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.