Piedras Blancas Light Station

At the end of the stretch of coast known as Big Sur, you reach the beautiful town of Piedras Blancas where there is a beautiful - and loud! - colony of elephant seals weighing up to two tons who spend most of their time soaking up the sun or occasionally clashing with one another for a dominant position (a real feast for tourists' eyes!). In total there are nearly 2000 of the animals here, but it's difficult to get a precise count. It is estimated, however, that the population is growing and could reach 8000 by the end of the century. The breeding season begins in December, with the arrival of the males and then the females, but the beach is pretty busy throughout the year.