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The pups and I just got back from 4 nights on the Central California Coast. We stayed at Hearst San Simeon State Park. It’s a nice park with flat sites located where San Simeon Creek meets the Pacific Ocean. There are no hookups, but there are flush toilets, coin-operated showers and a dump station. The weather was beautiful with early-morning fog and bright, clear afternoons. The park is located near the small village of Cambria and about 28 miles north of San Luis Obispo.

This time of year as far as the eye can see, elephant seals congregate to sleep in the sun, molt, breed and do whatever else elephant seals do.

This little ground squirrel was just as interested in the seals as the people were.


A few views of the spectacular coastline and everything in bloom.




I’ve long held a desire to visit all of the 21 missions that comprise California's Historic Mission Trail and are all located on or near US Highway 101, which roughly traces El Camino Real (The Royal Road) named in honor of the Spanish monarchy which financed expeditions into California in the quest for empire. The missions, established by Spanish Catholic missionaries, stretch from San Diego in the south to just north of San Francisco in Sonoma. To check one more mission off my list, I made a point of driving into San Luis Obispo to visit Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, which is the 5th mission built.



Just five miles north of the campground is Hearst Castle, built by William Randolph Hearst, the publishing tycoon, and his architect Julia Morgan between 1919 and 1947. It was a great time to visit. The grounds are beautiful and all the foliage is in bloom.


I had visited the castle twice before, but since they have different tours, I selected the Upstairs Suites which I hadn’t toured before. I took lots of pics, and here are just a few.

This is Hearst’s private library where he conducted his business. It’s said that a large percentage of the books in this library and also in a larger library that was available to visitors are first editions. In addition to conducting business, Hearst loved entertaining, and well-known people of the time came from politics and government, were Hollywood and entertainment notables, clergy, well-known foreign visitors such as Winston Churchill, and on and on.

Hearst’s private bedroom called the Gothic Bedroom

Celestial Suite just under the bells in the bell tower. The sound of the bells is muted so as to be barely heard inside the bedroom.

Bell tower and Celestial Suite just below the bells


I hope this shows you a little of what there is to see and do on the Central California Coast. Of course there’s lots more, such as a booming wine industry, so any time you can arrange a visit, I highly recommend it.
Sandi

Thanks for the beautiful photos and description Sandi. I love the coast of California and have passed the Hearst Castle several times but never went inside.

What a great time you had, Sandi! I was at Hearst Castle many years ago... No idea what tour I took. I could easily go back and do all you did. Love every picture.

monik7 wrote:The pups and I just got back from 4 nights on the Central California Coast. We stayed at Hearst San Simeon State Park. It’s a nice park with flat sites located where San Simeon Creek meets the Pacific Ocean. There are no hookups, but there are flush toilets, coin-operated showers and a dump station. The weather was beautiful with early-morning fog and bright, clear afternoons. The park is located near the small village of Cambria and about 28 miles north of San Luis Obispo.

This time of year as far as the eye can see, elephant seals congregate to sleep in the sun, molt, breed and do whatever else elephant seals do.

I’ve long held a desire to visit all of the 21 missions that comprise California's Historic Mission Trail and are all located on or near US Highway 101, which roughly traces El Camino Real (The Royal Road) named in honor of the Spanish monarchy which financed expeditions into California in the quest for empire. The missions, established by Spanish Catholic missionaries, stretch from San Diego in the south to just north of San Francisco in Sonoma. To check one more mission off my list, I made a point of driving into San Luis Obispo to visit Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, which is the 5th mission built.

Thanks for all the lovely photos, Sandi. It must have been a fantastic trip to have seen so much. I visited Hearst Castle a great many years ago, when in my 20's, and remember being impressed at the loveliness - and the opulence - of it. I have never been back, but am now thinking I should put it on my "list".

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California (a suburb of Los Angeles) and remember visiting the San Fernando Mission on a school field trip - I must have been only 12 or 13 at the time, and, although quite young, I was fascinated by it. When I was old enough to drive I remember visiting there several times on my own (and getting strange looks from the people working there surprised, I guess, that a young person would visit there all on her own). When I went on my own, there was never anyone (tourists) there, and I basically was there alone, so was able to take my time to look around.

I remember that on my first visit to the mission of the school field trip, I had saved up my difficult-to-come-by allowance money (again, I was 12 or 13 at the time) and purchased a lovely - although tiny (it fit comfortably in the palm of one hand) - ceramic statuette of a grey cat, smooth and glowing, sitting on her haunches, batting at something in the air, the barest hint of a smile on her tiny face in the mission gift shop. I can still see her in my mind's eye, and can almost feel her in my hands as I write this.

I treasured this little cat statue for many years, and always put her in a place in my home where I would see her every day. She looked happy, so she made me feel happy. When I was married, I also kept her in a "place of honor" in my home. The little stature really wasn't anything special - she was just special to me. Something small, that a young child could afford to buy.

My (ex) husband had. . . um. . . "anger management" problems (a friend called him a "rage-a-holic"). He was never happy, and always found fault with whatever I did. One day when I came home from work, I guess I had committed some transgression - I don't even remember what it was - to find my little cat on the floor, the batting forelegs broken away. Trying not to over-react (we had been married a little over a year at that time), I picked up my little cat, carefully glued her legs back on, and put her back in her special place.

Not too long after that, my (ex) husband and I had gone for an over-night somewhere, and I committed the terrible, unforgivable, unmentionable crime of forgetting to turn off the furnace in our home before we left. When we got home again, the house was warm, but not unbearably so. My (ex) husband was furious and enraged. After screaming in my face, and right in front of me as I watched him, he marched over to the shelf where I kept my cat, swept her off onto the floor, where she smashed into a million pieces. I had had this tiny sweet memento for over a decade, and now she was gone. I have never forgotten her. It's been nearly 50 years since I last held her in my hands.

My (ex) husband said that he hoped I had learned my "lesson". . .

Ah well. Time does go on. Thanks again for the photos, Sandi. They are really lovely.

Anne

What a grand trip you had. You brought back so many memories for me. I have been there MANY times as a child with my parents and everyone who came to visit. It was there and Disneyland LOL Visited many of the Missions. Used to fly one of our planes down to San Juan Capistrano just for practice and because I loved the missions. Each one has its own style. The seals I can do without, I think they stink LOL The blooms were fantastic. Loved all your pictures and happy you had a great time.

What a fun trip! Glad the weather cooperated too.

That area is on my bucket list too! The coast up north is so much more primitive and secluded than down south. The only mission I have been to is the one is Santa Barbara. I used to live just walking distance from it so was there several times. It is one of the more popular ones.

Ann, that is such a sad story! I hope you left that guy soon afterward! So scary!

Sandi, thank you for sharing.

enjoyed your photo's Sandi
we have such a beautiful world
sheila

Thanks Sandi for the great pictures. I too enjohyed Hearst Castle. Lyn