Touring Hearst Castle, San Simeon, CA with Friends

Hi all, Dianne here.   We've talked about our dear friends, Jay and Nancy, before.   For years, Jay has talked about visiting San Simeon (Hearst Castle).   Last summer in Indiana, when we told them our plans to visit the central coast of California, including San Simeon, the idea was hatched for them to fly out to meet us and visit together.  Great idea!  Roger and I arrived in Morro Bay a few days ahead, then they joined us for four days of good friends and good fun.


We signed up for two tours of Hearst Castle:  Tour #1 is an overview showing most of the first floor of Casa Grande (the main house), the famous neptune swimming pool, and the underground Roman pool.  (Note the diving platform in the top center of the photo below.)  I wonder how many movie stars dove from that?  

After lunch at the visitor's center we took Tour #2, which included the upstairs of Casa Grande, the industrial kitchen, the tennis courts, and ended back at the Roman pool. 

 I especially liked the original tiles and faucets in the kitchen, designed by the architect, Julia Morgan.


It's truly a historic and beautiful place.  For those of you who are not familiar with it, it was built by William Randolph Hearst.  He entertained many famous people there, including Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, even President Calvin Coolidge.

Amelia Earhardt and Charles Lindbergh used the private air strip to fly in as guests.  Hearst was known for his lavish parties and priceless art collections.


It is now part of the California State Park system.  Pictures add more than any of my words, so here are some highlights:

The beautiful Neptune pool.  Can't you just imagine the pool parties?  Wow.  They do rent this out in the summer for folks who want to use it.  My active imagination pictured me on a warm, tranquil day floating in this pool all by myself....  Back to reality now.

This statuary is from Ancient Egypt:

This is the outside of Casa Grande, the main house.  The beautiful photo at the top of the blog is of one of three "guest cottages."

I took Jay and Nancy's photo in front of the door at Casa Grande.  Jay can now cross Hearst Castle off his "bucket list."


No flash photography is allowed inside the house, but I was able to get a few interior photos, like the one below of the dining room:  (This photo shows our tour group and the guide.  As you can see, they have already begun decorating the house for Christmas).

Some of the most spectacular items were the ceilings imported from ancient and medieval houses in Europe, like this one in the dining room.  The colorful flags were imported from Siena, Italy, just to "add color" to the room.  

They recently discovered that one of the imported ceilings from medieval Spain was not black at all, but when cleaned had a colorful pattern.  Above is a shot of a restorer cleaning part of the ceiling.  It will take years for it all to be finished.


Here is a photo of Jay attentively listening to the guide describe the features of the upstairs library from Tour #2:

The landscaping was gorgeous, and the castle is built on top of a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The indoor "Roman Pool" has 23-carat gold-leaf tiles covered with protective glass in the design.  The gold tiles are even incorporated into the pool surround, so that we all were able to "walk on gold" as we passed through, back to the tour bus.


At this time the tour costs $24 per person for each tour selected.  It was money well spent!

Wrote this one quickly and came back to add a very cool whippet photo of the day.  We are now in Morro Bay.  While walking the dogs along the bay, Roger saw a man walking two dogs in the distance coming toward him.  They were both astonished when they came close to see that both were walking identical whippets!  What are the chances of that?  Roger didn't have the camera, but the kind man e-mailed us a few photos.  Check this out:

The Misadventures of Roger and Dianne

Roger here...  We are currently parked in a bucolic and peaceful setting in the middle of the Paso Robles wine country, but our visit to this beautiful place did not start in a peaceful way.


Moving from Three Rivers (Sequoia NP) to Paso Robles was uneventful, other than a little wind -- but our arrival was certainly not uneventful.  


We are members of Harvest Hosts, a $20/year club that allows its members to park their RVs overnight in selected (more than 100) winery parking lots.  The rules are simple:  Make sure that the parking area is big enough for the size of motor home that you have by looking at the icon on the website, call the winery to ask permission, and show up on the designated day.  It is a good deal for the RVer (free parking) and the winery (probable wine purchases).  We like the concept and like the way it is organized.  We did this in North Carolina and had a great time.  Here's a link to their web site, for our rv'er friends who might be interested:


Harvest Hosts



We had hoped to spend nights in two different winery lots in Paso Robles.  We picked wineries that indicated they could accommodate 45+ foot motor homes, called ahead, received permission and thought we were set for two pleasant, non-hassle days.


