Showing posts with label Hearst Castle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hearst Castle. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES

Our travels and explorations continued yesterday with a drive to Hearst Castle. We purchased tickets for the 1PM tour allowing us plenty of time to stop along the way.  Kurt suggested we stop to visit the little village of Cambria where he and Diane stayed at a bed and breakfast years ago.  They call Cambria "Pines by the Sea" for a reason with it's rugged beaches, forested knolls and quaint village brimming with bistros, wine tastings, art galleries and specialty shops.

Next stop for lunch at Sebastian's for Hearst Ranch grass-fed free range burgers.  Thankfully, Diane and I were able to split the one-half pound burger but Kurt ate the whole thing with a side of chili (after all he's a growing boy, haha).  When Kurt and Diane last visited the Hearst Ranch Winery wasn't attached to Sebastian's but it makes for a nice addition.

Lunch at Sebastian's

After lunch, we had enough time to view "Building the Dream" a 45-minute movie about William Randolph Hearst.  He and his family have some very interesting history and we all enjoyed the movie. The hour long tour was fabulous and I'd highly recommend it if you're ever in the area.

Hearst Castle - Kurt contemplating

Entrance to the Castle

Indoor Roman Pool

January is a perfect time to view the elephant seals that come to the rookery on the shores of Piedras Blancas to give birth and nurse their pups.  I went there expecting to see a few seals and was overjoyed to see thousands on the beach.  You can visit their e-sealcam at Elephant Seals Cam
I learned that the seals have been coming to Piedras Blancas since 1990 and in the 18th and 19th centuries the population of the seals was reduced to fewer than 50.  They were protected by Mexico and the US in the 20th century and their numbers have grown to over 250,000.  Amazing, isn't it?

Mom and her pup

Isn't this amazing?

Before heading back to the beach house, we decided to stop for a bite to eat at a fun little place called Schooners.

Looks like the inside of a ship

The movie Denis selected for last nights viewing was Blade Runner 2.  Diane and I couldn't bear to watch it, although we tried.  The guys stayed up to watch it and when I asked Kurt in the morning if he liked the move, his answer was not really.

Thanks for stopping in to say hi and God Bless.