Hearst Castle

Wine Country RV Resort, Paso Robles, CA:  Drove down to Hearst Castle today.  Took 46 down to the Pacific Coast Highway and then a short drive to the castle.  But the drive on 46 over the mountains was beautiful.  Left the wine country and it was 77 degrees.  Drove up over the beautiful rolling hills and mountains affording beautiful views of the rugged Pacific coast.  Drove through a forest of coastal oaks and pines dripping in Spanish moss, past pastures of cattle and horses grazing behind carefully painted white board fences, and then we’re down on the water with dramatic views of the rugged Pacific coast.  Arrived at the Hearst Castle around 10:00—in plenty of time for our first tour at 10:30. It was 63 degrees down here.  We took all three tours—the main level of the main house, the upstairs guest suites, and the personal suite of Hearst himself; the guest cottages; the kitchen; the wine cellar; and the gardens and pools.  This place is a treasure.  To come out here and not visit this grand place is a big mistake.  It was so much more than I thought it was going to be. We spent the whole day here.  At one time they owned over 250,000 acres.  Hearst referred to it as his ranch, which it really was.  Cattle are still raised here.  After leaving the castle, we drove across the Pacific Coast Highway and drove through the historic, old San Simeon.  The Hearsts used to buy produce at the little market there which was founded in 1852.  Drove back over the beautiful hills and mountains to our great park.  81 here when we got back.  The weather here is definitely a conundrum. 

The beautiful rolling hills on Rt. 46

The Hearst Castle, Casa Grande

At Hearst Castle

One of the beautiful bell towers in the main house, 69,000 square feet, 115 rooms.

The beautiful main door.

The huge Neptune pool.

The magnificent indoor, heated pool--lined in mosaics, mosaics on the walls.

The little market in San Simeon.

A herd of zebra that roam the fields with the cattle.  Hearst used to have a private zoo on the estate.

The beautiful, rugged Pacific coast.

Ocean Mesa at El Capitan, Santa Barbara, CA, to Wine Country RV Resort, Paso Robles, CA:  Left this morning at 10:15.  I drove all the way to give Mike a break.  Drove north on the 101 through the beautiful hills, side canyons, and valleys of central California.  Some of the hills were green with vegetation, some covered in a light brown grass that looked golden in the sun.  Were away from the Pacific for a while, but came back to it at Pismo Beach—a beautiful, rugged coastline.  Arrived at the Wine Country RV Resort and were set up by 1:30.  And what a beautiful park this is!  We back up to a winery.  And the park itself is all manicured lawns, a beautiful pool, and an even more luxurious spa.  The park we just left—Ocean Mesa at El Capitan—was much more expensive and nowhere near as nice.  And there were so many kids at that park with their noisy big wheels, scooters, and battery operated cars, that we were glad to be out of there.  This park is quiet and serene.  Did the laundry this afternoon and then relaxed the rest of the day. 

Our site--the vineyard is right behind us.

The beautiful Jacuzzi area--just across from us

The Jacuzzi

Ocean Mesa at El Capitan, Santa Barbara, CA:  Well, this morning started out clear, but then the marine layer crept in on little cat’s feet.  Hung around for a couple of hours and then crept away.  It hung out there just over the Pacific all day, threatening.  We drove over to the El Capitan Beach.  Not such a great beach, but it was packed.  Walked a short trail up from the beach and then back.  Back to our park and relaxed reading for a while.  I just finished a book on the history of Catalina Island.  What a rich and storied past and very interesting reading.  Had a craving for KFC since I hadn’t had any in a couple of years.  So, we went and picked some up, came back and stuffed ourselves.  Really good.

Happy Birthday America!

El Capitan Beach

Cairns on the beach

Ocean Mesa at El Capitan, Santa Barbara, CA:  Visited Mission Santa Barbara this afternoon. This morning the marine layer was back.  We were shrouded in clouds and fog.  And it was chilly.  By the time we drove the 20 miles to Santa Barbara it had dissipated and I no longer needed by jacket.  This old mission was beautiful with the mountains as a dramatic backdrop.  And the older homes in this area are really beautiful, partially hidden by walls and manicured shrubs.  After the mission we drove to Old Town, parked, and had dinner at Anderson’s bakery.  The menu was eclectic German and Scandinavian.  I had schnitzel and I can’t pronounce what Mike had.  It was good.  We even had dessert.  After dinner we walked around Old Town a little.  A really cute area of tony restaurants and shops. Drove the 20 miles back to our park, and the marine layer was just coming back—or maybe it never left.  It was 68 degrees.  

The marine layer moving in, shrouding the hills around us.

Stopped to take the picture of the marine layer, and she came running up.  Isn't she cute?

