After the excitement of the sand dunes, we (and of course I mean "me") needed some relaxation. And what could be more relaxing than sea lions? They lay on rocks, letting their flab fall where it may, the bark a bit, roll into the water, play, clamber back up on the rocks and take a quick nap and then start all over again. I'd like to be a sea lion. So after we cleaned as much of the sand out of our crevices, we headed off to The Sea Lion Caves.

A pretty amazing place. The Florence Sea Lion Caves were first opened to the public in 1932, and an elevator was added in 1961 to take visitors 208 feet down, through solid rock, to the viewing area. It's an odd feeling, taking an elevator deep underground, especially when you are a bit claustrophobic. Once down there, however, there are places where you can look outside, plus, if worse came to worse (and I always prepare for that), you could dive into the smelly water where the sea lions hang out, and swim out the entrance to safety. You know, in case worse came to worse. I always know where The Nearest Exit is. Always.

From the elevator you walk along a short passage, where there are displays about the sea lions. This takes you to a dark area, where there are holes in the rock looking right inside the world's largest sea cave. And the cave is just filled with sea lions. Some of them are only a few feet away, seemingly unaware of the visitors there in the semi-darkness. You're asked not to use flash photography, so as not to disturb the animals. It was not crowded that day, so we were able to take our time. They barked and snorted and carried on, oblivious to us, I could have stood there for hours.