Today is our last day in Crescent City, California…..and you’ll never guess what has happened. The sun came out!!!! I am in shock. Yesterday we toured a few roads along the coast, saw the light house, the marina and a few other things along the coast that I thought would make for some good photography. We were passing time before meeting with the vet to have Chicago checked and pick up Santana. Her remains were given to us in a beautiful box made from the redwood trees that she last ran among. It’s nice to know she is back with us, but oh so hard to see that beautiful box in our motor home, and not have her greeting us at the door, or talking her head off for treats or a walk. However, we know getting out of the unit for a few hours will be good for us.
So in spite of our sheer misery, I gathered my up my camera gear, made sure everything was clean and charged and we headed out for a couple of hours. The sun felt so good!
Our first stop was along the coast where this beautiful light house was perched on a small island. When the tide is out you can walk to it, but I hear you have to be careful of it sneaking in behind you. That was not a concern today because of all of the bad weather we have had. When we reached the beach, the tide was out, and the waves that were hitting the jetty and shoreline were thunderous and angry. It did however make for some neat shots!I climbed around the driftwood and as close to the water as I felt comfortable with and managed to get some fairly decent photos, and then we headed over to the marina. We walked along the piers, and saw some really incredible commercial crab boats. It was hard photograph them because of their size, but I did manage to capture a few that will give you some idea of what they look like.While I was on the piers, I could hear seals. I was really confused as to where they were, because they were so loud! We hopped in the jeep with Chicago and went looking for them. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what we would find.
About two blocks away, we ended up on a road that took us out to a point overlooking the ocean. In front I could see seals on rocks out in the water. I was really thrilled, but concerned the telephoto lens I had would not be powerful enough to really catch anything exciting.
Then I looked to the right of where we had parked. There were about 10 people standing there with cameras. They were not seals… they were SEALIONS!!!! I’ve never seen one up close in the wild, and this large herd was literally 100 feet away! Massive bulls and females. The roar they made was incredible.
I grabbed my gear and starting photographing everything. We even took some video. Now if you know me…. if there is a good photograph to be had… all the rules go out the window. There was a sign posted warning people to stay back at least 100 feet or more if the sea lions were there. Call me crazy, but that barrier was just a stepping stone to creep up to about 30 feet from them. I could not get over how huge they were! Some were at least seven to ten times my size, and their teeth are fearsome! It must have been mating season because while some of the females were basking in the sun, the Bulls were battling hard. Some of them had huge wounds and had taken a submissive stand, while the others continued to fight for dominance in the herd.
Right below me in the water, were three bulls going at it over a singe female. You could hear the teeth gnashing as they rose out of the water. It was a frenzy until at last one lone bull remained and then the courtship between the winning male and female began. It was like watching a beautiful ballet in water. I could only see them as they surfaced, but they rolled, embraced, played and danced. It is something I shall never forget.
For those couple of hours I didn’t think of anything else other that what had utterly captivated my attention. When I thought I had enough photos, I turned to see Doug quietly standing there with a sad little doberman. My heart sank. Yes, Doug too was thrilled to watch the display of power and was amazed at how beautiful they were. I’m sure for at least a time he too forgot everything we had been through, until it was time to get back into the jeep and head back to the coach.
When we arrived home, we started to pack up the unit and prepare to leave the following morning. Once again, through the small moments of joy we shared at what we had just seen, we were just two old people with a sad little dog.Before I forget… Doug was the one who spotted this amazing PINK sunset….. wow ! When I decided to write a blog to journal our experiences, I vowed I was not not going to be like most every blog we had been following. Life is not all sunshine and roses. Sometimes its hard, it hurts and it is painful. So for what it is worth, this is us… and this is our journey. The good and the bad.
As we headed off to try and get some sleep for the night, the heavens opened up once again and it poured rain. Whats else is new…… There goes the sun 🙁
I am so happy that our God sent you watch the incredible matting rituals of these beautiful beats. He knew that you all needed a break and some beauty and excitement to go along with it. I adore your photographs and wish I could see your videos too. God bless you all.
Thank you Bonnie McGee….. seeing nature the way we did that day, gave us a break from the grief we were going though. I got within 30 feet of them 🙂 I was not suppose to… but Sherry does as Sherry Does. We have just started a you tube channel so there will be a ton of video on the way. We have just had so many set backs that it has been all I can do to keep on top of this. We will settle into a rhythm soon. This is really a full time job. As we become quicker learning our way around blogging, it will get easier. Thanks for catching some typos.. I will get in there as soon as I can to fix them. To much to fast 🙂 Headed into the Slabs tomorrow so will probably be off the gird for a bit. Will keep you updated… thanks so much and big hugs from the two of us
Yesterday we toured a few roads along the coast, saw the light house, the marina and a few other things along the coast that I thought would make for some good photography. We were passing time before meeting with the vet to have Chicago checked and pick up Santana. Her remains were given to us in a beautiful box made from the redwood trees that she last ran among. It’s nice to know she is back with us, but oh so hard to see that beautiful box in our motor home, and not have her greeting us at the door, or talking her head off for treats or a walk. However, we know getting out of the unit for a few hours will be good for us.
I climbed around the driftwood and as close to the water as I felt comfortable with and managed to get some fairly decent photos, and then we headed over to the marina. We walked along the piers, and saw some really incredible commercial crab boats. It was hard photograph them because of their size, but I did manage to capture a few that will give you some idea of what they look like.
While I was on the piers, I could hear seals. I was really confused as to where they were, because they were so loud! We hopped in the jeep with Chicago and went looking for them. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what we would find.
There was a sign posted warning people to stay back at least 100 feet or more if the sea lions were there. Call me crazy, but that barrier was just a stepping stone to creep up to about 30 feet from them. I could not get over how huge they were! 
Some were at least seven to ten times my size, and their teeth are fearsome! It must have been mating season because while some of the females were basking in the sun, the Bulls were battling hard. Some of them had huge wounds and had taken a submissive stand, while the others continued to fight for dominance in the herd.
When I decided to write a blog to journal our experiences, I vowed I was not not going to be like most every blog we had been following. Life is not all sunshine and roses. Sometimes its hard, it hurts and it is painful. So for what it is worth, this is us… and this is our journey. The good and the bad.
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I am so happy that our God sent you watch the incredible matting rituals of these beautiful beats. He knew that you all needed a break and some beauty and excitement to go along with it. I adore your photographs and wish I could see your videos too. God bless you all.
Thank you Bonnie McGee….. seeing nature the way we did that day, gave us a break from the grief we were going though. I got within 30 feet of them 🙂 I was not suppose to… but Sherry does as Sherry Does. We have just started a you tube channel so there will be a ton of video on the way. We have just had so many set backs that it has been all I can do to keep on top of this. We will settle into a rhythm soon. This is really a full time job. As we become quicker learning our way around blogging, it will get easier. Thanks for catching some typos.. I will get in there as soon as I can to fix them. To much to fast 🙂 Headed into the Slabs tomorrow so will probably be off the gird for a bit. Will keep you updated… thanks so much and big hugs from the two of us