West Coast Represent,

Now Put Your Hands Up

After a night in a below-average hotel, we continued on until we ran out of land. Then we followed Highway One south. The beaches to the north were definately different than the sandy beaches to the south. Most of Hwy 1 was a winding road with a cliff drop-off. I'm scared of heights and it was quite an unnerving drive. There were several pull-offs to stop and view, but I was too scared to get out of the car. But this is what I couldn't believe - here on this little pull-out, with a 500 foot drop, would be a family standing there for a photo - are you kidding me? Talk about child endangerment. There would have been no way I would have ever pulled over with all the kids in the car, then let them pose on the edge just to get the Pacific in the background. One brotherly love push or "you're standing too close to me..." and someone would have gone down. I was just amazed people put their children out there for pictures. Absolutely crazy.

These were some sea lions lounging out in the sunshine.


Our destination - Hearst Castle. I was soooo excited. I've always wanted to go here. I didn't know this but there are actually four different tours, plus you can walk around some of the gardens on your own. There's a huge visitor's center with films, etc. We were lucky enough to grab two last-minute available tickets, and it was the tour that included the kitchen. Score!


I loved the industrial lights
Being a Kitchen Aid fan, this hobart mixer is divine.

Heavy duty ovens. when Mr. Hearst was at the residence, there would be meals fixed for at least 100 people. There would be a great mixing of guests too, from the paperboy who sold the most subscriptions to the famous movie stars of the day.

I LOVED this spice cabinet, and I think I'm going to copy it. No more digging around for that container of cinnamon, the cabinet is very narrow, so everything is right where you can see it.

This is an indoor swimming pool. The pictures don't do it justice. It's just beautiful. And on the roof of the pool building were the tennis courts. I have pictures, but since I took 100s of pictures through this house, I won't upload them all here.

Just a random hallway we were walking through. How cool are these columns!

I liked this bedroom that had a mini loft for the play toys.

Gorgeous views from all windows.

This was Mr. Hearst's office. My vocabulary just doesn't have enough adjuctives to describe everything we saw.

Cathedral windows.

And of course, the famous pool. The guide told us that once a year there is a BBQ for all the tour guides and grounds keepers and they are allowed to swim in this pool.

This was an unexpected part of our anniversary weekend, but by far it was my favorite part. I definately want to go back and take the other tours that they offer. Not sure of who William Randolf Hearst was or what this house is all about? Further reading.

Thanks, Ron, it was a great anniversary get away.