The Hearst Castle

Today was fun filled and adventurous, however we didn’t get very far in miles. We toured Old Mission Santa Ines that was a few miles from Highway 1. It was exceptionally historic and picturesque and it is still an active parish today.

On the way back to the highway we went through a Danish Village, grabbed a homemade, fresh Danish pastry and a cup of coffee and it was probably the most excellent pastry we ever had, mmmmmm. Later, as we were getting gas, a lady grabbed me and asked me if I could help her with her car. I’m the last person to ask about cars, consequently, I grabbed Ed and he helped a young woman and her mother, who was from France, put air in her car tires. They were exceedingly thankful and we went on our way. Merci Ed - you are always helping people in need.

We traveled Highway 1 today and a good majority of the time we didn’t see ocean. We saw various landscapes and experienced cool weather before we even saw the water. By lunch we were in Avila Beach where we stopped to eat. We drove down an old, bumpy, rotted-out pier, parked the bike, and ate at a seafood restaurant that was at the end of the wharf. This particular restaurant had tables that looked out in to the water. I don’t mean you look out at the landscape in to the water, I mean you look down in the middle of the table and you see the ocean and whatever wildlife is passing under your table. It was an exceptionally magnificent way to dine.

Next we headed to the Hearst Castle. The Hearst Castle was the extravagant estate of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. It is located near San Simeon California on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The estate was donated by the Hearst Corporation to the state of California in 1957 and it is now a State Historical Monument and a National Historic Landmark open to the public for tours. Mr. Hearst formally named the estate 'La Cuesta Encantada' ('The Enchanted Hill'), but he usually just called it 'the ranch'. Many a famous person stayed and played at the ranch. Usually they came via his private airplane – DC3- and landed on his own landing strip close by his mansion on his enormous estate. It is too hard to explain The Hearst Castle so I am going to put some pictures on the website so you can understand why I can’t give details of this Mid California attraction.

Now we are in a lovely room overlooking the Pacific Ocean in San Simeon. It has a fireplace, whirlpool, and all the amenities that any tired person could desire. It’s a stroke of luck that we are here and more of an accident that we got this wonderful room for such a small price.

Make sure you look at the pictures at this link :

http://pacificcoasthighwayherewecome.blogspot.com/2007/07/riding-off-toward-sunset.html

The Hearst Castle

Today was fun filled and adventurous, however we didn’t get very far in miles. We toured Old Mission Santa Ines that was a few miles from Highway 1. It was exceptionally historic and picturesque and it is still an active parish today.

On the way back to the highway we went through a Danish Village, grabbed a homemade, fresh Danish pastry and a cup of coffee and it was probably the most excellent pastry we ever had, mmmmmm. Later, as we were getting gas, a lady grabbed me and asked me if I could help her with her car. I’m the last person to ask about cars, consequently, I grabbed Ed and he helped a young woman and her mother, who was from France, put air in her car tires. They were exceedingly thankful and we went on our way. Merci Ed - you are always helping people in need.

We traveled Highway 1 today and a good majority of the time we didn’t see ocean. We saw various landscapes and experienced cool weather before we even saw the water. By lunch we were in Avila Beach where we stopped to eat. We drove down an old, bumpy, rotted-out pier, parked the bike, and ate at a seafood restaurant that was at the end of the wharf. This particular restaurant had tables that looked out in to the water. I don’t mean you look out at the landscape in to the water, I mean you look down in the middle of the table and you see the ocean and whatever wildlife is passing under your table. It was an exceptionally magnificent way to dine.

Next we headed to the Hearst Castle. The Hearst Castle was the extravagant estate of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. It is located near San Simeon California on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The estate was donated by the Hearst Corporation to the state of California in 1957 and it is now a State Historical Monument and a National Historic Landmark open to the public for tours. Mr. Hearst formally named the estate 'La Cuesta Encantada' ('The Enchanted Hill'), but he usually just called it 'the ranch'. Many a famous person stayed and played at the ranch. Usually they came via his private airplane – DC3- and landed on his own landing strip close by his mansion on his enormous estate. It is too hard to explain The Hearst Castle so I am going to put some pictures on the website so you can understand why I can’t give details of this Mid California attraction.

Now we are in a lovely room overlooking the Pacific Ocean in San Simeon. It has a fireplace, whirlpool, and all the amenities that any tired person could desire. It’s a stroke of luck that we are here and more of an accident that we got this wonderful room for such a small price.

Make sure you look at the pictures at this link :

http://pacificcoasthighwayherewecome.blogspot.com/2007/07/riding-off-toward-sunset.html