We survived the car park and left soon after dawn, as we did not want to get caught by the ranger. As soon as we got on the road again we saw what we had been missing in the dark. Highway 1 down from Monterey, in the area known as Big Sur is truly magnificent.
The road, often perched high on the side of a cliff, winds in and out of countless coves and headlands. The Pacific Ocean somehow seems more Majestic than any of the bodies of water that we have come across so far. The waves are higher, slower and more powerful. You can sense that there is not another piece of land for thousands of miles.
We often came across surfers, who had got up as early as us and were out waiting for the big one. We watched several groups and some of the surfers would only attempt to catch one wave every 10 to 15 minutes. They would pass on all but the very best. In an hour of surfing they may only stand up on their boards for perhaps 4 minutes or less. It must be worth it.
Further down the coast we came across a beach littered with Elephant Seals. On two small beaches there were perhaps 200 of them. This turned out to be a defining moment in the boys education. Now we have talked to them a little bit about the birds and the bees but we were not quite prepared for the Elephant Seals.
Elephant Seals breeding on the Pacific Coast of California about 35 miles south of Monterey on Hwy 1. This alpha male weighs about 800 lbs. His mistress perhaps 250 to 300 lbs. The boys finally got the "birds and the bees" story. There was nothing else to do ....... or say.
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