These 10 California creatures could be the oozing, bellowing, fluttering, galloping stars of your next weekend
To welcome March — which is supposed to come in like a lion and leave like a lamb, remember? — we’ve rounded up 10 trip-worthy California creatures to inspire you. And most of them are real.
We’re talking about elephant seals, grunion, roadside dinosaurs, desert dragons, large horses and little ones, along with assorted others from the San Diego Zoo and Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Any one of the critters here could play a starring role in your next weekend journey, as long as the season is right. Writers Catharine Hamm, Sara Lessley, Elisa Parhad and I came across them while researching the L.A. Times California Bucket List, and you’ll find plenty of details below on the when, where, how and how much of it all.
10. Marvel at the massive elephant seals near San Simeon
9. See orange at the Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach
8. Fawn over mini-Flickas and foals at the Quicksilver horse ranch in Solvang
7. Spend a day at the races in Del Mar
6. Schmooze with jellyfish at Monterey’s big aquarium
5. Calculate the age of Cabazon’s dinosaurs just east of Palm Springs
4. Sight dragons, dinosaurs and more in Borrego Springs
3. Run with the grunion on Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro
2. Feed a beast at the San Diego Zoo
1. Listen for frogs in Angels Camp, Calaveras County, where Mark Twain launched his literary career
Follow Reynolds on Twitter: @MrCSReynolds
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