FTJ, Entry 96: Seeing Seashells at the Seashore

We will try to stick mainly to pictures with this, to spare you all -- this is a long entry.

These photos were taken during our stay at Paso Robles (Wine Country RV Resort -- right next to a vineyard!) and cover Pismo Beach, Cayucos, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo -- and the stupefying Hearst Castle at San Simeon. More wow wow wow stuff.

First, the "seashells" noted in the blog title. An "oddity" for this entry, in Pismo Beach. There are a number of these "Pismo Clams," all painted for Independence Day:

And here is another oddity:

Love it.

Now, a pictorial of the sights from this leg of our journey...

Views of our RV resort and surroundings. There was an adult-only spa, but in that it was a hot jacuzzi and the temps were around 100, we did not use it!

At Lombardi's, a local Paso Robles restaurant.

Margo Dodd Park, Pismo Beach.

Views of Pismo Beach.

The mission at San Luis Obispo.

Regarding San Luis Obispo, the photo of me is with a statue of Junipero Serra, who was responsible for founding many missions in California. Apparently the Spanish government saw the missions as a way to strengthen its foothold in this area of the state. In 1769, the friars were of course eager to convert the Indians, and their efforts resulted in 21 missions along the California coast. The Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was established in 1772.

Enough history -- back to the pictorial. Two more shots from the mission:

The Madonna Inn is famous in the area. Wish we had gone in -- I looked online and the interior is just gorgeous!

Flowers at the Madonna Inn.

The Morro Bay Rock, a well known landmark. Morro Bay is a really charming seaside community.

Cool view of the "rock."

At Cayucos Beach -- another cute little seaside town.

Cayucos Pier.

Lifeguard training off Cayucos Beach.

  

A fabulous view we pulled over for!

A view of a lovely harbor we found -- Port San Luis. There is an RV park above the harbor on the hill, and a nice beach. The fishing pier is a hub of activity.

The Port San Luis beach.

Fishermen feeding gulls from the pier.

Even the dogs are surfer dudes, dude.

We were thrilled to unexpectedly come upon Elephant Seal Vista -- a small beach with a very large concentration of elephant seals. Note the floppy proboscises! And bottom right, two bulls fighting in the surf. There was a lot of bellowing and thrashing.

Have to comment on the seals -- according to the sign at the beach, the elephant seals follow an ancient migration and reproduction cycle. They haul themselves onto beaches twice a year, once for breeding and birthing, and once for molting. We were lucky to catch them during molting, when they shed ALL their fur over the course of a few weeks.

Green and Gold

Beau was bowled over by the extent of agriculture we saw during this trip in south and central California. Over and over again we saw vast fields of crops lining the highway, and acres being harvested by migrant workers -- now we have a little better appreciation of the process of our food going from the farm to the table.

  

The "green."

As for the "gold," holy mother of god, Hearst Castle in San Simeon blew us away (although there was not a lot of gilt, actually. The "gold" is more about the Hearst fortune and how much was spent building this jewel).

So William Randolph Hearst's family owned this incredible land on the California coast. As the only child of these very wealthy parents, young Will was exposed to fantastic castles and historic buildings while touring the Continent. As he grew older, he wanted to build something that evoked the spirit of the architecture he had seen in Europe. Having more money than God, he also had an incredible and amazingly extensive art collection that needed a home.  

According to the records of the architect -- Julia Morgan (quite an accomplishment for a woman at that time) -- the construction of the mansion and grounds and guest houses was not quite $10 million. But some say the cost of construction is almost impossible to estimate, because the building and expansion went on for 28 years. Hearst started the venture in his 50s and was still planning to do more to it when he died, at age 88.

It was very cool to walk through the rooms and know that Hearst, his mistress Marion Davies, and notable figures such as Cary Grant, Charlie Chaplin (he played tennis there often), Winston Churchill, Joan Crawford, and hundreds of others walked the same hallways, played poker and charades in the same rooms we were in. 

Hearst loved tapestries and the place is full of them -- most from the 1500s -- along with paintings and ceilings from various churches and buildings from Europe. Among all these amazing furnishings and artwork, Hearst still wanted all his guests to feel comfortable and have fun, so the furniture was from department stores. Quite a different atmosphere from the ostentatious interiors of the mansions of Newport, RI! 

As an example of how informal Hearst was, he had a magnificent long hand-crafted banquet table, but put condiment bottles right on it. Yes, old Hearst Castle was a fun place. Oh -- he also had his own "zoo" -- all kinds of exotic animals were housed on the grounds.

Whoops -- too much editorial again.

 

Note the ketchup bottles -- and the tapestry from the 1500s -- in the dining room.

The indoor Roman pool, which is amazing, was rarely used. Most guests enjoyed the outdoor one.

Some interior views. The tapestry, bottom left, is a Peter Paul Rubens.

A view from the road up to the castle (blurry because I took it from the bus). Hearst's cattle still roam here, as it continues to be an active farming endeavor.

Another view from the road down from the castle.
The airstrip was built later for guests, who used to come visit by rail and ship.

For more info on the castle, visit the website!

Until the next boring "slide show," folks. Hope your holiday was a blast!

Tanks, Panky