Elephant Seal Rookery, Piedras Blancas, CA

This afternoon during our scenic drive, we visited the Elephant Seal Rookery at the beaches of Piedras Blancas. This rookery is on CA-1, approximately four miles north of San Simeon. There is a fairly large parking lot where you can pull off and park.

We were not disappointed - Elephant Seals were all over the beaches! Here are some photos:

Scenic Drive Around San Luis Obispo, CA

The area around San Luis Obispo is beautiful: rolling hillsides, craggy mountains, pewter beaches, cliffs, vineyards, and cattle meadows.

We decided to enjoy a scenic drive from Paso Robles to Cambria on CA-46, and then go north on CA-1 along the coast, up to the beginning of Los Padres National Forest. At this point, CA-1 becomes very narrow and winding. It is a gorgeous drive and we pulled over several times to take photos.

As we were making our way back home, we reminded each other to watch for the Zebra herd between San Simeon and Cambria... as told to us by the Hearst tour bus driver. And then I spotted them! We quickly pulled over and took some photos. There were about 18 Zebras, split between two clusters. So fun to see them!

Here are some photos of the Zebras and our drive today.

Zebras - one cluster

Rolling Hillsides

Pewter Beaches

Seals in sea inlet

Rugged Coastline

Lupine

Hearst Castle, San Simeon, CA

Today we visited the Hearst Castle and we give it a big thumbs up! We got there well in advance of our Casa Grande (main house) Grand Rooms tour time and had lots of time to watch the Hearst movie and browse around the small museum, etc.

Driving up to the Castle

The bus ride from the Visitors Center up to the castle complex provided a gorgeous view of the rolling hillsides and shining sea. It was during this ride that we learned of the Hearst Zoo, the world's largest private zoo in the early 1930s. Animals such as Zebras, Camels, Llamas, and Kangaroos roamed freely in fields around the castle.

I enjoyed the tour of the Grand Rooms, but was a bit surprised to learn that Casa Grande was never finished. Although not fully explained, my assumption is that the Depression interrupted the construction. Although Randolph Hearst got back on financial track, I suppose impetus was lost and the project was left incomplete.

Assembly Room

It is evident that Hearst loved Flemmish tapestries - they are hung lavishly in every room we saw. And these rooms are also filled with numerous antiquities and artwork, all very valuable.

Although the Hearst Castle is not yet 100 years old, restoration efforts are already underway. This makes me wonder whether the original construction was properly done; it seems premature for a building of this caliber to already need so much work. Nonetheless, it is indeed very beautiful.

There are also three "cottages" in the castle complex: Casa del Monte, Casa del Sol, and Casa del Mar. We did not see the inside of these buildings (a different tour) but apparently they were all completed. These cottages were used by guests and family members, but everyone was required to dine at Casa Grande - the cottages were not built with kitchens or dining rooms. Randolph Hearst and his family lived in Case del Mar until 1928, at which time Hearst finally moved into Casa Grande.

While the buildings are marvelous, the gardens and terraces are amazing! And they were my favorite aspects of the Hearst Castle. See below for some photos (remember, you can click on each one for a larger image).

As we were driving back down the hill on the bus, the driver told us to watch for the Zebra herd that roams off CA-1 between San Simeon and Cambria - they are descendants of Zebras that lived on the lands of the Hearst Zoo in the 1930s. So, we are on the lookout for Zebras!

Assembly Room

Ceiling Restoration in Process

Refectory

Bell Towers on Casa Grande

Casa del Monte

Lilly

Terrace

Neptune Pool from Terrace

Terrace Above Neptune Pool

Casa del Sol

Gardens - Succulents - The Black Rose

Casa del Mar - back overlooking the ocean

Statuatory - One of Many

Casa Grande - Main and South Wings

Casa del Mar - Front

More Statuary

Egyptian Sekhmet Statues - 3000 years old

Terraces on the south side

Roman Pool

Getting it Done - Exterior Work Finished!

I spent the first three days here at Camp San Luis Obispo cleaning the exterior of the motor home. It took that long because I had to strip off all the wax and use Barkeeper's Friend to fully clean the front and back ends (fiberglass caps) before applying 5 coats of a product called PolyGlow. It was a lot of work but the end result looks great! The previously oxidized and dull fiberglass shells are now shiny clean and sealed behind a hard shield of PolyGlow, which also provides UV protection.

