Hearst Castle, San Simeon

On our way to Pismo Beach from San Fran, we stopped at the Hearst Castle in San Simeon. It was a scary drive down the PCH as it seemed that lanes of the road had litruhlee fallen into the ocean in some spots, but Craig is the man and drove wonderfully. It really is a gorgeous stretch of scenery, but I am glad it's over!
The Hearst Castle is the product of the Hearst family's fortune beginning a ways back with George Hearst who purchased the initial land in 1865 and subsequent parcels as time went on to eventually amass 250,000 acres. George Hearst was a successful gold and silver mine prospector and a US Senator. He is also the father of William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper publishing magnate and US Representative as well as the great-grandfather to Patty Hearst who was kidnapped and turned bank robber, aiding her kidnappers.

The Castle was built by W.R. Hearst starting in 1919. The architect, Julia Morgan, was very innovative and used new-fangled ideas in construction. It's an amazing place full of European and African antiquities. It was completed in 1947 and Hearst died in 1951. In 1957, the Castle was given to the State of California. The ranch is still family owned and operated.

Turrets modeled after those in Ronda, Spain, very Moorish

The Refectory

One of the ladies in the private cinema

My favorite bungalow

The Neptune Pool as seen from my favorite bungalow

View west to the coast

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San Francisco

Sort of not getting groovy vibes from the city today. Firstly, it's cold, colder than England. Secondly, it's impossible to get into or out of this city easily. They need roundabouts. Thirdly, Alcatraz was sold out but that was our fault for not planning accordingly. Fourthly, it was just ridiculously crowded. Lastly, a tree fell onto the cable car tracks and there were casualties, stopping all cable car rides which was a bummer all around.

At least it was scenic as the photos will show and the sun peeked out for a bit of the afternoon, making it very pleasant indeed.

Tourist mecca

Turtle sourdough, anyone?

The kids and Craig really enjoyed this arcade.

Couldn't resist this one.

Shake the wizard's hand

Laughing Sal was oddly realistic. She breathed as she laughed.

I love my nerd.

Hyde Street Pier

Big ropes for big boats

Golden Gate Bridge

Alcatraz

A standstill streetcar is a photo op in the making.

I wonder how old that sign is?

Lombard Street madness

The Bay Bridge

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Tree-mendous

We made it into California and headed straight down the PCH to Redwoods National Park.





The trees were amazing and the views were as well.


Tall tree


Fuzzy tree


Quite a wide tree


The park ranger who explained everything to Craig swore we'd see elk and we did at the very end of our drive.


The redwood pinecone is very small for such a big tree. Each tree drops approximately 100,000 of these babies each season. Yowsa!


Redwood sorrel


A whale, yes, a whale in the Klamath River! She swam upstream with her calf earlier this year. Her calf is now weaned and has swum away. She is staying put. I personally think she is stuck.


A golden bear
The only thing we didn't see was a banana slug much to Owen's chagrin. He did catch a few salamanders as compensation for his disappointment.


Sally


Sal

We actually checked into our hotel before dinner time and took the suggestion to go to a seaside restaurant in a cove town called Trinidad. It served yummy food and the scenery was great.


We saw an otter feeding in the kelp beds during our after dinner stroll on the pier. We also saw seagulls eating starfish bigger than my hand! It took a few gulps to get them down.


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Oregon Beaches

... are deserted.


The sand is dark but fine.
Driftwood and rocks are everywhere, but no shells.


Small bugs hop all around at the high water mark and down to the sea.
The water is freezing.
Beware of tsunamis.


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PCH Road Trip: Day One

A late start
A carsick and just plain sick kid
Roadside puking
Squirrel carnage
Gorgeous sea stack views
Two decent diners; they are few and far between
A T-Rex and Brontosaurus at dusk
A great beach hotel after a ten-hour drive

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Pictures of Hawai'i

One night, we went to a luau at the Hale Koa Hotel in Waikiki. It's specifically for the use of the military and is in a really great spot, but driving around Waikiki is not easy! I'm glad we left early. I know most of the photos are blurry, but I sort of like that.


Beginning of the luau entertainment


They moved around A LOT.


Native dress from Tonga


Fire!


We drove around much of the island to see what we could see.
The North Shore


Blowhole with rainbow


From Here to Eternity beach


Sights from Hale'iwa
This means "quick coffee" and is always a welcome sign.


Cool mailbox next to Aoli's Shave Ice


Innovative wind pinwheel


Aloha, Hawai'i and mahalo!

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