulls are just letting off residual energy and staying in practice, or are starting to fight for dominance.

But either way, that is one seething pool of testosterone right there.

Join me later as we get to know these fascinating creatures. I like them so much I even created a character in my sci-fi novel series that looks like them.

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