During these three days, I also cleaned and resealed the lounge window awning, and cleaned and waxed the Driver side of the motor home using Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax - this stuff works great!

All the work I've been doing to clean up and reseal the exterior is finally done, and should last at least 2-3 years... maybe longer. According to the manufacturer, the PolyGlow on the end caps just needs to be washed with mild soapy water and 1-2 coats applied each year to maintain the shine and integrity. We'll see.

What now? Nothin' but hanging out and sightseeing!

Settling in at Camp San Luis Obispo, CA

The drive from Riverside to San Luis Obispo was a mixed bag: the first half from Riverside to Oxnard was stop and go traffic, but after Oxnard the traffic became lighter and we were actually able to drive continuously and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the coast. Next time, if there is a next time, we will take a route that goes much further out and around the LA area.

It was around Oxnard that we first noticed shepherd hooks with bells spaced out along the roadside. Click here to learn the background about these historical markers.

We found Camp Luis Obispo with no difficulty and check-in was a breeze.

The campground is small but the sites have full hook-ups and are spacious. The weather is cooler here than in Riverside: 70sF during the day and 50sF at night.I think we're gonna love it here!

Here are some photos of the base:

Our Campsite

Part of the Campground

Chapel

WWI Memorial

Japanese Tank

Bataan Death March Memorial

Grizzly Academy Cadets

The Italia Rock

CH-19 Chicksaw Helicopter

CH-34 Choctaw Helicopter

CH-34 Choctaw Helicopter - Inside

The Mystery of the Bells... Solved

When we left March Air Reserve Base, we opted to avoid driving through Los Angeles and skirted the city to the west and north. After a while we found ourselves on US-101, heading northward towards San Luis Obispo.

After being on US-101 for a while, I noticed several markers along the way - they were all tall green poles in the shape of a shepherd's hook, hanging from each was what appeared to be a very old rusty bell. After seeing several of these, I said something to Consuelo and she also began looking for them. We saw several more and Consuelo began checking the distance between them; turned out that these markers are spaced consistently one mile apart.

Getting more and more curious about these bells, I finally looked it up on Google (marvelous tool) and learned that these are "Mission Bells." They are found along US-101 (and a few other locations) and were put in place in the early 20th century to mark the original route of El Camino Real, which is Spanish for "Highway of the Kings" or "Royal Highway."

According to an article published on the Los Angeles Almanac web site:

The mission bells seen on the 101 Freeway and other locations have been in place since the early 20th Century to mark the original route of El Camino Real (Spanish for Highway of the King or Royal Highway) from San Diego to Sonoma. The 700-mile-long El Camino Real linked California's 21 missions, which were founded by Father Junipero Serra and spaced approximately one day's journey apart by horse. Over the years, El Camino Real gave way to modern highways, principally Routes 101 and 82.

Efforts to mark the old highway were first initiated in 1892 by Anna Pitcher of Pasadena. The California Federation of Women's Clubs (principally in the persons of Mrs. A.S.C. Forbes and Mrs. Caroline Olney) and the Native Daughters of the Golden West eventually brought Pitcher's proposals to fruition. The El Camino Real Association was established in 1904 to investigate the original route of the old highway and provide a distinctive marker to be installed along the route. Mrs. Forbes (upon a suggestion by Mrs. C.F. Gates) designed these markers as miniature mission bells said to be modeled after the bells of the Old Plaza Church in Los Angeles. The cast iron bells hung from eleven-foot bent guideposts that made them easily visible to passing travelers. The first bell was installed in 1906 in front of the Old Plaza Church in downtown Los Angeles.

The original bell installers made no provision for maintenance of the bells. By 1926, the bells had fallen into disrepair and some had been stolen. From 1926 to 1931, the California State Automobile Association and the Automobile Club of Southern California assumed responsibility for maintenance and replacement of bells on state-owned property. In fact, the bells served as vital markers for California motorists during that period. In 1960, Justin Kramer of Los Angeles won the bid to manufacture replacement bells. His design became the standard and he is still casting bells today. In 1974, the California Legislature appointed the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to be responsible for repairing or replacing bells. Caltrans replacement bells are now cast in concrete, rather than iron (also see California Bell Company).

Today, more than 380 bells are in place marking the old highway and its branches.

We just love learning stuff like this as we travel along!