Mission Santa Barbara--founded in 1786.  The first buildings were built in the 1790s, some of which still exist today.

Fountain built in 1808

Beautiful lily 

The center courtyard.  The cemetery in back contains the burial sites of early Santa Barbara settlers, including Juana Maria who was buried here in 1853 following her rescue from San Nicolas Island, where she was abandoned and survived alone for 18 years.  Wow!  I want to read that story!

Ocean Mesa at El Capitan, Santa Barbara, CA:  Decided to explore around some more today.  Drove up into the coastal mountains to a pretty little lake—well, probably a reservoir.  Then took a county road up over the mountains to get back to the 101 on a series of switchbacks.  The road was twisty and windy and very narrow.  Fortunately, we didn’t encounter another vehicle coming the other way.  We did encounter some skate boarders who were getting ready to go down this treacherous road.  It was 95 as we climbed up through the mountains—even started seeing Spanish moss in the trees, 65 when we were down in the valley, and 75 when we got back to Santa Barbara.  We saw a lot of fancy, electronic gates with a paved drive going off into infinity.  We must have seen 50 or more of these gated entrances to ranches and then even more when we drove through the wineries.  A pretty drive through the hills, mountains, valleys, and wineries.  Stopped at a little restaurant outside Santa Barbara and had dinner on their patio.  Back home.  Tired. 

Pretty little mountain lake

Bridge going over the lake

The old Hwy. 1 bridge.  I took this from the Amtrack railroad trestle.

Stunning coastline--from the railroad trestle

Back on the 101

Valencia Travel Park, Valencia, CA, to Ocean Mesa at El Capitan, Santa Barbara, CA:  Left this morning at around 11:00.  Took 162 down to Ventura and then north on the 101.  Drove through a lot of orange groves on Rt. 162.  Since we were in Valencia, I wonder if this is where Valencia oranges come from?  We not only drove through a lot of orange groves, but also a lot of tree farms and other fields of crops which created a patchwork up the sides of the hills.  Headed north on the 101, which is on the bed of the old, historic El Camino Real which was built by the Spanish to link all the California missions.  We had the beautiful Pacific Ocean on our left and the Sierra Madre mountains on the right.  Beautiful vistas everywhere.  The park we’re in is 20 miles north of Santa Barbara and is very nice and very pricey also.  There’s a spa where you can get a massage, nice pools, and some nature trails out to a llama ranch.  We’re really out in the country which is nice.  We were set up by 1:30, had some lunch and then drove back to Santa Barbara and drove around.  Drove through the Hope Ranch which probably was a working ranch at one time and now is an upscale golf and residential area of amazing homes.  Then drove along the Santa Barbara coastal areas and beaches.  Wanted to go out on a pier with a couple of restaurants but couldn’t find a place to park.  It’s a terrible weekend to be here because of the holiday.  We also drove through Old Town which is a really nice shopping and dining venue in the old part of town.  Back home to our pretty park.  You can see the Pacific from the park.  It was 95 when we left Valencia.  The high temp here today was 75.  Big difference.

On the 101 north of Ventura

On the 101

You can rent tents and cabins here in our park.  They start at $155 and go up to $795 per night.  This is one of the safari tents

Driving through the Hope Ranch

One of the homes in the Hope Ranch

Nice spot for a nap

One of the beaches in Santa Barbara--dogs allowed

Surfer dude--water temps 65 degrees

Sailboat on the beautiful Pacific just off Santa Barbara

Valencia Travel Park, Valencia, CA:  Our RV neighbors, Rick, Andrea, and their dog, Sammy, left this morning.  Was sorry to see them leave.  We had a great time with them.  After they left we headed one exit down on the 5 to Marie Calender’s for breakfast.  Had a sumptuous breakfast and then fueled up the truck.  Found an Albertson’s grocery store and there was also a place to get my hair cut.  So Mike dropped me there and he went on to a full-service car wash to get our filthy truck cleaned.  The place where I got my hair cut was called “Sports Clips”.  It’s for men and boys only, but they said they’d cut my hair.  It was all set up like a men’s locker room.  Have never seen anything like it.  I was in the chair getting my hair cut and the new guys coming in were looking at me like maybe I was transgender or something.  I left there and saw Mike just driving in the parking lot—the sun hitting this sparkling truck and blinding me with its brilliance.  He said it was the best car wash he’d ever been to.  Took almost an hour.  Then we did the grocery shopping and came back and sat outside reading for a while.  Actually cooked tonight.  Baked chicken with broccoli.  We leave tomorrow for Santa Barbara. 

Capital Records building--Hollywood

Little park in Beverly Hills