It started badly, got worse, got a little better, got worse, and finally ended well.


In following the directions to our Saturday-night winery, we were directed to Peachy Canyon Road. I was hesitant to turn onto the road (should have followed my instincts).  The road, though paved, was extremely narrow, did not have shoulders, but did have hills.  It was also full of blind, sharp turns.  When meeting a car, we were forced to come to a complete stop while the vehicle squeezed by.  (Dianne here:  We held our breath each time we neared one of these blind curves, praying there was no oncoming car or truck).  We were only supposed to travel on the road for a mile, so on we went.


When we arrived at the designated winery, we discovered that there was no way to even make the turn into the extremely narrow parking lot.  A large pickup truck would have had trouble.  If we had been able to make the turn, we would have bottomed out while going down the extremely steep drop.  From where we sat, it did not look like there was room in the lot for even one large motor home, even though the website said it could fit four.  What to do?  We could not get in the lot, and honestly did not want to attempt it.  We had no place to spend the night.  We were stopped in the middle of the road, with no place to turn around, no place to turn around, no place to turn around.  We did not have a map of the area.  The car behind us with the honking horn forced our decision.  We moved forward, hoping to find a place to turn around or a better road.


One mile later, several hills and turns -- no place to turn around.


Two miles later, several hills and turns -- no place to turn around.


Three miles later, several hills and turns -- no place to turn around.


Four miles later, several hills and turns -- no place to turn around;  however, we were able to ask a lady in an oncoming car if there was a way to get off the road or a place to turn around.  Hope.  She smiled, shrugged her shoulders, and said good luck.


Four and a half miles later - ANOTHER WINERY!  However, we could not see the parking lot at the top of the steep hill, and were reluctant to drive to the lot where we might discover a tiny lot (with no place to turn around).  So....  we stopped in the middle of the road, blocking traffic, disconnected the Toyota and parked the Toyota on the side of the road.  Dianne then helped me back the motor home into the uphill entrance of the winery (now blocking the winery entrance and the road).  I was able to get the motor home turned around, but we still had to stop in the roadway to reconnect the Toyota.  A big breath of relief.  We were on our way out!  I directed a few unkind words at the winery that gave us incorrect information as we passed it on the way back to civilization.  Fortunately, no one except Dianne heard me :-)


We still needed a place to stay.  I remembered that the Tobin James Winery that we had passed on the main road was also a Harvest Hosts member.  Even though we did not have previous permission,  I thought it would be worth asking.  BIG unpaved parking area across the small road from the winery:-)  I went in to ask permission.  It took a while.  Lots going on (bacherlorette party, bus tours, limo tours, laughter, people having a good time).  After finding the right person, I was given permission to park overnight.  Couldn't wait to park, get Dianne and enjoy the rest of the day.  


However, the very kind manager then told me that heavy rain was expected, and that the parking area turns into mud.  At least one motor home had to be towed in the past. :-(  She said we could park on the side of the road.  (Seemed risky to me.)  She said that there was a private RV Park (Wine Country RV Resort) just down the road.  The way the day was going we opted for the RV Resort, and decided to spend two nights rather than possibly find a muddy parking lot at the second winery, as well.  Finally, a good decision.

Wine Country RV Resort was a little pricey, BUT it truly was a resort.  In this case we got what we paid for.  We had a beautiful site (vineyard views, concrete, level), just across from the adult-only spa.  There was even a fenced dog run for the boys.  Oh, and the management could not have been more helpful. 

Whew, the rest of the day was great.  We parked the motor home and drove the car back to Tobin James where we tasted some wine, enjoyed the upbeat atmosphere, bought a couple bottles, and thoroughly enjoyed the outdoor areas at the winery - some of the most beautiful stonework I have ever seen.

Before dinner, we enjoyed some relaxing time back at the RV Resort at the outdoor spa.  Wow, the setting was surrounded by boulders, gardens, water falls and even a fire pit.  After an hour, the stress of the day drifted away.

Our second day in Paso Robles was a day of enjoying scenery, meeting new people, and oh, yes, a little wine sampling.  (Actually quite a bit of wine sampling....  :-)   -- D.)

We ate an early lunch in the motor home before visiting our first winery of the day, J Lohr.

Then Peachy Canyon (not in Peachy Canyon!).  Then Windward.

Then Bianchi.

