Big Sur to Los Angeles

Day: 21
Miles Travelled: 4,720
Miles Hiked: 73.7
Current Location: Los Angeles, CA

We left Big Sur around 10:30 am and headed south along the Pacific Coast Highway. We stopped at several scenic overlooks which provided some amazing views of the Pacific Ocean. The two main differences between here and the east coast are (1) the color of the water and (2) the straightness of the coast. The high elevation, combined with less curves on the shoreline allow you to see for miles in each direction.

A couple hours into the trip LD spotted a few seals on the beach. As we drove past we noticed a lot of cars and campers parked by the road. We figured it was worth a shot and pulled over to park. We were glad we did because we got to see our best animal encounter yet. This particular beach is a mating ground for elephant seals. Unfortunately, this is not the time of the year for the males (up to 5,000 pounds each) to be battling on the beach but we did get to see the beach full of females (up to 1,800 pounds each) and juveniles.

There was a built in boardwalk along the beach that protected the animals but also gave you some up close access.

At one point we were lucky enough to see two seals sparring with each other. It was very interesting and would definitely make a return trip worth it to see the full grown males go at it.

Click here for the full Big Sur to Los Angeles photo album 

After we left the elephant seals we switched off of the PCH and onto the highway to make better time into LA. We ended up catching the end of rush hour traffic. It was bad but not a total nightmare. When we got to LA we met up with my cousin Jerry and Aunt Susan and Uncle Gerry. We hung out for a while and then checked into our hotel in Newport Beach.