Boy, did it stink to get my 1,000th geocache!

No, seriously!  My 1,000th cache had to be the smelliest cache I have ever visited. This was mostly due to the fact that I had to share the space with about 50 wild animals....and I'm not talking about my fellow cachers either!

For my big milestone cache, I had held off from caching for a couple of weeks to make it a special one, and it really was fantastically fun! I captured my first Web Cam cache and discovered another fun spot in the Bay with an unusual history attatched to it.

Sea Lion Statue at The Pier

  If you have ever visited Pier 39 in San Francisco, then you are no doubt familiar with the hordes of Sea Lions that have taken over K-Dock like the loud, smelly (yet surprisingly cute and captivating) squatters that they are. 

Just hanging out in the warm sunshine

Apparently, shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake hit San Francisco in October 1989. By January 1990, the boisterous barking pinnipeds started to arrive in droves and completely took over K-Dock.  This situation is a delight to tourists, such as myself, but is a complete nuisance to those who must co-exist with these gigantic creatures. There was a lengthy fight to have them relocated, but after much debate and research, the experts from The Marine Mammal Center recommended that the sea lions stay in their newfound home.

 

With a plentiful supply of food from the Bay and an environment protected from predators, the PIER 39 Marina proved to be an ideal living situation for the sea lions. Within a few short months, the number of sea lions grew to more than 300 and hit an all-time record of 1,701 in November 2009.

The cache itself, as I have stated, is a Web Cam Cache - (GCMKWT) At the Pier.  In order to capture your smiley, you must stand where you can be seen on the live cam and have a friend capture a screenshot on their phone or laptop of you in a visible spot, preferably with some way to identify yourself such as holding up your gps or a sign showing your milestone number! ;)

Can you see me?!

 

The sea lions are actually quite a lot of fun to watch as they are constantly wrestling each other or chattering loudly, but the stench is almost overpowering! I was so thankful to have visited in the cooler weather of winter, rather than in the oppressive heat of summer when the smell would most likely have been enough to put you off of your lunch.

To celebrate this cache and the slippery inhabitants of K-Dock, here are a few fun facts about the Sea Lions you will see:

California sea lions are known for their intelligence, playfulness and noisy barking.

Although they usually avoid humans, sea lions may bite if provoked.

Male sea lions reach 850 lbs (390 kg) and 7 ft (2.1 m) in length, while females can reach 220 lbs (110 kg) and up to 6 ft (1.8 m) in length.

You can distinguish males from females: males develop a bump or “crest” on their heads at four or five years of age. A majority of the sea lions at PIER 39 are male.

Sea lions have external ear flaps: seals do not.

Sea lions in the wild may live up to 25 years.

Geocacher or not, if you are visiting the Bay area, I recommend a stop off to Pier 39 to see the Sea Lions and all of the other great attractions there! It is sure to hold a little bit of fun and fascination for everyone in your group.