While it's best know tourist attraction is the Hearst Castle, San Simeon also has an impressive colony of elephant seals nearby. The Piedras Blancas Rookery in Cambria is free and easy to walk to. I visited it with my family many years ago while returning to Southern California from Monterey, driving down the Pacific Coast Highway.
Male elephant seals grow to be monsters, up to five meters (16 ft) in length, with a funny elongated nose reminding you somewhat of an elephant. And males have a bad attitude towards any who get too close to the females in their harum. We stayed well back when taking these photos as we'd seen a male chasing a teenage girl down the beach for getting too close. Fortunately, while they are graceful swimmers, on land seals move slowly and are awkward, and the girl got away unharmed (but only narrowly so).
The best time to see elephant seals is from December through to March, when winter winds and rains bring them to the shore for the birth of their pups, which are very cute.
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