I had a delicious Danish breakfast of aebleskiver and sausage. Aebleskiver is a cross between a European pancake and a popover, one could say a "pancake puff". They are round and cooked in special pans. Normally they would contain apple slices which is what aebleskiver means, but here they are served with raspberry jam. They are yummy. The sausage was mild and served with a equally mild mustard sauce. Also very good. Weather was beautiful, though cool.
We set off on route 246 out of Solvang through Santa Maria and Arroyo Grande over to the coast at Avila Beach. We passed through a landscape of ranches, vineyards and nurseries with mountains as backdrops on both sides.
In Avila Beach, we picked up Route 1 again which we took up to Morro Bay, passing through San Luis Obispo. Morro Bay is beautiful and is renowned for Morro Rock, a 581 foot volcanic plug that looks as though the gods just hurled it down there. It is one of the eight "sisters" along the California Coast. Volcanic plugs are created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. When present, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of pressure if rising volatile- charged magma is trapped beneath it, and this can sometimes lead to an explosive eruption. If a plug is preserved, erosion may remove the surrounding rock while the erosion-resistant plug remains, producing a distinctive upstanding landform. Morro Rock reminds me of the seastacks on the Oregon coast, but it dwarfs even the largest of them.
We walked over the causeway to the rock and stated part way around it when we came upon a birder who told us that there was a peregrine falcon nest on the rock and that there were some volunteers with scopes up ahead. Sure enough, there they were. I could see them through my binoculars, but the view through the scopes was wondrous. At first, we could see the chick clinging to the inside of the nesting hole. Once mom showed up and perched on another hole just above the chick, he came out onto the edge and stretched his wings, shedding downy feathers as he did. He will soon fledge. I purchased a stuffed falcon for my collection. For the cause! Peregrine falcons are endangered. A funny: while discussing the birds with a group of people gathered at the scopes and the volunteers' table, I mentioned that we had peregrine nests in Providence. One gentlemen said..."Ah but these are organic falcons!" I am slow, as some of you know and it took me a while to get it!
We continued up the coast on Route 1, stopping at Harmony, population 18, just for the fun of it. The town consists of a defunct post office, a little restaurant, a glassblower's studio, a pottery studio, a winery and an old VW bus!
Next stop, our destination for the night. A lovely motel on Moonstone Beach in Cambria. The buildings are surrounded by beautiful, colorful gardens and our French Provincial style rooms had fireplaces and private patios. The ocean is right across the road. We walked down to a nice restaurant where I had an amazing king crab sandwich. Then it was time to make haste up to San Simeon for our pre-booked tour of the Grand Rooms of Hearst Castle.
Outside my door.
Patio
I don't think I need to tell you who William Randolph Hearst was. The stories and legends are legion. Suffice it to say he was larger than life. He had grown up in these parts, where his father was a rancher. He did not want to continue in his father's footsteps, but he loved the land and decided to build his Casa Grande on his Cuesta Encantada (enchanted hill) when he was 52. He employed a brilliant Paris-trained architect, Julia Rogers. The project took 28 years total and took on a life of its own. Just hauling everything up the very steep hill was daunting. We had to take a bus from the Visitors' Center up the very steep and winding road, from which the views were magnificent. Along the way, we saw various antelopes, escapees from Hearst's private zoo. Alex Trebek narrated the background of the structure as the bus trundled upward. When we arrived, a park ranger met us. (This historical monument is part of the California State Parks System; I have been very impressed with them all along the way.) We were treated to a very long lecture in front of the main entrance. It was cold and very windy and I did not think I would survive so much extraneous information....but everything is organized and timed down to the minute and we could not go into the castle until the previous group had moved on. Now, this is the time for me to fess up to my poor packing abilities. I forgot my fleece, my National Park Pass and my Handicapped permit. And to add insult to injury I left my RX sunglasses on the train! So much for the world traveler! (I did, however, remember my binoculars!)
This is a real castle of varied styles, mainly Mediterranean. It is enormous especially if one includes the "cottages", tennis courts, pools, stables, etc. It is completely ostentatious in every way. Hearst collected railway cars full of antiques of every period. Entire stone fireplaces from European castles, Belgian tapestries, church pews, choir stalls, Medieval statues.....It is really a museum. Very much like The Breakers only not as tasteful, to my mind. Now, what I found fascinating is that he did not have huge parties, as I had imagined. His idea of entertaining was 15 people for dinner...even though the table could seat many more. For his birthday he allowed "large" parties of maybe 70. He did entertain the rich and famous, but his style was that of a rancher. Simple plates and cutlery, paper napkins, ketchup and mustard on the table in their jars! On the Grand Rooms tour, we saw the Assembly Room (Salon), Refectory, Morning Room, Billiard Room, Movie Theater. You cannot see all the rooms on any single tour. So we did not see any of the upstairs rooms including his office.
The views are, of course, unparalleled, which is what I appreciated most. The views and the gardens. And, one more thing...the Roman pool. Stunning...blue and gold tiles.
We got back on the bus and made our way back to the Vistors' Center, as Alex Trebek told us more about the castle and its owner. In the Center, we watched a movie on Hearst and his castle...a mélange of personal movies, newsreels and scenes performed by actors. Very well done. We then purchased sandwiches cookies and drinks to have back at the rooms because we had had such a big lunch. AND, I bought a fleece....yes, one with Hearst Castle over my heart! Well, I had to...we still have more cold weather ahead of us! That'll teach me to pack better.
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