The day ended back at the spa -- this time in a misty rain; the best time to enjoy a spa.

The Whippet Picture of the Day shows the dogs enjoying their every-morning routine:  Keeping warm under the blanket until it's time for their walk.

Good-bye, Coarsegold -- Hello, Sequoia/Kings Canyon

Roger here....  I could not leave the Park of the Sierras without a couple of sunset pictures.  Our last night in the park provided us with some beautiful sunset pictures.  I love taking sunset pictures and speculate each night how good they might be.  (Dianne hates this, by the way, and threatens to hide the camera).  At any rate, I was not disappointed with these shots.

OK, enough of the sunsets....  After three weeks just outside Yosemite, we moved on to the Sequoia RV Ranch just outside Sequoia National Park.  We spent three nights in this tranquil park next to a rushing mountain stream. 

 Our view of the river and the mountains from behind the motor home was so peaceful and relaxing. 

 The sounds of the flowing water lulled us to sleep every night.  AND, Dianne finished many Sudokus :-)

We spent one (very full) day touring and hiking in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.  We are going to tackle this in the format of He Likes - She Likes with a few (very few, considering the wonders we saw) Mutual Dislikes.

HE LIKES:

1.  Driving the Toyota on the curvy roads.  Kind of like an amusement park ride, and we did not drive off the side of the mountain.  Some people might not like it (memories of my mom many years ago stomping on the floorboard of the car when she thought dad was driving too fast), but I thought it was fun.  Here is a view from above:

2.  Everything about the 400-step walk to the top of Moro Rock...

Watching Dianne force her way up the steps.

The spectacular views from every direction....

Walking through the narrow rock passageways (I just love climbing on and walking through rocks)...

The dramatic vertical drops  (thankfully, there were handrails)...

3.  The amazing drive into Kings Canyon.  Every mile into the canyon became more spectacular than the last.  Eventually, as the canyon narrowed, the road hugged one side of the canyon while colorful vertical cliffs went straight up from the roaring river below. 

 We took lots of pictures of the drive into the canyon, but the most magical moment to me was not something that could be photographed.  As we dropped deeper into the canyon, the walls of the lower cliffs seems to physically move upward like a huge curtain rising from the ground, causing the mountains in the background to literally disappear.  (You probably had to be there.)

4.  The fluorescent lime-green lichens on the rocks.  Lichens will only grow in non-polluted air.  It makes me happy to enjoy some of the simple things that nature gives us.

5.  The giant sequoia trees.  We saw them at Yosemite and, quite honestly, they do not look any different, but they are still mind-boggling.  The  General Sherman Tree is not necessarily pretty, but this tree is the largest tree (by mass) on the planet.  The top is now dead, but the rest of the tree is still alive and continues to increase in circumference.

6.  Storing our lunch in a bear-proof container at every parking lot, before hitting the trails.  I am sure this would be a pain after the novelty wore off, but for us it was something new.  A little excitement - preventing bears from breaking into our car.  And more good news....  no humans stole our lunch from the bear containers.

SHE LIKES:

(I promise, no sunset photos. -- D.)

1.  Do you see anything unusual about this giant log?  

Here's a photo of it taken from the other end.   

Our wrong turn on the Crescent Meadow trail allowed us to discover Tharp Log.  

Here's a photo of the interior.  There was a shelf, table and bench, and pallet bed inside the log!  I tried to imagine what it must have been like to  live inside the log like Mr. Tharp.  He even had a little fireplace and tiny window.  How cool!!

2.  Driving the Matrix through tunnel tree:

3.  The beautiful contrast of the yellow fall leaves along the drive into King's Canyon:

4.  The very interesting book I purchased in the Sequoia Visitor's Center, entitled "Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey."  I've always been fascinated by the westward expansion, and now that I've experienced a month in and around both sides of the Sierra Nevada, I can't imagine crossing them in a covered wagon!  

I paid $17.35 (including tax) for the book in the gift store, but if you're interested or just want to read the reviews and description, here's a link to it on Amazon:  (I should have waited!!) 

5. The worst part of my day turned out to be one of the best experiences. I accidentally left my new National Park Passport book in the restroom at the King's Canyon visitor center, and didn't realize it until we had driven the two hours back on switchback roads to the campground. I was so mad at myself! Since I bought my book at Bandolier National Monument, I had date stamps for Bandolier National Monument, the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yosemite, Sequoia, and King's Canyon National parks. Many of these are difficult to get to without driving hours over twisty roads and sharp grades, and I knew we'd probably not make it back to some of them. 

