William Randolph Hearst's Castle

The Hearst Castle lies just several miles north of where we stayed in San Simeon.  He didn't start building it until his early 50's, after his mother died, which gave him complete access to the family fortune, he was an only child.  His father, who made his fortune in mining, was one of the richest men in the world.  Began in 1920, it was worked on the rest of Hearst's life, another 30 years, but never finished.  He spent with no restraint and in the 1940's the Hearst Corporation was near bankruptcy because of his free spending.  The total property covered several hundred thousand acres.

It is over the top in every way and an invitation there was coveted by Hollywood stars, politicians, and the rich and famous.  It was given to the State of California after Hearst's death.

P.S. Citizen Kane was not filmed here.  Some place on the East Coast I think.  Hearst did everything he could to disrupt the release of the movie.  He was powerful and succeeded.  Citizen Kane had a limited release and was trashed by critics; it's now considered one of the 5 best films ever made.  He destroyed Orson Welles career.

The castle was built on the top of a mountain over a thousand feet above the coastline.

The view from the castle back down to the coast.  The driveway is spectacular!

The dining room.  Hearst always sat in the center of the table.  He never told any guest they had to leave, but as your seat each night moved farther out to the ends you got the message, especially if you were given the end chair by the fireplace.

Supposedly Carol Lombard, an actress and Clark Gabel's wife, was a pool hustler and won lots of bets at these tables.

Hearst was not a religious man but modeled the main building after a Spanish church.

The outdoor pool

The indoor pool, with a second floor diving platform.  This building was to be a complete gymnasium, but the pool was the only thing completed in the building.  It sits under the tennis courts.

Life imitates art.  Would have been better with no clothes but I couldn't get a buy in from Doug.

Cavalier Best Western at San Simeon

From Napa we drove south to San Simeon, the location of the Hearst Castle.  San Simeon is on the Pacific coast about half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles.  We stayed at the Cavalier Best Western, right on the beach.  Our rooms were about 70 yards from the shoreline.



The building our rooms were in, we were on the first floor.




Macy enjoying the sun, Karyl and Doug were in the room next door.




When we arrived there were a number of wind surfers enjoying the surf and steady winds.





On the beach looking for shore birds.




It was nice listening to the waves roll in at night.




The sunset our first night there.




The hotel had three fireplaces along the beach and lit them every night at 7 PM.  It was great sitting by the warm fire with the surf roaring nearby.  Also a great way to meet other travelers.  This couple we are talking to here were from Boston.



Napa

From Nick's Cove we traveled to Napa, 90 miles or so straight east.  This is our second visit there and once again we visited during the harvest, a great time to visit.  The vineyards are all kept immaculate and most offer great tours.  Here's some shots of some of our visits.



This is Benziger Wineries.  All the vineyards have perfectly alligned rows and and the rows follow the contours of the hill beautifully.  You never spot a weed.




Benziger had trams to take you out into the vineyards.




In the Benziger wine caves.




Our pourer took this shot in the Benziger tasting room.




At Kendall Jackson we did a wine - food pairing.  5 wines served with a food course chosen to complement each other.  The chef came out with each course to describe what was being served and why he chose that pairing




As you might guess it was a great experience.



Pride Vineyards.  The border between Napa and Sonoma counties runs right through the center of the vineyard.



A merlot grape I believe.




Pride did their wine tasting in the caves.  Here we are drinking some Merlot directly from a cask.




The Pride winery and tasting room




As our last trip to Napa we stayed at the Embassy Suites.  This is part of their great outdoor courtyard



Point Reyes

Point Reyes National Seashore is a large body of land that sticks out into the Pacific Ocean about 60 miles north of San Francisco.  Because it sticks out into the Pacific it is a great birding spot, particularly during the Spring and Fall migrations.  In the fall it is also a popular whale watching destination, particularly out by the light house.



This is on the road to the light house.  The strong winds off the ocean make the trees grow following the conture of the bluffs.  Karyl apparently is feeling the same effect.





The light house.  Unfrotunately we couldn't walk down the day we were there, it's only 300 steps.




One of the reasons the light house is there.




Even the wildlife enjoys the views.



Path to seal point.  Doug is pointing to the seals off in the distance

Didn't have my long lens with but you can see the seals on the beach right in the center of this shot



Nothing like a relaxing walk on the beach.



Nick's Cove II

First stop on our California trip was Nick's Cove.  It was on California State Highway 1, which follows the coastline the entire length of the state.  Across the bay we were on was Point Reyes, one of the best birding spots in the world.  The bay also lies directly on the San Andreas fault, during the San Francisco earthquake of the early 1900's Point Reyes moved 12 feet of so farther north.

Nick's Cove is a wonderful spot, which we all enjoyed greatly; thanks to Heather and Frank for the discovery.  We ate in their restaurant all 3 nights, food was outstanding.

Here's some pics...




The restaurant and cabins sit on pilings over the water.  The restaurant is on the far left; our cabin, Big Rock, is on the far right.

 



A view from our cabin deck.  A pier runs out from the restaurant.  The small hut at the end of the pier had seating, a wood burning stove, and a phone with a direct line to the bar for "deliveries".

 

Our cabin had a perfect spot for bridge with windows on two sides looking out over the water.



Macy and I slept here.




Our cabin  and the pier from the shore line.




Off our deck was Big Rock occaionally occupied by some local residents.



Out on the pier



Next to Nick's Cove was a small park and boat ramp.  On the Friday of our stay a paddle board race was held.




The restaurant



Nick's Cove

On vacation in Northern California.  First stop is Nick's Cove a wonderful place that Heather and Frank discovered.  We arrived yesterday afternoon and when we entered our cabin were greeted by a great arrival surprise, an anniversary gift from Heather, Frank, Renee, and Scott.