Highway 1.........Pacific Grove to Hearst Castle (San Simeon)..............incredible scenery, an unexpected surprise and a great deal of money!

 

Highway 1 hugging the California Pacific Coastline!

California's Highway 1 runs for over 650 miles along the Pacific coastline.  While we haven't driven the entire length of this highway, we have been on different sections of it through the years.  Some parts are more scenic than others, but most people agree that the most scenic is the Big Sur section from Carmel (just a few miles south of Pacific Grove) to San Luis Obispo.  This stretch of the highway has earned the designation as one of America's 184 National Scenic Byways.

A few more shots along the drive...........

The Bixby Canyon Bridge is somewhat visible.  The bridge is 714 feet long and towers 280 above the canyon and Bixby Creek.

We left our Airbnb around 8:00 heading southward towards Hearst Castle, which is located in San Simeon.  Although it's only a 96-mile drive, timewise Google Maps was showing it as a two-and-a-half-hour drive.  This is due to the fact that most of the drive is on a two lane, curvy highway that is hugging the cliffs along the rugged California coast.  With frequent stops along the way to take in the incredible views, and to snap a few pictures, we managed to stretch it out to a relaxing and enjoyable journey that took close to four hours.

The journey along Highway 1 is as good as the destination.

It's well documented that California has more than its fair share of natural disasters.  Earthquakes, rock slides, mud slides, floods and fires often cause sections along this stretch of highway to be closed for maintenance and repair.  We had driven a short section of the highway a few years back, but were unable to go far because part of the road had been destroyed.  This time there were a few places where crews were working on the road but it was completely open and surprisingly there was very little traffic (it was a weekday).

As we got close to the Hearst Castle Visitors Center we noticed a sign that there was an Elephant Seal Viewing area coming up soon.  Not wanting to miss an opportunity to possibly see a few of these huge creatures, that can weigh up to 5,000 pounds, we pulled in.  We've seen elephant seals before but our jaws dropped when we stepped out of the car, saw (and smelled) a protected stretch of beach with what looked like at least 1000 slumbering elephant seals.  As it turns out, we had stumbled upon the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery.  As fate would have it, we also came upon it during one of the peak seasons when the adult females and their offspring make their way to the rookery to soak up a little sun and molt (shed their old hair and outer layer of skin).  

Elephant Seals to the left...........

Elephant Seals to the right.........

Elephant Seals in front............

Wet Elephant Seals............

Sandy Elephant Seals (the sun acts as a sunscreen to keep them cool)................

Piedras Blancas Lighthouse taken from the Elephant Seal Rookery.

Elephant Seals of San Simeon

After gawking at the Elephant Seals for a while we drove the final few miles to the Hearst Castle Visitors Center.  We knew the castle was open for visitors but we didn't realize until later that it had only reopened less than two weeks earlier.  It had been closed for over two years due to a combination of Covid, and repairs to the road leading from the visitors center to the castle, which sits on a hilltop some 1,600 feet above sea level.

In 1919 media mogul Willam Randolph Hearst started to build a little place on the top of a hill where he had camped with his family as a child.  He engaged the services of architect Julia Morgan, the first female architect to study at France's top architectural school and later became California's first female architect.  

Hearst Castle

With money being no object, and a patient architect, the project began to grow in both size and opulence.  When completed in the late 40's, the project had grown to include not only the castle, but three guest houses.  The main castle is listed to have 115 rooms including 42 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, a movie theater, two pools and two tennis courts on the 127 acre garden estate.

The Hearst Castle sits atop what he called "La Euesta Encantada", Spanish for The Enchanted Hill.

The outdoor Neptune Pool

One of two bell towers on the castle.  Each tower contained 18 bells ranging in weight from 25 to 5,000 pounds.  The house and towers used reinforced concrete to protect it from earthquakes.

There were nice views all the way around the top of the Enchanted Hill!

Hearst, who lost and then regained his fortune, passed away in 1951.  In 1958 the Hearst family gave the castle to the state of California, while maintaining the majority of the 82,000 acre estate surrounding it.  Shortly thereafter it was open to the public for tours, which initially cost two dollars for adults and one dollar for children.

The Main Entrance to the castle.  Hearst loved to entertain and had quite a guest list.  It included Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, The Marx Brothers, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Calvin Coolidge, Winston Churchill and Charles Lindbergh, and many more.

Today there are several tour options, the most popular (and the one we picked) is the Grand Rooms Tour.  This one-hour tour includes numerous stops around the gardens, as well as the main sitting room, dining room and game room.  Also included in any of the tour options is a very good forty minute movie in the visitors center that gives an insight into the history of the castle. It also shares a bit of history on the Hearst Family and Mr. Hearst's very patient architect, Julia Morgan.  The movie is currently playing on the hour and you can watch it before or after touring the castle.  Beth and I agree that if possible it should be seen before touring, but either way, it shouldn't be missed.

The Main Dining Room.

After dinner, guests moved to the theater for a movie.

The Roman Pool is indoors.  There are two tennis courts on the roof.

There are over two million one-inch tiles on the walls and ceiling of the Roman Pool.  

After spending about three and a half hours at the Castle we headed a few miles south to the small town of Cambria for a late lunch and a little touring around.  Beth took the wheel for the drive back.  We didn't stop, but we took our time and enjoyed the views along this very scenic stretch of Highway 1.