We had no cell phone service or internet at the campground, so I was stuck. Then I remembered the "Oh, Ranger!" booklet we had picked up in Bishop for Sequoia/King's Canyon. Inside I found a phone number for lost and found. The next morning, I drove to the little market in Three Rivers where I could get a Verizon signal. With a feeling of dread I dialed the number (I knew I had not gotten around to put my name, address, or phone number in the book.) 

Imagine my delight to find a very helpful voice, Mary, on the line who went out of her way to track down my passport and arrange for it to be mailed to my South Dakota address! She really did go out of her way, because the phones were down at the King's Canyon visitor center and she had no way to contact them until they were repaired. On Saturday when we left Three Rivers for Paso Robles and re-entered a Verizon network, there was a message from Mary on my cell phone that she had tracked down my passport booklet and they would mail it to me!!  

In this age of automated phone trees and indifferent customer service, I suspected my passport was gone for good. Thanks to Mary I will be able to continue happily getting my park stamps! Back to Roger....

MUTUAL DISLIKES:

1.  Road Construction!!!!!  At the south entrance to Sequoia NP there was a lighted sign indicating that there would be ONE- TO TWO-HOUR DELAYS on the main park road.  UGH!  We had dealt with this at Yosemite.  At Sequoia, they only let cars through every two hours!  Since we missed the 8:00 a.m. caravan through the construction, our pass-through time would not be until 10:00 a.m.  Our day got much longer before it even started, and we were forced to pare down our planned activities for the day.

2.  We took what was supposed to be a one-mile loop-hike around Crescent Meadow.  It was pretty, scattered with Sequoias, and isolated - no other people.  However, the trail was not well marked.  The first part was paved, but when the trail split after half a mile, there was no indication as to which fork to take.  We opted to stay on the paved portion, which was a mistake, because our hike on a time-delayed day then became a two-mile hike.  There is some good news, though.  We found one of Dianne's favorite things by taking the longer route.

3.  The infernal tiny black flies that attacked us at many of our stops.  Hundreds of them buzzing in our eyes and ears.  Landing on our faces.  Non-stop swatting (literally non-stop -- good upper body exercise?).  Unbearable, at times.  (Dianne here:  I'd never seen anything like it!  We needed nets over our heads.  I wanted to put chapstick on, but didn't dare or I would have had bug-encrusted lips!  We couldn't breathe through our mouths on the steps up Moro Rock or even talk to each other without eating some extraneous protein.)


4.  Snow on the road sides!  As full-time RVers, it has been our goal to avoid snow at all costs.  But even on a mid-sixty-degree day,  there it was:

5.  Not having more time to spend in Kings Canyon.  The road construction really messed up our day.  The drive back was going to be a long one.  We had to set an early departure time to get home before dark.  Although driving on the twisty roads was fun, it would not be fun in the dark.


6.  Dianne taking a picture of me pointing at the General Sherman trail-head.  This would not normally be a problem.  I don't mind acting silly from time to time.  However, because I did not know she had already taken the picture, I continued to stand there, looking like a fool, when in fact Dianne was a hundred yards away hot-footing it to the restrooms.  I asked her if she had taken the picture a couple of times, complaining that my arm was getting tired, but received no response (not unusual :-).  When I finally dropped my arm and turned around,  she was gone.  This is actually not a mutual dislike because Dianne thought it was funny.  She actually laughed at me when I caught up to  her.  (Dianne again:  I still laugh when I look at this dumb-looking photo and wonder how many others saw him standing there like this!  Also funny was the typo I caught when proofreading this blog where he originally had ["...I continued to stand there, looking like a foot...."]).  

Despite the irritations of the day, we would repeat it in a heartbeat.  


We were without internet during our stay at Sequoia - those darn trees were in the way.  So, we are a little behind on our posting.  Sorry, this one was a little long.  Our next post will be from the wine country near Paso Robles.  Be sure to check it out.  We had an interesting travel day.


The whippet picture of the day....

We took pity on the boys after leaving them all day when we went to Sequoia/King's Canyon, so they got a hot dog all their own when we got back.  Here Jasper is supervising my cutting the hot dogs into pieces for them.