Being so far away, Sam and I knew there was no way we would be able to spend Thanksgiving with our families. So, instead of spending our short vacation at home doing chores or studying, we decided to take a little road trip down Hwy 1. (Not before seeing Cirque due Soleil's Totem and having a non-conventional Thanksgiving dinner with some friends- both of which were wonderful!)
Hwy 1, or the Pacific Coast Highway, is a beautiful little highway that curves along the California coast. Since my wonderful father-in-law gave us 2 free nights at a Marriott hotel for my birthday, we decided to use them on a drive down to Santa Barbara.
We started our drive Friday morning bright and early. Our only deadline was getting to Hearst Castle in time for the last tour of the day- around 3pm. Coffee's in hand, we set out across the Bay Bridge to make our way to the coast. As I've said before, California is just a beautiful state. Mountains, (big) trees, lakes, desert, the ocean- it has it all! If you have never been to a California beach, it might be different than you expect. They are nothing like the beaches in Florida. These beaches are edged by cliffs and large rocks that the waves crash against. And forget about swimming! The water up here is definitely too cold to be in without a wet suit. The road was so windy, but I still made Sam stop at some pull offs to take pictures. You can see the road below is just cut into the side of the hills and cliffs.
In between stretches of windy roads and cliffs, there were fields of cows and grape vines. As my father-in-law said, "Happy cows come from California." I certainly wouldn't mind having an ocean view like these guys.
Along a lot of the coast, there was no beach, just a cliff leading down to the water. I really liked the bridge in the background of this pictures.
Since we left in plenty of time, we were able to stop at Point Piedras Blancas to visit the elephant seals. The sign read that biologists thought these animals were near extinction when a small group found the beach in 1992. Since then the population has exploded. In case you were unsure, this is not a petting zoo.
I loved how these huge animals just sprawled along the beach in the sun- sort of like Daysie does in our apartment. They are also very loud, and apparently the males can also be very territorial. We saw two large ones fighting.
After our little detour, we were off to Hearst Castle. First though, we grabbed a little snack of yummy hummus and pita chips in the parking lot. So classy.
Hearst Castle is this amazing estate built over a 28 year period commissioned by William Randolph Hearst. The buildings are a hodge-podge of ancient and modern architecture all rolled into one. You might have Italian tapestries on the walls, a 500 year old ceiling from an old church, and then pool tables. It was very interesting.
The landscaping outside was so beautiful, but still had the same odd features: a beautiful hedge garden with roses and then an old sarcophagus. It was definitely the quirkiest estate I have ever seen.
The two pools on the property were absolutely amazing. The Neptune Pool is a magnificent outdoor pool surrounded by remnants of ancient roman temple, and the indoor Roman Pool is just as enchanting with its beautiful blue tiles and detail. Mr. Hearst also built himself his own movie theater and used a portion of his many acres as a personal zoo where he housed everything from zebras and camels to grizzly bears and lions. Most of the animals are gone now except for a few zebras and some other stray livestock.
After dinner at a local steakhouse, we finished up watching movies in the hotel room. Day 1 of the trip was a definite success! Hearst Castle was a sight to see, but I think my favorite part of the day was stopping along the highway to see the different views of the coast. It was so breathtaking.
No comments:
Post a Comment