California Playing - Tour to San Simeon, California

Saturday, March 21, 2020

My life took a few changes over the last several days. On the same day, that the Refuge made changes to keep us all apart, due to the pandemic, my friend, Cindy, told me that yes, she COULD use my help for up to six weeks to take care of her after hip surgery.  I had to finish up some of my assigned chores and get packed to leave. She had her surgery cancelled and then was called back to be told that it was still on. I finally got myself off Tuesday evening and drove for 16 of the next 20 hours to get to her house Wednesday evening and let myself in. I barely got in my food and clothes before crashing. I texted Cindy and had a short conversion with her before I was comatose.

I got up the next morning to inventory her food, make some menus, and build a grocery list. I got to Albertsons to find it full of people with a checkout line that wound to the back of the store and with many shelves bare of items. While I was standing in line, Cindy texted me that she was getting out of the hospital a day early and that I needed to come talk to her physical therapist. I rushed home, put up the perishable groceries, grabbed Cindy's walker, and headed to the hospital, about forty minutes away. 

I got her home and then fixed her meals and brought her stuff as needed. But she is making a great recovery and even made her own breakfast this (Saturday) morning. She also suggested that I go off on a tour to enjoy the California coast, about a half-hour away. And Saturday was to be the only day we could expect sun for several days.

So I gathered up all the information pages she had prepared for me and started off in the gray day, still hoping the sun would soon burn off all the clouds. That didn't happen but the light changed all the time and I had a wonderful day of discovery.

One of my first views of the Pacific ocean

Western Gull- the main gulls I saw

California ground squirrel

Whimbrel

Based on the website on them, these are this years pups.  They fast for 8-10 weeks before leaving - and they are on a six mile stretch of beach in about this density. 

They are cute blobs

This guy had dug himself in

I tried to do some studies of faces - but most were asleep

The vultures were tearing into what seemed to be an erosion tube. 

Peace

I saw a few brown pelicans

None of the seals were lively for long - most awake times lasted less than two minutes

Piedras Blancas Light Station - you can only meet and go on a tour but they were shut down due to the pandemic

The light was better on the way back so I stopped along CA Hwy. 46 (Green Valley Road) for the most amazing sceenery

I think one can find almost any shade of green in this countryside now

This road has maybe twenty vineries, standing shoulder to shoulder I pulled off on an entrance to take this picture

I'm looking forward to another outing near the end of the week, when the rains stop - this time with Cindy. She has only used Tylenol for pain since she came home from the hospital and will be ready for an adventure as soon as we get a nice day.