"10:30am. WOW! What shock! When I started over the next dune, I almost ran into a huge, wrinkled bull elephant seal, basking on the sandy beach with his harem of three cows and two calves.
I'm lying out flat on the sand, trying to keep out of sight behind this dune.
The bull is about four meters long and a meter high. The cows are only about one-third his size (and much prettier).
I know the Southern Elephant Seal stays south of California, so these must be Northern Elephant Seals. They usually stay on offshore islands to escape people. I'm lucky to find them here."