Anyone have any good suggestions for places to observe whales, sea lions, or seals in Northern California in the early November timeframe (other than Pier 39)? We're flying into SJC for a long weekend (sort of a mileage run/minivacation). Maybe headed south towards Monterey, but haven't really made up our minds yet. If for whatever reason we go north, we'll probably avoid San Francisco itself, simply because we've spent a lot of time there already.

rmccamy,

Thanks for teaching me a new word: pinniped.

Early November is a wonderful time for Northern or Central California (I've had T-Day barbecues there with my family on many occasion).

I think the Santa Cruz or Monterey Bay area might be a nice place for you to try if you're flying into SJC. The best whale watching I've experienced in CA has been near Big Sur, not Point Reyes north of S.F. as some people might claim. However, I don't know the migratory schedules offhand. I've been lucky in March-April-May for the Big Sur area - maybe you'll catch some on their way down from Alaska to Baja for the winter.

Your "home base" could be Santa Cruz or Monterey. It's off season so you should be able to find some good weekend deals. Santa Cruz is a very nice town with an eclectic citizenry; the big U.C. campus just north of town adds to the mix. If you need an excellent Chinese restaurant or an even better bakery in Santa Cruz, I 'll happily provide the info.

Monterey you might know already. It's also a nice town, just a bit more touristy, but that's OK.

Pinnipeds. North of Santa Cruz is an incredible spot:

Ano Nuevo State Reserve. From their web site:

Fifty-five miles south of San Francisco and the Golden Gate, a low, rocky, windswept point juts out into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish maritime explorer Sebastian Vizcaino sailed by the point on January 3, 1603. His diarist and chaplain of the expedition, Father Antonio de la Ascension, named it Punta de Año Nuevo (New Year's Point) for the day on which they sighted it in 1603.

Today, the point remains much as Vizcaino saw it from his passing ship. Lonely, undeveloped, wild. Elephant seals, sea lions, and other marine mammals come ashore to rest, mate, and give birth in the sand dunes or on the beaches and offshore islands. It is a unique and unforgettable natural spectacle that hundreds of thousands of people come to witness each year.

The mating season (for the elephant seals) is from December through March, when you need reservations to visit and must be accompanied by a guide. Other visitor info also from the web site:

Information
Telephone:
Recorded Information
650-879-0227

Reservations
800-444-4445

International Reservations
916-414-8400 ext. 4100

Año Nuevo SR Office
650-879-2025
8:30 am - 3:30 p.m. PST
Not for Reservations!
Disabled Reservations
650-879-2033
Dec. 1 to Mar. 15 Only
Monday-Wednesday-Friday
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Operating Hours:
8:00am to Sunset
Special Hour Restrictions for Seal Viewing Area
(Wildlife Protection Area)
Dec 15 - Mar 31
Guided Walks Only
Apr - Aug
8:30am - 3:30pm
By Permit Only
Permit holders must exit Seal viewing area by 5:00pm
Sep - Nov
8:30am - 3:00pm
By Permit Only
Permit holders must exit Seal viewing area by 4:00pm

http://www.parks.ca.gov/allpages/default.asp?page_id=523

I've visited here at many different times of the year - it is always beautiful and enjoyable, especially if you are traveling with children. It is about a 30 minute drive North of Sanata Cruz on Hiway 1.

If you choose to stay or visit in the Monterey area, head south towards Big Sur on Hiway 1. First stop should be Point Lobos State Reserve, just south of Carmel. A great park for walking and spotting sea lions, seals and maybe a whale.

http://pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us/geninfo/geninfo.htm

As you drive down the coast towards Big Sur, there are many different areas to explore in the State Park system. Walks/hikes can be inland (on the east side of Hiway 1 which tends to be forested and mountainous with some great whale watching via binoculars) or sea side (to the west of Hiway 1) where it's a mixture of cliffs, beaches and hillsides.

If you want a nice lunch that has nothing to do with hiking but everything to do with Big Sur and the Central California Coast experience, try the Post Ranch Inn, about 30 miles south of Carmel. No reservation necessary mid-week, but call ahead for a weekend day as parking and access are restricted. A wood and glass restaurant perched on a hillside about 800-1000 feet above the rocky shores of the Pacific. Beautiful dining room with a nice terrace from which I've spotted many whales (or was that the Chardonnay?). Food is fine: a bit overpriced, but the setting is worth a million. Don't expect super speedy service, even if it isn't crowded.

Also, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a great thing to see, even if it can be very crowded on the weekends. Kids and adults love it. Go early. I also have a recommendation for a great restaurant just east of Monterey on the way to the municipal airport.

