San Simeon - 29-31 December 2013
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SAN SIMEON - 29-31 December 2013
Eberle Vineyard - El Paso Robles, California
I made my first trip to the California Central Coast in almost 10 years this last week. Along the way I stopped at one of my favorite vineyards and bought a couple bottles of Cabernet. They taste great. No, I'm saving the bottles for later for a really special occasion.
Visitor and Seal - Piedras Blancas, California
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Really, I took this photo because I thought she and her entourage would walk down the small slope to the seal below. But, she didn't--good for the seal. As it was, she made it a portion down the trail for whatever reason. Was she trying to pet the thing and thought better of it? I'm not sure. I'll never know, I guess.
Shooting from Above - Piedras Blancas, California
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This is the general layout of the cliffs over the elephant seal rookery. As you can see, there's pretty easy access if you simply fall down the cliff. Of course, the seals mostly do pay you any mind. I have, however, seen new arrivals watch me like a hawk if I'm the only person on the cliff.
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Gull - Piedras Blancas, California
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Elephant seals are not the only subjects on these beaches. Gulls are fairly common and can fly relatively close to the cliffs where we all stand.
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Saying "I'm in charge" - Piedras Blancas, California
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The dominate male of the beach is pretty obvious. He's the most grizzled and biggest of the crowd. The rough stuff around his neck comes from fight after fight after fight with other elephant seals trying to figure out who's the big dog of the beach.
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Sunset - Piedras Blancas, California
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There's this thing called the "green flash" that's viewable just as the sun sets. Me, I heard about this thing when I lived in Okinawa about 25 years ago. I never saw one. I thought it'd be this explosion of green when the sun set. You know, something you'd miss if you blinked.
Come to find out, the green flash was not some explosion of green on the horizon but simply the sun turning green just as the sun set. In this image, you can barely start seeing green set in on the fringes of the sun. If the sky was a bit more settled, I bet we would've send a very full green sun just as it set here.
Venus Setting - Piedras Blancas, California
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This is an image you'd never see with you own eyes. What it is is a composite of two images taken just at sunset and a full hour later. The first portion captured the scene on the beach with the seals. The second caught Venus almost setting and many stars on the horizon.
In a sense, this image is highly manipulated. But, it feels like what I felt on the cliffs then.
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Coming Ashore - Piedras Blancas, California
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There is lots of activity on the beach when the tide is in. The mornings I was at the rookery high tide was right after sunrise. This made the water very active and allowed the seals to be a bit more active than the middle of the day during low-tide.
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Video: Elephant Seal Pup - Piedras Blancas, California
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This is breeding season for the elephant seals. This guy is a relatively newborn pup.
Video: Male Elephant Seal - Piedras Blancas, California
Here's a dominate male just doing what he does to let everyone know he's in charge.
Video: Elephant Seal Male - Piedras Blancas
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