Day 5: Cambria to Solvang
Our day starts with a lovely breakfast at the Burton Inn; hot chocolate, tea, bran muffins, cinnamon pound cake, cereal, danish and fresh fruit.
We left our key at the reception and drove to Hearst Castle for the 9:20 tour. First the bus drove us to the top of the mountain where the estate is situated, while an overhead recorded tour message played. It said to watch for some special herbivores; Indian deer, outlandish sheep and goats, plus zebras which sadly we didn't see.
Atop the mountain we quickly started the tour. First we go to the sun terrace overlooking the ocean. The mountain is so high the views are astounding!
We walk to the Neptune Pool, a huge outdoor pool lined with marble collumns and statues (can't touch a thing, security is tight). From there we go on an inside tour of one of the guesthouses; just walk along the tour carpet without explanation which I guess is fine because we like the outside areas better anyway.
Back outside we go to the sun terrace with Segmet(?) by Casa Grande. Segmet is very intriguing to me for some reason. Casa Grande, as the name implies is huge! It has 100-something rooms of which we only explore the main ones on the first floor. It's strange to imagine someone actually living there; everything is just so big.
Finally we go to the indoor Roman Pool. It's huge, 3 meters deep and made of blue and gold (actual gold!) tiles about 2x2cm. It's the most beautiful indoor pool I have ever seen!
We get back on the bus and drive to the visitor's center. We're lucky enough to have movie "Building the Dream" about Mr. Hearst and why he built the castle start when we get there so we don't waste any time.
We ask for directions to the lighthouse at Piedras Blancas (closed) and also the seals. The woman at the visitors center says we've come at a good time; birthing season.
The seals aren't hard to find; the beach is littered with them! We watch them from the bluff 10-20 feet away from them. One of the guides tells us about 400 pups (out of 3600) have already been born.
They're cute big, but nothing compared to their moms and dads. No wonder they're called elephant seals, although they're actally named after the males' long noses.
They don't smell bad, but when they fight they make farting sounds from their mouths haha. The males fight to keep their harems of 30-40 females, while the females fight over pups. We even see a "collector" with 3 little pups.
Apparently birthing is quick and easy, and the easiest way to see a newborn pup is to follow the sea gulls, who are attracted to the after birth ... something we get to see twice.
It's warm and sunny, but there's a cold wind blowing from the ocean so it's great to get back into Andy.
We drive to Morro Bay, with its claim to fame Morro Rock; a volcanic rock in the ocean. It's connected to land by a thin strip of land allowing us to drive onto the grounds of the rock. We watch the surfers for a while then drive further around the rock.
I'm hoping to see a sea otter, but all I see is birds. Luckily Sandy spots two of them; they drive under water, then come up to float around on their backs.
We get back on Rte 1 and try to find Bubble Gum Alley in San Luis Obispo, but we couldn't find it. Hungry we go on to Pismo Beach Fish & Chips, but it's late and I want to see Rancho Guadelupe Dunes, but when we get there it's closed because the road is sanded over ... the drive through farm country in the mountains is nice though. It's fun to see cauliflower being grown.
We drive back to Rte 1 and soon we arrive in Solvang, a replica of a Danish Town filled with gingerbread houses and windmills. It's night time and everything is decorated with permanent? Christmas lights.
We arrive at our hotel, Solvang Gardens Lodge and head to the Danish Inn for dinner. We order the smorgasbord/buffet. Nice, but not great, but it's quick and there's a windmill.
We left our key at the reception and drove to Hearst Castle for the 9:20 tour. First the bus drove us to the top of the mountain where the estate is situated, while an overhead recorded tour message played. It said to watch for some special herbivores; Indian deer, outlandish sheep and goats, plus zebras which sadly we didn't see.
Atop the mountain we quickly started the tour. First we go to the sun terrace overlooking the ocean. The mountain is so high the views are astounding!
We walk to the Neptune Pool, a huge outdoor pool lined with marble collumns and statues (can't touch a thing, security is tight). From there we go on an inside tour of one of the guesthouses; just walk along the tour carpet without explanation which I guess is fine because we like the outside areas better anyway.
Back outside we go to the sun terrace with Segmet(?) by Casa Grande. Segmet is very intriguing to me for some reason. Casa Grande, as the name implies is huge! It has 100-something rooms of which we only explore the main ones on the first floor. It's strange to imagine someone actually living there; everything is just so big.
Finally we go to the indoor Roman Pool. It's huge, 3 meters deep and made of blue and gold (actual gold!) tiles about 2x2cm. It's the most beautiful indoor pool I have ever seen!
We get back on the bus and drive to the visitor's center. We're lucky enough to have movie "Building the Dream" about Mr. Hearst and why he built the castle start when we get there so we don't waste any time.
We ask for directions to the lighthouse at Piedras Blancas (closed) and also the seals. The woman at the visitors center says we've come at a good time; birthing season.
The seals aren't hard to find; the beach is littered with them! We watch them from the bluff 10-20 feet away from them. One of the guides tells us about 400 pups (out of 3600) have already been born.
They're cute big, but nothing compared to their moms and dads. No wonder they're called elephant seals, although they're actally named after the males' long noses.
They don't smell bad, but when they fight they make farting sounds from their mouths haha. The males fight to keep their harems of 30-40 females, while the females fight over pups. We even see a "collector" with 3 little pups.
Apparently birthing is quick and easy, and the easiest way to see a newborn pup is to follow the sea gulls, who are attracted to the after birth ... something we get to see twice.
It's warm and sunny, but there's a cold wind blowing from the ocean so it's great to get back into Andy.
We drive to Morro Bay, with its claim to fame Morro Rock; a volcanic rock in the ocean. It's connected to land by a thin strip of land allowing us to drive onto the grounds of the rock. We watch the surfers for a while then drive further around the rock.
I'm hoping to see a sea otter, but all I see is birds. Luckily Sandy spots two of them; they drive under water, then come up to float around on their backs.
We get back on Rte 1 and try to find Bubble Gum Alley in San Luis Obispo, but we couldn't find it. Hungry we go on to Pismo Beach Fish & Chips, but it's late and I want to see Rancho Guadelupe Dunes, but when we get there it's closed because the road is sanded over ... the drive through farm country in the mountains is nice though. It's fun to see cauliflower being grown.
We drive back to Rte 1 and soon we arrive in Solvang, a replica of a Danish Town filled with gingerbread houses and windmills. It's night time and everything is decorated with permanent? Christmas lights.
We arrive at our hotel, Solvang Gardens Lodge and head to the Danish Inn for dinner. We order the smorgasbord/buffet. Nice, but not great, but it's quick and there's a windmill.
posted by Cat at 7:19 PM
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