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USA - CALIFORNIA : HAVING A WHALE OF A TIME  Each winter California welcomes the return of its official marine mammal, the gray whale. The annual migration of more than 26,000 gray whales begins high in Alaskan waters. The giants then travel southward along California's coastline en route to their breeding and birthing waters in Baja California. These majestic mammals hug California's shoreline at Point Reyes, past the Farallon Islands, travel through Half Moon Bay and Monterey Bay, then follow the coastline past Southern California before reaching Mexico.
During the migration, the whales will travel in small groups and stay fairly close to the shoreline for protection from predators, such as killer whales. By mid-February, the migration pattern reverses as the whales lead their new-born calves back to the chilly Arctic waters of the Bering Sea in Alaska. The five-month period from December through April is a celebration for aficionados of marine and coastal biology life as various festivals, cruises and events are planned along the California coast in conjunction with the gray whale's yearly migratory pattern. Point Reyes National Seashore, home of the picturesque Point Reyes Lighthouse in Marin County, has one of the best viewing locations for whale-watching. In addition, a number of options are offered for naturalist talks on gray whales. The Lighthouse Visitor Center is open from 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Thursday through Monday. Parking is very limited and weekends can be crowded. A shuttle service will begin on December 31 through March. For details on the talks and shuttles, call (415) 464-5100. Ricochet Ridge Ranch, across from MacKerricher State Park on the Mendocino Coast at Ft. Bragg, offers horseback riding along the beach where riders often see gray whales and harbor seals. Call (707) 964-7669 for further information and reservations. Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma in San Diego is home to a glassed-in whale-watching observatory featuring whale exhibits and a taped narration. The center is open daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:15 p.m. For more information, call (619) 557-5450. Other areas for active viewing include (counties listed from north to south): Del Norte County: • Klamath Overlook approximately four miles off US 101 on Requa Road at the top of the mountain that overlooks the mouth of the Klamath River and Pacific Ocean. • Endert's Beach Overlook approximately three miles off US 101 on Endert's Beach Road to the parking lot and viewing area, which is a redwood deck built on top of a rock. • Battery Point is accessible only at low tide from the parking area at the foot of "A" Street in Crescent City. • Brother Jonathan Vista Point located on Pebble Beach Drive at Ninth Street in Crescent City. Viewing area is about 10 feet above the surface of the ocean. • Point St. George located about three miles northwest of Crescent City at the west end of Washington Boulevard. • Castle Rock, near Crescent City, the best location for viewing this island is along Pebble Beach Drive north of the Brother Jonathan Vista Point and south of Point St. George. Humboldt County: • Dry Lagoon, Humboldt Lagoons State Park Freshwater Lagoon, Redwood National Park near Orick • Gold Bluffs Beach in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park • McKinleyville Vista Point off US 101, Palmer's Point and Wedding Rock, Patrick's Point State Park, Trinidad • Scenic drive, south of Trinidad offers a number of spectacular vista points as well as access to beaches such as Luffenholtz Beach. • Shelter Cove: Take the Garberville/Redway exit off US 101 to the Lost Coast. • Table Bluff: South spit of Humboldt Bay Trinidad Head at Trinidad Harbor, Trinidad. Mendocino County: • Laguna Point at MacKerricher State Park, Jughandle State Reserve, Mendocino Headlands, Point Cabrillo Lightstation Preserve, Russian Gulch State Park, and Todd's Point. Sonoma County: Stillwater Cove County Park, Sonoma Coast State Beach at Bodega Head and Salt Point State Park. San Mateo County: Pigeon Point.
Greyhound Rock County Park, Davenport Beach, Wilder Ranch State Park, Natural Bridges State Beach, West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz Wharf, Seacliff State Beach, La Selva Beach. Monterey County: Monterey Peninsula, Big Sur. San Luis Obispo County: Montana de Oro State Park, Pismo State Beach, Morro Strand State Beach, Cayucos State Beach, San Simeon State Beach, Moonstone Beach Drive, Piedras Blancas, Leffingwell Landing. Santa Barbara County: Santa Barbara Coastline, Channel Islands National Park and Shoreline Park. Los Angeles County: Catalina Island, Korean Friendship Bell and San Pedro Point Fermin Lighthouse (San Pedro). Orange County: Dana Point, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach. Ventura County: Channel Islands National Park. Photo: courtesy Robert Holmes/California Tourism
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