Point Lobos

Point Lobos State Reserve
This park is located just south of Carmel there are many trails, coves and meadows to explore. The rocks that one finds are of two different varieties, Sanata Lucia granite and Carmelo Formation. a sedimentary rock. The beach sands and gravel are the results of the wave action over these. One could spend much time just looking into the tide pools or crevices, or just watching the waves crash onto the rocks and beach. Many different birds are seen in this area , such as the oystercatcher, seagull, cormorant, and pelicans. Sea lions and harbor seals are present along with the amazing sight that they manage to manuver their enormous bodies to the highest points on these rocks. Wildflowers are in bloom and you manage to find something new and interesting along the trails. Each of us found something different we liked Bluff Lettuce, Crystaline Ice Plant, Seaside Painted Cup, Sticky Monkey Flower and the Paint Brush. The Cypress Grove Trail here is only one of two naturally growing strands of Monterey Cypress remaining on earth according to the brochure we were given. There is an orange color algee that grows on the limbs and the rocks along this trail. It is actually a green algea that contains carotene and thus makes it orange color strange to look, yet interesting to observe. One is always pleased to find wildlife up close and in a comfortable mood such as our observation of a mother mule deer and here offspring. She rested and let the little one munch and roam around. We found an old whaler's cabin which is now a museum. We managed to find a few bones laying around and by measuring the rib cage bones, one could easily fit withing a whale. Maybe Jonah and the Whale story could be true after all. It was a great way to spend the day and a place one could visit many times and find something different or worth watching each time.