CATHEDRAL OF THE SEA LIONS

How many of you have visited the Oregon Sea Lion Caves?  It is located on the Oregon Coast just 11 miles north of Florence.  There is ample parking and a visitor center with all the usual touristy coast related items for purchase.  You have to buy a ticket (check the website for prices) then take a beautiful cliff walk to the elevator.  Once in the elevator the descent is rapid.  When you step out you are in the cave.

The fragrance in the cave hits you about as hard as the sounds.  Sea Lions live here.  They actually LIVE here.  They have their babies, raise their young, sleep, play and lounge around in the pounding surf inside the huge cavern accessed by the Pacific from two openings.  So, absolutely, there is a fragrance of sea life unlike any you will encounter elsewhere.  But, that's as much a part of the experience as the sound.  Personally, I felt like I had walked into a monastery durning evensong.  Those puppies can sing.  There is such a cacophony of song you wonder how a puppy hears her mother.  But, she does.

If you are lucky enough to go when few other people are there, just stand, close your eyes and listen.  The pounding surf, the cries of the pups, the answering calls of the parents all meld together to create a song emanating from that cave that makes it unforgettable.

So, during these winter days when camping is out of the question (for wimps like me) take a trip over to visit the singing Sea Lions in their very own cathedral.  You may even want to join in the harmony.