After a great night's sleep we are back on the road again today, heading for San Francisco on Highway One. We passed the huge California Polytechnic and then a place that made us scratch our heads - California Men's Colony... had to gooogle that one - it's a state male prison - aparrently minimum security and known as 'the country club' because of its innovative rehabilitation and education programs.
Moro Rock is a spectacular area with huge rocks out in the ocean - a popular surfing spot. Soon I have another of those songs running through my head - but it's 'dead skunk in the middle of the road' - anyone under 50 might need to look that one up!
We stopped at an all American diner for breakfast - eggs and bacon for me (hold the fries and bread and hash browns please) - and blueberry pancakes for him - with maple syrup - yum... then we are back in the car and heading for Hearst Castle, just a little further up the coast.
Hearst Castle is amazing - a huge holiday home for Randolph Hearst, the media baron. The woman architect managed to fit all of Hearst's 'finds' from around the world - from ancient roman mosaics to 13th century choir stalls to marble statues from florence - an incredible collection of other countries' history - and fit it into a collection of buildings known as Hearst Castle. In truth it looks more like a church - but it draws hundreds of thousands of visitors, all amazed at the opulence on display.
Check out the turkey buzzards sunning their wings at the top of the blog today - must have been their morning hangout because we didn't see it again all day. A little further along the cliffs we find a sealion colony - lots of fat sealions tucked side by side on a tiny beach area, and some inquisitive little squirrels popping in and out of the bushes looking for peanuts left by helpful(?) tourists. We took the top down on the car as the weather was nice and ... well, just because it's a little sad to drive a convertible and not convert it :-)
Stopped at Santa Lucia for a clifftop lunch - the drive is truly spectacular as it hugs the coast, over bridges and clinging to the clifffs. Spotted a blue Jay in the flower spike of the aloe vera beside the restaurant. Then we continued through masses of wildflowers on the sides of the road and the occasional pocket of redwood forest, through the Big Sur area well known for its wilderness hiking and on to Monterey.
Time was getting away from us so we skipped the drive around the famous Pebble Beach area and headed inland for the expressway and San Francisco.
SO MUCH TRAFFIC!!! - I thought LA was madness, but the traffic across the San Francisco Bay Bridge was insane. Not helped by the fact that they haven't the electronic systems for everyone, so there are still about 15 cash booths and attendants slowing the traffic as we go onto this massive bridge.
Fortunately the navigator (not me) managed to get us off the bridge and into the city to our hotel - a heritage spot right where the cable cars turn around - the room is cosy and clean and we walked down to chinatown for dinner at the top of one of the buildings there - the Empress of China - and by the photos in the lobby, another eating landmark for the likes of Jackie Chan and other famous and infamous people.
Wandering back past the famous stores such as Macys and SAKS (and yes, the Aussie icon Quicksilver) was interesting - and our hotel is just near the famous Union Square - onca a sand dune aparrently...
Moro Rock is a spectacular area with huge rocks out in the ocean - a popular surfing spot. Soon I have another of those songs running through my head - but it's 'dead skunk in the middle of the road' - anyone under 50 might need to look that one up!
We stopped at an all American diner for breakfast - eggs and bacon for me (hold the fries and bread and hash browns please) - and blueberry pancakes for him - with maple syrup - yum... then we are back in the car and heading for Hearst Castle, just a little further up the coast.
Hearst Castle is amazing - a huge holiday home for Randolph Hearst, the media baron. The woman architect managed to fit all of Hearst's 'finds' from around the world - from ancient roman mosaics to 13th century choir stalls to marble statues from florence - an incredible collection of other countries' history - and fit it into a collection of buildings known as Hearst Castle. In truth it looks more like a church - but it draws hundreds of thousands of visitors, all amazed at the opulence on display.
Check out the turkey buzzards sunning their wings at the top of the blog today - must have been their morning hangout because we didn't see it again all day. A little further along the cliffs we find a sealion colony - lots of fat sealions tucked side by side on a tiny beach area, and some inquisitive little squirrels popping in and out of the bushes looking for peanuts left by helpful(?) tourists. We took the top down on the car as the weather was nice and ... well, just because it's a little sad to drive a convertible and not convert it :-)
Stopped at Santa Lucia for a clifftop lunch - the drive is truly spectacular as it hugs the coast, over bridges and clinging to the clifffs. Spotted a blue Jay in the flower spike of the aloe vera beside the restaurant. Then we continued through masses of wildflowers on the sides of the road and the occasional pocket of redwood forest, through the Big Sur area well known for its wilderness hiking and on to Monterey.
Time was getting away from us so we skipped the drive around the famous Pebble Beach area and headed inland for the expressway and San Francisco.
SO MUCH TRAFFIC!!! - I thought LA was madness, but the traffic across the San Francisco Bay Bridge was insane. Not helped by the fact that they haven't the electronic systems for everyone, so there are still about 15 cash booths and attendants slowing the traffic as we go onto this massive bridge.
Fortunately the navigator (not me) managed to get us off the bridge and into the city to our hotel - a heritage spot right where the cable cars turn around - the room is cosy and clean and we walked down to chinatown for dinner at the top of one of the buildings there - the Empress of China - and by the photos in the lobby, another eating landmark for the likes of Jackie Chan and other famous and infamous people.
Wandering back past the famous stores such as Macys and SAKS (and yes, the Aussie icon Quicksilver) was interesting - and our hotel is just near the famous Union Square - onca a sand dune aparrently...
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