As some of you may remember, Animated Meat first came to life in 2008 as a way to document some sights that managed to slip through the cracks of most popular travel websites. You may also remember that the original website was built on Apple's now defunct iWeb. From there, it migrated over to WordPress where it met an untimely demise at the hands of Russian hackers. Many of those old, pre-2012 entries have found a new home here in the Before the Now section. I would consider these posts as my starting place as a writer, probably comparable to a musician's first demo tapes. They are very rough, but I took them all seriously and wrote each one with passion. While I would like to believe that I have matured in my abilities as a writer, it is my hope that I carry this same blind passion into all of my new efforts.

Sea Lion Caves - Originally Published 2008

May 5, 2019

The Sea Lion Caves is what traveling along one of America’s highways is all about. Somewhere around the next bend is a little business that celebrates some miracle that visitors just can’t see anywhere else. The caves are home to several hundred Steller Sea Lions and off a pretty remarkable vantage point without being exploitive.

There are actually two spots to check out the sea lions. The first is from the top of a cliff. After a ride in an elevator, you arrive at the second, a spot deep inside the cliff itself.

The Sea Lion Caves makes for a perfect wide spot in the road. All totaled, we spent maybe about an hour there. We were back on the road and off to our next destination before we knew it.