Wednesday, January 23
Breakfast tortillas this morning, and then we set out north on Highway One to San Simeon, home to Hearst Castle and Piedras Blancos elephant seal beaches. Several stops for photos and oh-wow’s! Lots of hilly open grassland on one side, beautiful ocean on the other. Towns are becoming fewer and smaller.
We opt to see the seals first but our directions take us instead to Friends of Elephant Seals Visitor’s Center and Shop, which is closed. A friendly workman in the parking lot sets us straight and we continue 7 miles further up the coast. The viewing areas are well marked and not busy this early.
As soon as we get out of the Trek we can hear the barks, honks and screeches of the seals, which only get louder as we get closer. The trail winds along the coast, most of time on cliffs above the beaches.
These seals are huge! Especially the males which can be 16’ long and weigh as much as_2 tons (3 x the size of the females). They have a tough breast shield, sharp teeth and thick blubber – and a face only a mother seal could love! The seals live most of their lives at sea but come on shore two times during the year to mate and give birth and then later to molt. They are obviously built for life in the water, as they scoot and scrunch a bit awkwardly to get around in the sand. A big male will swim as much as 10,000 miles in a year.
There are many pups and more being born daily and we see them in various stages of repose, sleeping, nursing and occasionally going into the water. Neither the males nor females eat during this time, so the only ones getting fatter here are the pups, which are in all stages of growth, some scrawny newborns and some quite plump and almost as large as the mothers. All of the seals seem to flick sand on themselves and pups, perhaps to control temperature or protect from the sun – no one is really sure.
It is fun to watch their antics and interactions.
There are battles between the males to decide who gets a harem of 10-60 female, though most of that has been settled by now. The dominant ones (alphas) still strut their stuff and announce themselves loudly with a deep honking sound. This rookery covers about 6 miles of coast, with approximately 100 alphas. The pronounced probiscus of the males grows longer with age, beginning at about 5. The “losers” are off by themselves or may even go to another beach. The females concentrate on their pups, birthing and feeding and “talking” with them to form bonds. Females will lose about 40% of their body weight as they give birth and nurse for about 4 weeks. Males continue to mate, so that females leaving will most likely be impregnated, though the fertilized egg will not implant until after she molts in May. Then she spends 7-8 months at sea before returning to land to give birth. I’m sure it is just my imagination but most of the females I saw looked less than delighted with the male attentions.
When the time is right, the females will just take off and the pups will be on their own. Weighing 60-70 pounds at birth, they have grown to 250-350 pounds in four weeks of weaning! They will spend about 8 weeks in shallow coves near shore as their bodies adapt to life at sea. Usually the dominant males hang around until all the females are gone, then the beaches will be empty and the elephant seals live a solitary type life at sea. They dive quite deeply to feed and can stay under water as long as 2 hours at a time. The males live where orcas and great whites prey on them, so their average life expectancies are shorter.
The elephant seals are larger and dive deeper than other seals and sea lions, so usually don’t have as much competition for food. Their large eyes are specially adapted to see clearly in water and in air, and easily adjust from sunshine to the dark depths of the sea. There is an e-seal cam at www.elephantseal.org.
From here, we go just a few miles to Hearst Castle – a huge castle-like home atop a hill overlooking the Pacific. Built by William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper, media and political mogul, it is fantastical. Surrounded by ranchland, Hearst imported ideas and materials from Spain, Italy and other European countries and mixed it with western ranch style for a unique home. He had traveled with his mother throughout Europe when he was only 10, but retained those impressions when he began to build.
From the visitor’s center we boarded a bus for the ride up the hill to the castle. In addition to palm trees, we pass large oaks, various citrus trees and others with a bright orange berry. A guide met us and we spent about two hours exploring, first the Neptune Pool and gardens, fountains, and then the large living and entertaining areas inside the grand house. The gardens were established so that there would always be something blooming or adding color. A few azaleas are blooming and many roses are just beginning to sprout leaves. Lots of succulents, cacti, oleander and other plants as well.
Hearst was a collector and showcases tapestries, statues, art, furniture and more throughout his home. From ancient Egyptian carvings in the garden to luxurious tapestries and elegant carved ceilings imported from Europe, each area offers amazing artwork.
There are three “guest houses” nearby , each of which would be an extravagant, opulent home to anyone else.
Hearst’s parents moved to California when his father, George, was looking for gold. He found little gold, but did invest in a company (Comstock)which ended up finding the largest silver mines ever and at age 40, George became one of the richest men in America. He purchased thousands of acres of real estate, which William inherited. They often camped and rode horses at the site of the current estate.
William Randolph Hearst also became involved in film production and the Hollywood glitterati were frequent guests. In addition to the Neptune Pool, there was this beautiful indoor pool. Guests enjoyed tennis as well and Hearst often led horseback rides into the surrounding mountains. At the close of his parties he showed a film in his private theatre – often screening films that had yet to be released to the public.
He had copies of all the newspapers he owned flown in each day and spent time reading them and providing feedback to his editors. His companies still own some newspapers, but have expanded into other media, like ESPN, and still have the 2ndlargest cattle operation in California.
The property is now run as a California State Park. Ranching still takes place, and some of the exotics that Hearst had in his private zoo still roam. We saw zebras and Barbary sheep.
Back at the visitor’s center, we watched a film called Building the Dream. WRH wanted to encourage everyone to follow their dreams and work hard to achieve them. Of course, it is easier if you’re fabulously wealthy, but hey…..
Back at the seal viewing area I had spoken with a couple of Roadtrekkers from North Carolina and they recommended San Simeon State Park, just a few miles down the road. Quite a nice park and only $18 a night – almost unheard of in this area! We crashed tonight but will start tomorrow with a nice hot shower (A quarter for 3 minutes.) If this is typical of California State Parks, we are quite impressed!
