Beach lumps - New Year's Drive day 2/part 1

So overnight on NYE we stayed at the Ragged Point Inn. It was pleasant, not cheap mind, but pleasant. We dined at the associated restaurant, again quite pleasant but I had not dressed for the occasion (mind you I was not naked either but sweat pants, aka trakky dax, are not exactly classy). We did not make it to midnight - I had done some hard driving and DH had done some hard sitting.


Can you see the little road halfway up the hill?




(southwards)
The motel has great views on either side of the point, as I discovered when I went for an "early" morning walk at 9am...




(northwards)


(outwards)


These aloes are very popular in the area. I guess it is hard to find things that grow. Also given their prickles, they may resist being removed...


Cypress and the hill inland from the motel complex.

I was lucky to get those pics when I did as only a few minutes later, fog began blowing up from the ocean. It was like it had been set on fire or something. Within a couple of minutes of returning to our motel room, the view out the window went from



to



DH never saw the views in person, only in the pics I took.

So we drove onwards, ever onwards. It was all very Scottish according to DH - the hills were moving away from the road and there were flattish spots and all was draped in mist. We passed a LOT of cyclists over the next 20 miles - they were all going the other way. Good luck chaps - not too much in the way of bike lanes are marked along the coast road!

Occasionally we saw views like this



and this:


The coast seemed less rugged in some ways - a precipitous hill no longer fell straight into the ocean but it was pretty darned rocky. I wouldn't want to be landing a boat on it. I'm guessing that the lighthouses were/are absolutely necessary given the fog that benights this coast.



At one point we drove past a very popular car park. "Seals" pronounced DH. Whatever, I've seen seals before. "Elephant seals." On go the brakes and around we go - of course I checked the traffic before chucking a U-ey.

Yes, indeed elephant seals.


There are some youngsters in that pic and some mums-to-be as well from their shape. I have a video of one calf trying to work out where to get some tucker. Mum's flipper wasn't the go, nor her ?elbow? ?wrist? Here's mum flopping over and trying to prod the kid downwards but golly, I have no idea how these critters have survived if the calf takes five minutes to work out that the top end of mum does not have food but about 2/3 the way down does.


Apparently the chaps are all ready to make more baby elephant seals. I guess it takes all kinds cos I wouldn't want him making love sweet love to me!


And one intrepid ground squirrel with a great beachside home.

One of our aims was to visit this place, even though they can't spell Hurst.

Alas, it was closed on New Year's Day.

So onwards, ever onwards.