Monterey Bay

Wine Country RV Resort, Paso Robles, to Moss Landing KOA, Moss Landing, Monterey Bay, CA:  Left Paso Robles this morning at about 11:15.  Took the 101 north—basically backtracking the route we took back from Big Sur.  A non-descript drive out of the hills and into a wide valley planted with all kinds of crops.  Got to Moss Landing and were set up by 2:30.  Moss Landing is a little harbor where all the commercial fishing boats are moored.  The little town is about three blocks long with little shops and restaurants.  Around 5:00 we drove around exploring a little. Drove down Jetty Road where in one of the little bays is a colony of seals and the little bay next to it has a colony of sea otters.  Had a great time watching them.  It’s cold here.  Low 60s, cloudy, and windy.  We quickly changed out of our shorts and tees and donned jeans and sweatshirts.  Had dinner at Haute Café—a little Mexican restaurant.  A very different Mexican restaurant.  Came back and got the little heater out.  Looks like we can put away our shorts and tees for a while (sigh).

One of the seals--there must have been 30 or so.

Sea otter taking a nap.

There must have been 50 sea otters in this little bay.

This boat has seen better days.

Wine Country RV Resort, Paso Robles, CA:  Had an R&R day today.  We were both pretty beat since we’d been doing a lot of ramming around the last two days.  Another beautiful, warm day.  We should have gone to the pool (which was pretty much empty) today, since all the “weekenders” started rolling in this afternoon.  Late afternoon we drove into the little town of Paso Robles, parked, and walked around this cute little upscale town.  Browsed some shops and had dinner at Roberts Restaurant.  Very nice restaurant and we had a great meal.  After dinner we walked around the little square where there was a concert in the park going on.  Listened to that for a while and then drove back to our vineyard.  A nice, relaxing day.

Cute downtown Paso Robles

Magnolias in bloom

Cute little place we had dinner.

Big Sur

Wine Country RV Resort, Paso Robles, CA:  Drove up the Pacific Coast Highway to Monterey today.  Wanted to do it without the fifth wheel in tow so we could stop whenever we wanted.  Sure was glad we did, because when we leave here we’ll take the 101.  It was a stunning drive, especially when we climbed up to the Big Sur area.  A lot of the drive was shrouded in fog, but it was still beautiful.  It was 95 when we left Paso Robles and 62 when we reached the coast—only about 15 miles.  The road is a little scary in places.  But the cliffs rise right out of the sea and on the right side of the road the steep hills were carpeted in wild flowers.  We stopped just before the Bixby Bridge and had dinner at a restaurant perched on the side of a cliff with spectacular views.  Took the 101 back through a wide valley between two mountain ranges.  A huge agricultural area.  We didn’t get back to our park until 9:30.  It took us 5 hours to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway to Monterey.  I took over then to give Mike a break. Think it took an hour and a half to get back.  It was 81 when we got back here to our vineyard.  Felt good!

Elephant Seals basking in the sun

Elephant seals in their molting stage.

Some of them look dead, but they reduce their heart rate and barely breathe

Piedras Blancas Light Station--built in 1875

The beautiful, rugged coastline with the fog rolling in.

Hillsides covered in wild flowers.

Beautiful!

Bridge over Big Sur Creek

Restaurant where we had dinner.

Bixby Bridge--Big Sur

Stunning coastline.

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!