Monterey Peninsula, Big Sur and Hearst Castle
Wednesday Nov. 9, 2005
Wednesday was our last morning at the PG house. We packed up and departed a little before 9. We found Route 1 and headed south toward Big Sur and Hearst Castle. The coast road south down Rt. 1 was spectacular. It is a two lane road and most places is cut right into the side of the hill. Wednesday was a little rainy but that didn't cramp our fun because we had planned to be in the car most of the day anyway. The road was a challenging drive but well marked in terms of speed recommendations. There were a lot a places where they recommended that you take a curve at 20 or 30 mph and that worked well. There are many turnoffs and other parking areas where you could sightsee and we stopped quite a bit. There were very few services such as gas stations, restaurants, and no connecting roads. Once you make a commitment to take the coast road, you are committed. There were quite a few state recreation areas so it looked like a good place to camp!
We arrived at Hearst Castle at 11:30 or so and signed up for the tour. They have a total of 5 different tours and there was 1 that was recommended for first time visitors. George Hearst, father of William Randolph Hearst made money in silver and pretty much everything that he touched after that. He bought the property that the castle is located on at the end of the 19th century. This farm includes 80 miles of coastline and extends 40 miles into the interior. WR made his own fortune in the publishing business and was an avid art collector beginning at the age of 10. It was said that in the 1910s and 20s that 1 in 4 works of art that were sold in that period were bought by WR Hearst. This was 1 of 7 homes that he owned and was decorated as a renaissance era Mediterranean castle. He designed it to house his art collection. Construction of the castle was started in 1920 and it is located on a hilltop at an altitude of 1400 ft MSL! What a view. The tour was very good and lasted an hour and 40 minutes including the bus ride up and down the hill. Today, the farm is still owned by the hearst family but the house and hilltop were donated to the state of California.
We made the trip back up Rt. in 2 hours then another 3 around the bay to Napa. We checked in at the hotel and then went to dinner at Don Giovanis. Susan had minestrone soup and Salmon with mashed potatoes. I had fried olives (very good, lightly battered, deep fried with almonds) and farfalla bolonese (bow tie pasta with a spicy meat sauce - duck, I think). I apologize for the lack of hyperlinks but the hotel wants $10 / day for broadband. I think I can do better!