Just a quick postcard or two, since I’m not posting anything consequential (as though that’s something new…) but go check out some of the space blogrolls to the left, and this week’s issue of The Space Review should be up.

About fifteen years ago, for some reason, a group of elephant seals decided to colonize a stretch of beach by Point Piedras Blancas, just north of San Simeon. It was a surprising location, because it’s hardly a remote area–Highway One goes right by it, and I remember that when they first started mating and birthing here, there were a lot of cars just pulling over to the side to look. State wildlife people put up barriers to prevent this, and set up special parking lots from which to view the beach. Several years ago, one could walk among them, but this is now strongly discouraged with fences and docents.

With all the protection, and despite the tourist interest, the population has exploded, and right now is breeding season. There were hundreds of pups on the beach, still in their black pre-weaning coats (they’ll molt and go gray after about six weeks, when they start swimming and eating in the ocean). Many are almost newborn, and staying close to mom.

We drove a little farther north, and had lunch at Ragged Point. It was somewhat cloudy and foggy, but the view to the north of the Big Sur coastline was still gorgeous.