Well, I gotta boast. I was on my way to Los Angeles last week, and I spent a day along the way at Pinnacles National Monument - it's more-or-less inland from Monterey. I climed through the most treacherous cave I've been in, and ended up at a spot that felt like it was the top of the world. High above me, I saw a huge, vulture-like bird - with white markings on its shoulders that looked like a skeleton to me. It was a California Condor, the largest bird in North America. I saw two that day - both were high above me, but the white markings were very clear in binoculars. There are only 275 California condors in existence, so I feel privileged to have seen two.

-Joe-