Wildlife in the Wild

Between hoofing it from the Monterey Bay Aquarium to the US Coast Guard pier just past the other end of Cannery Row and hiking around Point Lobos State Reserve today, I accumulated sightings of the following adorable things: sea lions, sea otters(!), and more harbor seals. And here's a tip about the pier in Monterey: Go at sunset when everyone else is headed for Lover's Point for the sunset. There's still plenty of sea lions about, and you won't have to fight through crowds to see them. Just a few local fishermen trying to cast their lines over the tall fence. And here's an admonishment if you're going to Point Lobos - suck it up and pay the $10 to park your car in the park instead of parking on the side of the highway and walking in (this is a favorite "tip" on Trip Advisor and Yelp). It's a really nice park, they'll comp you a really nice map, and park systems always need more money for conservation efforts. Don't be cheap!

Okay, let the cuteness commence!

This area beyond the pier was, understandably, fenced off. But there were sea lions just on the other side of the fence that I could easily photograph through the bars. 

This smallish guy, for example, I could have touched by sticking my hand through the bars; he was laying on this concrete slab napping for a while.

These guys were making a total ruckus. 

This is the cove where I saw the sea otters. They were visible without binoculars (good thing, since I didn't have any). This is actually a photo looking toward the path I was on when I spied the otters.

And here they are! Just hangin' out - you know, floatin'. I was really excited to find these guys almost at the beginning of my hike. I didn't see any others, even though there's about 60 of them living around this marine reserve.

Harbor seals. Much closer to me than at Point Arena.

Another harbor seal as viewed from my hiking trail.