Acting Citizen: Sightseeing

Road trip

By James Knudsen

With the exception of some twelve months in the 1980s, equally divided between Tennessee and Okinawa, and a similar amount of time in 2001-02, spent in Korea and Thailand, I have lived all of my 55 years in California. One would assume I know the Golden State quite well. I don’t.
    The pandemic of 2020 has forced the newlywed Mr. and Mrs. Knudsen to test the bonds of marital bliss a little sooner than we had planned. I can report that as of this moment, things are going smoothly. It is worth noting that we celebrated six months of actually knowing the other only some days ago. To celebrate the event and to just get out of the house, we decided to confine ourselves to the interior of Andra’s Subaru for 12 hours and do some sightseeing. Now, before the onslaught of “stay at home” urgings begin, allow me to point out that we have been very disciplined for the most part and our Sunday drive kept us isolated to the car for the vast majority of the 12 hours. When we did venture out, it was no trick to maintain our six-foot bubble.

What can you see over the course of 12 hours? California at its best, is one answer. Our trek to US North to CA-152. This highway stretches west across the northern part of the San Joaquin Valley before climbing up and over Pacheco Pass. Our first stop was California’s first capital, Monterey. I’m not a stranger to this section of California. In the summer of 2001, I was performing in the musical “City of Angels” at The Western Stage in nearby Salinas. On days off I was free to explore the surrounding area on my Yamaha XV920RH. It was after Andra and I left the Monterey/Carmel area that I found myself in regions unknown to me.
    Big Sur. Everyone’s heard of it. I had heard of it, but never been. In fact, the entire stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway, from south of Carmel to San Simeon was, until a few days ago, unknown to me. The little towns, Lucia, Gorda, Plaskett, provide a few spots of civilization, but my only connection to them is a vague memory of them in the news in 2017 when the PCH was washed out by storms and the towns were cut off from the rest of the world. The highway has been restored and is now shielded from future landslides by a massive tunnel with arched porticoes.

And completely unknown to me was Piedras Blancas.

Piedras Blancas is a stretch of California coast that, since 1990, has been home to a colony of elephant seals. Elephant seals are the largest of the seal family. Adult males can reach 16 feet in length and weigh over 5,000 pounds. That corresponds to the length and weight of my minivan. Our visit to Piedras Blancas was at the wrong time of year to see any adult males, but plenty of juveniles and adult females had recently hauled out of the Pacific for their annual molt. I observed through binoculars while Andra snapped photos of the wildlife and her grizzled, yet tame, male companion.

    December might be a good time to return to Piedras Blancas. During the winter months, the adult males arrive and stake claim to the best sections of beach for the mating season. December and January are said to be the best times to see toxic male behavior at its height. Can’t wait.

Copyright © 2020 by James Knudsen