Hearst Castle & North

This morning we woke up relatively early, for a vacation day, and headed to Hearst Castle.  We had been successful bidders of a complimentary tour of the Grand Rooms a few years ago at the Spouses' Club Auction and wished to see if we could get that tour.

We were checked out of the Motel extremely promptly and headed straight to Hearst.  Although they had just recently opened the Visitor's Center there were already quite a few people headed in.  The kind gentleman at the Ticket Counter was able to accommodate us and we were set to get on the 9:50 tour of the Grand Rooms.

We made use of the 15 minutes before the bus boarded to checkout the rest of the Visitors Center.  Noting that their Cafe offered a good variety including beef from Hearst Cattle Ranching, we set our lunch plans.  We quickly went through the introduction rooms where I was amazed to note that Hearst Castle was designed, engineered, managed, and partially decorated by one of the first licensed women architects in California, Julia Morgan.  I can't even imagine what kind of force of personality she must have been to see that project through it's 28 years of buildings, additions, revisions and challenges.

We boarded the bus which takes you up the hill via many switchbacks to the Big House, showing you the

land, it's surroundings, and the many improvements along the way. Wow, was all I could say. The view was breathtaking and commanding.  California State Parks and Friends of Hearst Castle have done a wonderful job of maintaining the beauty and magic of the site.  They share their enthusiasm with their visitors throughout your time there.  While on the bus, we learned that the switchbacks not only provide an easier route to the house, but the house itself was designed to play "hide and seek" with its visitors as they approached in order to build their anticipation of seeing it.  In fact, I would see the house and then as we turned a switchback it was once again hidden from view by trees or surrounding hillsides.  This left no doubt that the owner and architect planned well and had a sense of whimsy.

Once we arrived at the house, it was difficult to believe that it could have hidden at all.  What a magical place of beauty and wonder.  Mr. Hearst used his home to entertain movie stars and other influential people.  I have no doubt that these walls have been privy to many stories and secrets.

I was quite the shutterbug inside the house and have many photos to remember the tour by.  There were so many innovative architectural features such as glass block installed near the net of the tennis courts to illuminate the indoor swimming pool below. I am SO glad we made it a point to travel to this wonderful location and experience it's treasures.

With our tour completed and a quick bite, we needed to be heading out for our next adventure.  I was sad to leave this great site and wish we'd had more time but something tells me that it would take several visits before one could have seen all there was to see at this location.

We'd only been on the road for a small amount of time when we noticed people pulling off to the side of the road to view the Elephant Seals at Point Piedras Blancas.  There were SO many of them sunning themselves on the beach.  We were quickly informed that this time of year, they are in the process of shedding their skin and thus why they were burying themselves in the sand.  It was entertaining to watch them slide into the sand to create a burrow and then use their flippers to flip sand on their backs.

The stop also provided the opportunity to see the lighthouse nearby from afar as the drive was closed to visitors.  You can see the huge white rock to the right of the lighthouse in this picture.  These rocks project largely from the water along these shores and are the reason for the beach's namesake as well as the necessity of the lighthouse for this location.

It wasn't too much longer before we were back on the road headed to Monterrey Bay.  We had heard good things of this town and the Aquarium was supposed be particularly fabulous.  We were not disappointed.

This is a GREAT aquarium with plenty of interaction for guests and wonderfully educational exhibits.  They have a wetland habitat for some of the local birds to enjoy, as well as exhibits for Puffins and Seals.  We stepped outside briefly to watch some of the local otters play in the water just outside the Monterray Bay's perimeter.

Probably what I found the most interesting though was the exhibits where they have garbage strewn among the fish's environment so you can gain an understanding of human's impact on the Ocean's inhabitants.  In case you are wondering, yes that is a fish living in that boot.  Everything was done wonderfully and I must provide kudos to the staff.

We couldn't stay long as we still had a long drive ahead of us to reach San Francisco.  We continued along the coastline, and here are some of the other sights that greeted us along our drive.

 We got to our hotel in San Francisco around 10 PM and once parked and settled in, tried to get some rest to prepare us for enjoying San Francisco on the morrow.

An actual vacation

It has been almost a year since my last post. How sad is that? It isn't that life hasn't been fun in Sunny California, it's more like we have been busy living it.

It is hard to believe that we have been here almost four years. Soon my husband will retire from military service and start his next big adventure. That looks like it will take us to Fort Belvoir, Virginia. As luck would have it, some of our previous neighbors are settled in that general area so we won't be starting from scratch as far as finding someone we know. In the interim, however, we find ourselves with some extra time and a lot of places on the West Coast that we used to have plenty of time to see and are now scrambling to fit in. Thus the need for a road trip.

We drove North along Highways 1 and 101 Sunday afternoon. The Pacific Ocean's blue waters visible to our left. First stop, Silver Surf Motel in San Simeon. It is a little dated but obviously cared for with updates happening where possible. We arrived late and therefore turned in almost right away. We still are not far from the ocean and, as I lie here typing this, I can hear the waves crashing on the beach nearby. It is very soothing. It also reminds me of sitting on the beach as a kid with my Grandfather watching the sunset. What pleasant sounds and memories to fill my dreams tonight.

With that, I think I will sign off. Morning will come early and hopefullywith a tour of Hearst Castle for me to write about.