Remember how I told you that the zebras – from the early days of the Hearst Castle Zoo – still mingle in the hills with the Hearst Ranch cattle?!
Well, today, on my way to work, I saw a gaggle of people along the fence line of the pastures on HWY 1. I knew they had spotted zebra!
You see, the thing is… these cattle have miles and miles to roam. So, they aren’t always visible. Today, I knew something was up because of all of the tourists clamoring along the fence with their phones extended in their arms.
So, I decided to do the same!
I knew I had just about 4 minutes to accomplish my goal of zebra gawking. I pulled off the highway and parked my car along the shoulder. Then, I ran up the hill to the fence. At this point, the sun was directly in my eyes so I had no idea what I was actually photographing, but I aimed and did my best.
Then, I ran down the hill back to my car – to work (about another 5 minutes away).
(I realize that the professional photographs found online of the Hearst Ranch Zebras – are much better than mine!)
PHOTO JOURNAL
I could see all the humans stopped on the side of the road. I knew there had been a zebra sighting! So, I pulled over, too.
I got out of my car…
Here I am, up to the fenceline. You can see the zebras in the herd. There were about 12 zebras.
I zoomed in on a small group. To be honest, the sun was right in my eyes so I couldn’t tell what I was doing.
I swear, this cow look like a zebracow! She must be influenced by her friends!
Another set of zebra. The cows look very relaxed in the background.
Here I am walking back to my car. You can see how close the herd is to the Pacific Ocean. This huge area of oceanfront is not developed due to the Hearst family.
This was my lunch spot today… I put an arrow where I saw the herd. They roam all of those pasturelands (1000s of acres) on the Pacific Coast Highway and across the highway. Luckeeeee herd!