Hope this helps you out a bit. Let me know if you need further info.


[This message has been edited by blairvanhorn (edited 08-16-2001).]

Wow...excellent post! Thanks a bunch, I will check out those links. And we'd definitely be interested in the bakery recommendation!

Thanks again!

(FWIW, the MCI-STL-SJC roundtrip was $137 for Nov 9-12. Great fare for this route, and it includes my 60th segment AA Q-segment this year. In general, fares to SJC seem to be very low right now, from a variety of cities.)

Maybe the SJC fares are low because of the economy. Anyhow ...

The bakery is in Capitola, just south of Santa Cruz on Hiway 1/17 (take the Bay Avenue exit).

It's called Gayle's. I remember it as a tiny storefront in a nondescript shopping center. We'd go for coffee and excellent pastries before (or after) the beach. It has since pretty much taken over the shopping center, which is now grey shingle and fairly discrete (progress!). Pastries, sandwiches, salads, cakes, roast chicken and other delectables are all highly recommended - a great starting point for a picnic if you get past the nice patio.

Tip: take a number when you arrive. It may read number 89 and you have number 123, but the service is great and it goes really fast.

504 Bay Ave
Capitola, CA 95010
831-462-1200

ENJOY!

Today's "What's Doing" article in the NYT Travel section is on Monterey and is very good. It includes this:

A unique way to meet Monterey Bay's sea lions, harbor seals and otters is by kayak. A number of outfits rent boats and wet suits, but a good option for novice kayakers is a three-hour guided natural-history tour with Monterey Bay Kayaks, 693 Del Monte Avenue, (800) 649-5357, www.montereybaykayaks.com. (http://www.montereybaykayaks.com.) The $50 cost includes instruction and a spot in a stable double kayak; no wet suit is needed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/19/travel/WDMONT.html?pagewanted=all

Excellent advice from blairvanhorn. I love getting a deli sandwich, throwing some kelp over my kayak as an anchor and then picnicing in the bay while watching sea otters.

Unfortunately, you'll be a little early for the whale migration. The greys usually make their way up the California coast mid-December to mid-June. (I saw one in San Francisco Bay in June this year while out sailing.) Blues come between May and October. You'll be early for the elephant seals too. Sea otters and sealions are always around though. The sealions often gather on the rocks at the Coast Guard breakwater. That's a popular diving entry spot.

If you're interested in other migrations, the monarch butterflies will be in Pacific Grove when you are there. Take Lighthouse Avenue west from Forest Avenue to where it intersects 17 Mile Drive and then proceed west about 200 yards and you'll come to Ridge Road. At the intersection of Lighthouse & Ridge Road you'll see a sign pointing to where the trees are located. Follow Ridge Road for about 200 feet and you'll then want to park and you should see a sign on the southwest side of Ridge Road that indicates where the Butterfly Trees are.

At first glance the butterflies look like nothing more than dead leaves hanging in the trees. And then you realize it's thousands and thousands of monarchs. You'd probably only spend 20 minutes or so there and it's best to go if the sun is shining. The butterflies need warmth to be active.

Thanks for the excellent information guys. Will the butterflies be there in November? Also, kayaking in November just *sounds* cold, so we may stay land-based. Of course, with wetsuits...maybe it's still doable. I had a feeling we'd be a bit early for the elephants, but I've heard there are enough sea lions and harbor seals around just about any time you are there...

Yes, the butterflies will be there. They arrive in October and don't leave until February or so. And yes, there are always lots of sealions and sea otters. Sea otters tend to hang out in the kelp beds. Bring binoculars to help you find them. You are going to the aquarium, right? They do a great job with their exhibits - incredible jelly fish displays - and they have otters there too.

On the kayaking, I'd decide when you get there. Sometimes the weather in November can be beautiful - calm seas, clear skies, warm temps. Other times, not so good.

Have fun.

I agree 100% with "l'étoile" - wasn't that your intended handle http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif ?

I have never seen the butterflies, but I will be in SF in late September so I'm definitely heading down to check them out.

The aquarium is wonderful. It's the pet project (no pun intended) of one of the Packard daughters (as in H-P). Don't miss it.

Wet suits for kayaking?? No, go with the advice of LETIOLE - decide when you get there. As I posted above, I have had many Thanksgiving meals with my family outside with the bbque. November can be a wonderful time of year.

[This message has been edited by blairvanhorn (edited 08-26-2001).]

Yeah, I'm afraid my star has fallen ... http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/redface.gif

Now I'm a sickly plant starved for sunlight (etiole). http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/redface.gif