Traveling on…… We arrived at Hearst Castle for an evening tour which included docents’ dressed in the period dress. It was still light enough to enjoy the spectacular grounds with all the colorful flowers, Gothic statues and fountains. Hearst Castle is truly one of the world’s greatest showplace with 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways. The magnificent main house and three guest houses are of Mediterranean Revival style, with the towers being inspired by a Spanish cathedral. Hearst built one of the guest house first so he could have a place to live while building the main house. His wife never moved to the main house, choosing to stay in New York as she knew about his long affair with Maureen Davis. Davis and Hearst each had their own room that was joined together by a sitting room. Some of the other rooms we saw were the dinning room, kitchen, guest library and his private library and the main gathering room. Truly an amazing place to see.

Next day we saw the Madonna Inn in San Louis Obispo. Not quite the Hearst Castle, but the Inn has 109 rooms and each room is decorated elaborately in different unique styles. For example, one room is Traveler’s Suite and fit for a queen and king with its huge rock fireplace, two king-size beds, and 7 foot bathtub. The Inn’s men’s bathroom is a must see – with two large rock seashells for sinks and a rock urinal with a waterfall every time it is used.

Moving on, we spent several hours in Cambria, another one of our favorite towns with all the flowers and specialty shops. On the drive we stopped and saw the elephant seals which are strange looking mammals. The male is huge and has the nose like an elephant. At this time of the year most of the adults are out at sea but we were fortunate to see an adult male and female.

On to Monterey where we stayed at Laguna Seca RV Park and Racetrack, overlooking both the racetrack and the city. Although no races took place while we were here, there were either cars or motorcycles practicing everyday we were here.

We went to see the famous Monterey Aquarium. It is a home to 550 species of marine animals including sharks, penguins, otters, and many types of fish. It houses a 33-foot tank, the first in the world to simulate tidal currents on a large scale. We also saw the jelly fish and the works of living aquatic art. Truly amazing to see.

When in the area you have to drive the 17-mile drive from Monterey thru the Del Monte Forest and along its spectacular coastline to Pebble Beach. The homes, the trees, the flowers, the ocean and rocks truly made this drive spectacular. We stopped at Cypress Point for a picnic lunch, after watching the Harbor Seals and the otters.

Now we can’t decide which is our favorite town, Solvang, Cambria or the famous Carmel. Now Carmel is really out of our price range in all of their specialty shops but was great dreaming.

Next stop – San Francisco area.

Driving through California with California poppies, lupins, daisies, ice plants and more colorful flowers is unbelievable. Now driving through California with all the crazy drivers and interstates is another word.

First stop was one of our favorite towns, Temecula where we stayed at beautiful Lake Skinner, a county park that is a must stay if in this area. We thought the sunsets in Arizona were great, well the sunsets over the lake were just as beautiful. We visited Old Town Temecula, another one of our favorites, as well as touring the country side with all the orange, lemon, grapefruit and avocado trees.

We traveled on to San Diego and spent a day at Legoland. Legoland is really geared toward the kids but we did enjoy the Miniland area where they used legos to replicate the different cities – such as New York City, New Orleans, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Washington DC. It was amazing to see what you can do with the legos. Next day we traveled back to San Diego to see the tall ships and took a 2 hour harbor tour in San Diego. Every night found us around a campfire enjoying the evening.

Next we traveled north to Ojai, but had to drive around Los Angeles which was not a good experience. Fortunately we took a break and stopped in Simi Valley to see Ronald Regan Presidential Library and Museum. This was a very special place where you not only were told the story of Regan’s life, but felt their love for each other. While the girls were in awe over Nancy’s dresses and jewelry, the guys almost ran through the building to see Air Force One. Nixon was the first of seven presidents to use the Air Force One 27000. It was quite an experience to see inside of the plane as well as the Marine One helicopter. The view from here is breath-taking.

We arrived at Lake Casitas in Ojai, CA. Now we thought Lake Skinner was beautiful – Lake Casitas is even better. The perfect place for a wedding and where we will return in August for Chad and Katy’s wedding. After spending the day at the lake with another campfire that night, we drove to Ojai, CA the next day for a great shopping adventure in the specialty but very expense stores. Raines was especially interesting as it was clothing, kitchen and hardware store in one! Both husbands and wives were happy.

Again traveling north, we made a short but fantastic drive to Buellton, CA and enjoyed the flowers, ocean and countryside. It seems every day we ate lunches at great restaurants in the area. Today we walked to Andersons restaurant noted for Split Pea Soup. The next day we all went to Solvang which is a neat Danish community with many wineries, specialty shops and of course restaurants. One thing you have to have while here is an Aebleskiver, a Danish round donut with raspberry sauce. While the girls visited the various specialty shops, the guys tried to go to the motorcycle museum but it was closed. Instead they happen to find the Elverhoj Museum, a Danish house built in 1950 by Viggo Brandt-Erichsen and wife Martha Mot. The house was built in a style derived from the large farmhouses of 18^th century Jutland in northern Denmark. They incorporated elements of Scandinavian architecture with ornamental wrought ironwork, a carved redwood main entry door and hand-painted panels. When the museum was open to view you would find two leather strings out of a hole in the door – which you would pull and the door would open. When closed, the couple would pull the strings. There were no door handles, locks or anything on the door except the leather strings. Inside the kitchen the cabinets and tables were very colorful. Unfortunately the girls only saw pictures of the unique house, but we did find several neat shops.

More adventures to come……

Last two weeks in February brought better weather in Arizona and we actually got to sit outside most days. During this time we managed several group feasts with the arrival of my sister and her husband and before some friends took off for the rallies in California. Eat, drink and be merry seems to be the motto.

The guys enjoyed a full day of ATVing in the hills and rivers nearby. The girls spent the day shopping – not sure who had more fun or spent more money. Unlike the men, the girls had no accidents or losses unless you count that green cash.

Again this year we spent the day at Fountain Hills Art Show which is always a great event. It was colder this year but we enjoyed the various artists’ booths and especially the hoop dancing and music that Brulee and his dancers put on at the festival. We were fortunate to go to his concert in Mesa the prior week.

Our time at Canyon Vista RV Park came to an end much too soon but with many memories. We headed out with two couples to Yuma, AZ for two nights. We spent on evening having a scrumptious dinner with good friends that have a neat RV place in Yuma. The next day we were introduced to the sand storms of Yuma! Time to move on.

Continue to travel with us as we go to San Diego and up to Sacramento during the month of March.