After the workshop I stayed at a nearby hotel in Santa Barbara to unwind a little, and on Friday took a trip up the coast of Piedras Blancas to see an Elephant Seal Rookery.  There were thousands, literally, of mothers and babies and a few males.  The breeding season hadn't quite begun yet so the really big males were just beginning to arrive.  But what a site this was.  Those alpha males can weigh up to 5000 pounds.  And it was wonderful to just enjoy that beautiful north central California coastline.