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Just a short 20-minute drive from Pacific Grove is Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.  It's the park that landscape artist Francis McComas called "the greatest meeting of land and water on earth".  Additionally, it has been designated the "crown jewel" of California's 280 state parks.  Obviously, the bar was set pretty high by the lofty praise the park has received over the years.  While we haven't quite seen all the places in the world where land and water meet (I doubt Mr. McComas has either), and we haven't visited all 280 of California's state parks, we can attest to the fact that it's really spectacular and would consider it a "must see" if the opportunity ever presents itself.

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Getting to the park was easy, just the short drive.  Getting into the park is a little bit more challenging.  Parking inside the park is very limited.  We arrived around 10:30 on a Wednesday before the summer crowds arrive and all parking within the park was already full.   We were fortunate enough to find roadside parking along Highway 1 that was less than a quarter of a mile from the entrance.  One nice thing about parking outside the gate and walking in is that there is no entrance fee for pedestrians.

The park has miles of connecting trails, that for the most part hug the spectacular shoreline.  The trails vary in length, with many of them being less than a mile to the longest one being around 2.5 miles.  We got some helpful information from a park service team member at the front gate who recommended the loop hike (a little over six miles). 

Our loop was easy to follow, relatively flat and was made up of the Carmelo Meadow, North Shore, Cypress Grove, Sea Lion Point, Sand Hill, South Shore, Bird Island and South Plateau Trails.  The views were stunning, and the wildflowers were numerous and colorful.   The harbor seals, a solitary sea lion, thousands of birds (many of which were nesting) and occasional whale spouts in the distance kept us entertained as we made our way slowly, and with numerous stops, around the park that seemed to have lived up to it's lofty advance billing.

 

Pacific Grove, Ca and the Monterey Aquarium

 

Our home for the next month is going to be an Airbnb in Pacific Grove, Ca.  We arrived on Sunday afternoon to a chilly, but very comfortable temperature in the low 60's.  The home is in a quiet neighborhood nestled among tall pine and oak trees.  There are numerous deer roaming the streets.  Yesterday morning when Beth opened the curtains there were four deer casually strolling down the road, while another one was eating breakfast in the park across the street.  Hummingbirds can be seen feeding on flowers outside our living room window.  It is uniquely located on the Monterey Peninsula in such a way that we can walk around 15-20 minutes in three different directions and be standing on the shore of the Pacific Ocean.  Once you reach the shoreline, there's over eighteen miles of trails to enjoy along the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreational Trail.

Deer on Parade in front of the house.  The park in the background is George Washington Park.

A few photos from the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail.

There's plenty of wildflowers at this time of year!

An "all you can eat" buffet along the coastal trail for these young bucks.  That's Monterey Peninsula Country Club in the background.  Just a few miles down the road is Cypress Point, Spyglass Hills and Pebble Beach golf courses.

Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail

Also, it's "baby season" around Pacific Grove.  Harbor seal pups lay close to their moms at Lovers Point State Marine Reserve (about a 15 minute walk from the house).  Shortly after we enjoyed watching the seal pups and moms the other day, we ran across a group of female deer who were munching on grass while their babies ran clumsily around the open field.  I think we're going to like it here.  

The Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail near Lovers Point.

 Harbor Seals soaking up the rays and relaxing on the protected beach.

A couple of young deer romping around near the shore.

Pacific Grove,  was founded in 1875 by a group of Methodists who were looking to build a retreat area similar to the one operating in Ocean Grove, New Jersey at that time.  Today it is known for it's Victorian style houses, scenic shoreline, lighthouse and butterflies.  Every year from around October to February around 100,000 migratory Monarch Butterflies call Pacific Grove home.  Pretty smart butterflies in my opinion!  

In addition to the butterflies, Pacific Grove has attracted numerous notable residents of the human kind over the years.  According to Wikipedia, singers Janis Joplin and Frank Zappa, Johnny Miller, Greg Norman and Bill Walsh from the sports world, and a long list of authors have called Pacific Grove home.  Of the writers, the most famous is probably John Steinbeck.  It was while Steinbeck was living in Pacific Grove that he wrote the novel Cannery Row, which was based on his interactions with those who worked in the stinky, cold, wet and dangerous fish canning plants along what was known as, you guessed it, Cannery Row.

Cannery Row today is very different than the Cannery Row that Steinbeck wrote about in 1945.

Cannery Row exists even today, but it transformed itself.  The stinky, cold, wet and dangerous cannery plants are gone.  Many of the historic building that housed them have survived.  They have been transformed into shops, restaurants and boutique hotels that attract visitors from around the world. 

Near Cannery Row is Fisherman's Wharf.  There are harbor seals hanging around.........

as well as sea otters.  This guy was enjoying a meal of really fresh crab.  For a great bowl of clam chowder in this area, walk past Fisherman's Wharf and check out the Sandbar & Grill on the less touristy Commerical Wharf.

Sandbar and Grill

At the west end of Cannery Row is the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  The aquarium, which focuses its displays on the habitats of Monterey Bay, receives around two million visitors per year.  It is not only famous for it's displays but it's conservation and sustainable seafood research as well.

A selfie from the outdoor area of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Here's a few photos of some of the residents inside the Monterey Bay Aquarium

We had visited the aquarium previously and were looking forward to seeing it again.  Since we're going to be here for a while and it's an easy 20 minute walk from the house, it made sense for us to purchase annual memberships.  We enjoyed a lengthy visit on Monday and are looking forward to popping in numerous times over the next month, and who knows.......we just might find ourselves back in this area before our membership expires next year.  Those butterflies are onto something...........Pacific Grove is a nice place to spend some time!