Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

On Sunday we went out for the day to Point Lobos, just south of Carmel.  It is one of our favorite places to visit around here but it seems to be busier every time we go and I feel that it must be a real struggle for the Park System to balance the incredible wild beauty of the Park with the number of annual visitors.  

As we hiked along the cliff path, we saw a pod of grey whales feeding and cruising, a small raft of sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals, lots of cormorants, pelicans and a mule deer.  As you can see, the weather was gorgeous, a very nice 60 degrees!  

When we are there, we like to spend time in the coves looking in tide pools and examining the gravelly shore for beach treasure.  I found some small pieces of abalone shell and one that was a heart shape!