San Luis National Wildlife Refuge

Tumbling Tumbleweeds

December 13, 2015

The tail end of a storm was blowing over Northern California on Sunday.  That gave me some interesting options for adventure.   My top choice was to head to the coast.  I wanted to take Pongo, though, which instantly limits my options there.  I'd also have to worry about big surf, which is part of the point of going in the first place.  So, instead I headed Southeast to his favorite auto tour at San Luis National Wildlife Refuge.

Interstate Five, Merced County, CA

I knew I was taking a gamble.  The sun was peaking through holes here and there in Alameda, but they were dark gray in the direction I was heading.  I was crossing my fingers and hoping they would clear by the time I got there, at least enough to give me some splashes of light.

Merced County, CA

Going this direction turned out to be a mistake.  Not because of the dark skies.  As you can see, the clouds and sunlight created a lot of drama, which is exactly what I was hoping for.  The problem was traffic.  A major accident blocked most lanes 580 out of the Bay Area which almost doubled the drive time.  On a short winter day that can be fatal to an afternoon excursion.  I almost turned around a few times because I knew that even if the clouds allowed it the sun wouldn't stay up in the sky long enough to take a lot of pictures.

Tule Elk -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

I stuck with it, though, for Pongo's sake if nothing else.  He doesn't care about the weather and lighting.  He just wants to stick his head out the window and see the wildlife.

San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

The highlight of the drive for Pongo was seeing a raccoon.  He's a sworn enemy of all raccons.  He spotted him before I did and went bonkers.  He always goes bonkers for raccoons.  I usually see the animals first.  I don't know if Pongo has some kind of raccoon radar or what, but that's the one animal he consistently sees before I do.  No pictures, though, it was too dark and the critter didn't stick around long anyway, not once he heard and got a look at Pongo in the car.

San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

That's pretty much it.  Well, we saw an owl, too.  It was too deep in the trees for a good photo.  I suppose with a raccoon sighting for Pongo and an owl sighting for me I'd have to consider the trip to be a success, right?  It was nice seeing all of those clouds in the sky.  Hopefully this weather continues for two or three months.  Last year we had a fairly wet December and then it was clear skies for the rest of the winter.  Here's hoping this is just the beginning.

Totoro (or an owl) -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA