Hwy 1, Twists and Cliffs

On towards Big Sur. This Hwy 1 is in need of lots of repair from recent rock slides. Look at this road, there are no shoulders on either side of the road. Sometimes, only one foot is between your vehicle and the side of the mountain and there are fences to help restrain the rocks.    This twisting, turning, winding road, right on the edge of the Pacific, where many car commercials have been filmed, has more spectacular views than I could ever have imagined. Several locals just shook their heads when we told them we were driving a 36’ RV towing a car. They told us to go a different way and there are signs discouraging it. I have to say there wasn’t any room for error, but we wanted beauty and excitement. Did we ever get it. I have to give Tommy props. He can really handle that machine. Thank you.

We stopped at a vista point and talked with this girl. Her job is to track California Condors. The Condors are making a slow come back and now there are over 300 in the wild. They mate for life and usually only have one chick every other year.  We were not lucky enough to see one, not yet anyway. 

Morrow Rock, Seals, and the Hearst Castle

The view atop Black Hill was so gorgeous I had to show Tommy. So, before coffee, we were hiking the hill. He too was left speechless. A perfect start to another wonderful day. We drove out to Morrow Rock and saw California Seals rafting up. They roll themselves up in kelp to keep them stationary so the tide doesn’t take them away and they can rest. These seals are only found in the Central Coast of California.

Bird watchers were plentiful. We were shown Peregrine Falcons and their chicks through their telescopes. What a treat! I wish there was a way to show you the chicks.

Continuing on up Hwy 1 to San Simeon where the Elephant Seals were hitting the beach. There were thousands of them laying there sunning themselves. The pups were already weaned and the moms left for a short period of time to feed at sea and now were returning to molt, which is loosing their old fur coat .                                                                                                                    She is not hurt, she is getting some sun and is molting.                                                                          The colors of the seals were amazing. Many were the brownish gray or black but others were silver white and others were golden champagne. The sounds they produced cracked us up. Some sounded like barking dogs and others were belching better than a beer drinking man.

The Hearst Castle was spectacular.        There were 14 living rooms in the home, the main living room was the largest at 4000 sq ft. That is twice the size of most peoples homes. The indoor pool, of course there was one outside too, had real gold inlay in the tiles.                                       the tile with gold on the floor                                                                                                                                                         It is beyond comprehension how one person could have had that much money to build such a place. It could not be built today. They gave some astronomical number of what it would cost today, like 12 billion dollars, if I remember correctly. And if that isn’t enough, this was only one of his homes. It was the place he loved the most though.

                        This is the driveway leading to the castle

Morrow Bay and New Friends

We pulled into Morrow Bay, parked the RV, walked one block to a wharf to see the Rock at Morrow Bay which is a National Monument. We were watching Capt Michelle and some of her crew clean fish on her boat and asked the couple that was standing there if they knew what type of fish they caught. Conversation started to flow, we immediately connected, and before long there were dinner plans with Bob and Joyce. Joyce took me to Black Hill while Bob and Tommy went back the their house to have a few drinks. A short hike to the top of Black Hill left me speechless with the panoramic views of Morrow Bay. The bay, the estuaries, the town, the Rock, and the rolling hills.      These were all taken while standing in one spot turning in a circle. I would never have seen this if our lives had not crossed. When Joyce and I arrived back to their home, Carmen, a neighbor, was there with Bob an Tommy. Again conversation flowed and before long we were invited to Carmen’s for dinner. Wow did she put on a spread. She was so welcoming and has such a beautiful home. Tommy and I could not believe we were there with such great people, and in one evening, truly felt like they were old friends.

We can’t thank Bob, Joyce, and Carmen enough for their gracious hospitality.  You know, there are some really great people out there and these are three of them.

Hello Santa Barbara

Hello Santa Barbara. Now Tommy and I could live here. Wow is it wonderful. State Street is lined with shops. Some are main stream, some are quaint little boutiques, and the restaurants are welcoming. The beach is clean with white sand. One of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Even the homeless were tactful in begging for a living.

The Mexican community was having their Cinco De Mayo celebration just off State Street. There was dancing, singing, music, and good food. Good time.

The trolley system would take you from uptown to the beach for 25 cents. Great deal.

A volley ball championship was being held here on the beach. Beach volleyball is hard work and these girls are tough.  The wharf was full of people fishing.This guy caught four fish at once.   These girls had to keep up with the boys. Look at the cute fishing poles. I don’t think the poles were 2 feet long.

I could have watched the pelicans for hours diving into the water.  Seals came to visit as well.

Santa Barbara also has a Mission known as the Queen of the Missions and was established in 1786. The original church was destroyed by earthquake. The present church was finished in 1820. This mission continues to have an active congregation and was holding a mass when we arrived.

I could not resist, I had to put these pictures in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next we came to the most adorable town called Solvang which is a Danish community. I felt like I was in the Netherlands.

     Could you find a cuter restroom?

 

 

                                          Not only do the shops look Danish but so do the homes.            It’s a beautiful community. What was kind of neat is that all of the shops close at 6 pm. No questions, it is what they do. The few restaurants will remain open but not past 10 pm. Notice on the sign, it’s not closed but it is shut.