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Travel with pets--the elephant seal in the room
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Elephant seals on the beach
Everyone ready to drive up California's central coast? Ok, finish up that breakfast of basketed goodies from yesterday's article, pack a picnic lunch, and get the dogs into the car.
Rain or shine, the coast area is amazing. There are very few swimming beaches, the further north you drive. Mostly it is ragged rock and crashing waves. Today we go north about 23 miles toward our lunch destination, Ragged Point.
Along the way are plenty of places to stop and sightsee. Most of these places allow dogs on leash. If this is a camping trip for you, San Simeon State park offers two campgrounds, beach access and interpretive trails. There are no hookups, and RV length is limited. There is water and a dump station. However today our first stop is the Elephant seal rookery about 14 miles north on route 1.
There is ample parking, and the nearest restrooms are up the road at the Piedras Blancas Motel. It's only a chemical toilet, so unless you are headed for Hearst Castle's visitors center, I hope you went before you left. Once at the rookery, there are walkways, developed paths, and interpretive signs. It is usually easy to find very knowledgeable docents willing to answer all your questions. But mostly people just stand there staring over the fence watching the antics of these huge creatures who come year after year to give birth on the beach and care for their young.
It's easy to spend an hour or more there, caught up in the drama that is ongoing. But it's time to head further north. One thing I have never done- because my timing has usually been off- is tour the nearby Piedras Blancas Lighthouse. Tours are limited, and reservations are through the National Geographic Theater (805-927-6811). I understand it's quite interesting.
As the drive proceeds north, we start to climb, ragged coast to our left, until we get to the last "civilization" for quite a while.
Ragged Point has an Inn, a restaurant, a snack bar, a gift shop, and an incredible view. Dogs are fine on the outdoor patio and picnic area. This is where we often bring our lunches-supplementing as necessary from the snack bar. Then we walk the grounds and check and photograph the amazing views.
(Hearst pool------shoreline near ragged point).jpg)
Rarely have we driven north from here on our day trips, but there is plenty further on up to be seen and appreciated. Normally, we leave, head back south, find a sandy beach access and run the dogs.
Or we end up back at the Inn, relax, read, walk, nap--until happy hour. Occasionally we all head to dinner together, but often we split up and go our separate ways until the next day.
Next time--we'll head the other direction.!!
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