Yanks RV Resort
Greenfield, CA
Yesterday was a perfect day to get together with
our friends, Connie & Greg.
We met them halfway, in Salinas,
and then drove with them over to Pacific Grove.
Our mission was to go to the butterfly grove,
and see the Monarchs that have migrated here.
We saw them last year, at the tail end of the migration,
so there weren't as many to see.
This is the beginning of the migration,
you can read about it
here.
The four of us saw a couple of pretty good clusters.
When they're clinging to the tree and each other,
they look like dead leaves.
They hang there until the temperature gets above 55ยบ,
then they'll fly around looking for nectar.
There was a male warming up in the sun..
Connie took a break on the bench,
and the local cat jumped up for a snuggle :-)
There is a nice trail that winds around the grove of Eucalyptus trees.
Docents are stationed in different places with a telescope
focusing on clusters of the butterflies.
The lens is fed into an Ipad, so that people have an easier time seeing them.
Although the docent said they current count is about 7,000,
later in the winter there will be so much more!
We got some silly shots of Greg & Connie in the butterfly pose..
We opted for the pose on the butterfly bench..
Connie was kind enough to bring some lite munchies,
and we brought some things to add,
so we drove over to see the ocean.
We found a picnic table at Lover's Point,
and attempted a selfie shot :-)
Oh well :-(
The waves were crashing on the rocks,
even though it was a windless day.
These two guys tried to encroach on our picnic!
After enjoying the sunshine, we headed over to Fisherman's Wharf
to check out more sights.
They were just starting to decorate for Christmas.
From the wharf we could see a pod of dolphins,
but even with my telephoto lens,
I only got the back fin of one.
You can see it just to the right of the buoy.
This is the first time I've seen so many jellyfish
right off the wharf as well!
I did enhance the colors a bit so as to see them better.
There is never a shortage of sea lions barking away,
or sunning themselves.
These two were just over the railing down below the wharf.
Lazy bums!
I caught this sea otter rolling around,
but he was just out of reach to get a good shot
of his cute face.
We always enjoy the fishing boats sitting,
waiting to go out.
Herons and pelicans can be found sitting on the rocks as well.
The four of us really enjoyed our day out.
We have future plans as well, can't wait!
After we got back into Salinas, George and I dropped by Mom's
and decorated her apartment for Christmas.
It looks very festive!
Today we're off, I'm doing laundry,
and we put our decorations up as well.
It's going to be a great Christmas!