Playing Tourist

We didn't have any definite plans for today, which pretty much fit the weather. It was overcast and windy. I stood out beside the motorhome this morning and watched the fog blow by.

We decided to play tourist today. We ate an early lunch and then drove up to Cambria. It's a small town on a very picturesque portion of the coast. We drove over to the tourist part of town and checked out the shops. All the shops are one-of-a-kind shops; many have artwork from local artists. We always find interesting things in Cambria. Today, Carol found some earrings.

After Cambria, we returned south to Montana de Oro State Park. This is one of Carol's favorite places. We hiked the Bluff Trail across from the campground. Although the coast was hazy in the distance, it was a beautiful afternoon for a walk.

By the time we returned to Morro Bay, it was prime time for the sea otters in the bay. Even though we had been there the previous two days, we returned again today. There were fewer sea otters, and they were farther apart. This made it easier to shoot individual sea otters. The late afternoon light was also better today. I got better images of the sea otters today, but I got much better videos the other two days. We also saw a mysterious new bird. The spots on the body immediately reminded me of the loons I used to see on Minnesota lakes. I dug out my bird books and emailed our bird experts the Griffins, but we haven't come up with a definite identification. Based on the Smithsonian bird book, I think the loon in the image below is a juvenile red-necked loon. It was definitely entertaining. It would stick its bill in the water, and then start swimming forward. As it continued to swim forward, it stuck its head farther into the water until its head was submerged. It seemed like a fishing strategy, but I never saw it change its path or direction. It would swim for 10 - 15 feet and then pop its head out of the water. It would swim around for a couple of minutes and then repeat the behavior.

Today's Gallery


I'm Happy!	The abalone was this big!	Check out the tail

Oh, my!	Just Chillin'	Juvenile Loon?