Twenty Thirteen

2014?! How did that happen?? I blinked and 2013 was gone. I posted some, but not all, of what was going on. Here's a quick recap, because in a second it's going to be 2015 and I'm not going to remember anything!

Alligator in the Everglades

I visited 2 new states- Colorado in July for the Animal Behavior Society conference on Boulder, and hung out with friends in Denver. Got to take a quick day trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, hiked the Flat Irons, and can't wait to go back! I also ended up (unintentionally) in Florida with Tiffany in November. We made the most of our few days in Miami and biked in the Everglades!

Aspens in Rocky Mountain National Park

Also with Tiffany I made my first trip to Belize. We spent time snorkeling in Caye Caulker, hiking in the jungle of the Cockscomb Basin and Jaguar Preserve, and checked out Mayan ruins of Cahal Pech in San Ignacio. It was a fantastic trip, and there is so much more I want to see and do in Belize!

Top of Tiger Fern trail in Cockscomb Basin, Belize

I just got back from Tiffany and Brian's New Year's Eve wedding in Seattle. It was a wonderful week in Washington, seeing lots of friends from Clark and helping her get ready for her big day! Dave and I also managed to do quite a bit of exploring, and my parents were there too. I also spent a long weekend in Seattle in April, helping Tiffany pick a wedding dress and spending quality time with Caitlin G in Seattle and Tacoma.

Brian and Tiffany get married!

In February I TA'd a field biology course in the jungles of Nicaragua (feels like forever ago), so I guess I spent a fair amount of time in Central America this past year!

Remote censored camera photo of a puma, Nicaragua

August was a whirlwind family and friend trip to the East Coast. In Southern Maryland we got together for my cousin's change of command ceremony with his Navy squadron. I also stayed with Dave's friends at their home outside of Baltimore, visited more friends and family in New York City and met another cousin's triplets. We hung out with Dave's family in Providence and around Rhode Island, and made a whirlwind trip through Massachusetts, including stops in Worcester, Paxton, Clinton, and Boston! It was wonderful to be back and catch up with lots of family and college friends. Hopefully I'll have an excuse to go back again soon.

Naval Change of Command ceremony

It hasn't been too shabby here in California, either. In March Dave and I spent a week driving from LA to San Francisco. We stayed in Pismo, Montaña de Oro, Cambria, camped for 3 nights in Big Sur, Monterey, and Redwood City. It was my first time in Big Sur, and it was totally magical! The weather was perfect, the poppies and wildflowers were blooming, we saw California condors(!!!), a California newt, grey whales, seals, sea lions, sea otters, elephant seals… pretty much everything amazing. I want to go back asap.

California Condors in Big Sur

We also did another EEB camping trip to Cambria in May. The UC Reserve where we stay is one of my favorite spots, on bluffs overlooking the ocean with lots more wildlife viewing and tide pooling. Plus trips into the town for ice cream or ollaliberry pie!

EEBers in Cambria

Back in January my sister was home for a bit so I flew up to San Francisco for Second Thanksgiving (a great Chock family tradition). Our family went to Año Neuvo to see the elephant seals, and there you go with a guide and can actually walk around them on the beach! We also stopped at a goat cheese farm in Pescadero to make a truly amazing day.

Elephant seal in Año Nuevo

In May Dave and I took a ferry to Santa Cruz Island, one of the Channel Islands, where we camped for a night and did sea kayaking. The Channel Islands have one of the highest concentrations of sea caves anywhere in the world, and it was fun and a little scary to kayak through them. On the ferry out we saw a Steller's sea lion, a huge guy resting on a buoy, and on the way back we went through a big pod of dolphins. There were also a ton of small island foxes near the campsites.

Channel Island fox

Over Thanksgiving weekend we went whale watching in Monterey Bay with my family and aunts, as it was an unusual year and there were a ton more anchovies in the bay than normal, meaning the humpback whales were hanging around instead of migrating south. It was one of the most spectacular days- in our 3 hour trip on the water, we saw about a dozen whales, and they were breaching- jumping out of the water- almost constantly. It was unbelievable being so close to them and watching these huge masses power out of the water and then crash back down. Really spectacular.

Humpback whales breaching

In trips further south, I spent a day watching paragliders at Torrey Pines and then Dave, his friend Elana, and I went snorkeling with the leopard sharks in La Jolla. Pregnant females hang out there for a few months during the late summer/early fall when the water is warm. The water is also quite clear, and not very deep, so you feel like you could almost touch them if you reached your arm out. It was a bit unnerving, but a very cool experience.

Dave and I also made a trip to the Santa Ana Zoo in June to see the baby giant anteater, who was still at the age he could ride around on his mom's back. He was so big though he looked totally ridiculous. It was awesome.

Baby anteater riding on his mom's back

In October we also used a gift voucher I won when I went to see a filming of the Ellen Degeneres show for a two night stay at a very posh hotel in Laguna Beach. We spent a day hiking in Crystal Cove state park, then lounged by the pool and on a beautiful beach by the hotel. That was my first time in Laguna Beach, and it was quite lovely.

Montage Laguna Beach

Morgan, Tina, Caitlin N, and Annie came out at different times. I did some local birding and hiking with JP. I went to The Craft at Cinespia, spent a week trapping kangaroo rats and another observing pocket mice in captivity. I also passed my qualifying exams and ran my first independent field season from May through August. Looking back, it's no wonder I feel like this year flew by! I'm not sure how I even managed to fit that all into one calendar year, but if that is possible I can't wait to see what 2014 brings!

A Stephen's kangaroo rat!