Poppies and Seals

The day after the wedding was just as gorgeous, and we were fortunately in possession of a bit of time so we went to visit the elephant seals. There's a lovely spot just north of San Simeon where they congregate. Earlier in the year whole families are present, but in April just the adolescents are left. Several of them were obviously molting, which looked as unsightly and uncomfortable as a serious case of acne.


From wikipedia:

Elephant seals are shielded from extreme cold by their blubber, more than by fur. The skin on top of this blubber and its hair molts periodically. It has to be re-grown by blood vessels reaching through the blubber. When molting occurs, the seal is susceptible to the cold, and must rest on land, in a safe place called a "haul-out." The type of molt which an elephant seal undergoes is a catastrophic molt. While this is taking place, the bulls actually cease fighting with one another.

We stayed and watched and I took pix because really, can one ever have too many pictures of elephant seals? What I couldn't bring back for you was the smell. Lucky, lucky, you.