1987/04 Monterey - Point Lobos |
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A few miles down the road is Point Lobos state reserve.
It is an absolutely gorgeous mixture of forest and cliffs and surf. It looked untouched by humans so I was surprised to discover that it had a history of whaling, coal mining, and abalone canning. It had been cleaned up nicely!
The Point Lobos area was named by the Spanish after the noisy “sea wolves” or sea lions that lived on its beaches. They still live in the area, favouring beaches at the foot of steep cliffs, inaccessible to humans on foot
I was pleased to see my first sea otter in the waters off Point Lobos. 
Sea otters used to be found all around the North Pacific’s coast, from Russia to Mexico. They were hunted for their dense fur and became extinct in California and many other places.
They were reintroduced from more remote areas and protected from hunting, but were still not common at the time of my visit. The animal I saw was smaller than a seal with a light-coloured face, floating on its back. They balance their food and babies on their bellies. The distant 
pictures I took at the time weren’t worth printing, so I’ve included this one of a raft of sea otters, taken by me in Prince William Sound, Alaska, about 20 years later.
Most of the wildlife was in the ocean but I found ground squirrels and chipmunks that were obviously used to visitors with snacks to share.
