This weekend Nick and I reached a California milestone – the Highway 1 drive. We started off going through the central coast to Monterey. It was a shock to see how rural this state really is once you step away from the chaos. Just remember to bring a nose clip because cow farms = bad, very bad, smells.
The time went by fairly quickly, thanks to Stephen Colbert’s, “I Am America, (And So Can You!)” audiobook, and before we knew it we were checking into the hotel.
We roamed the town and had a blast scoping out the sights and pretending to be the mentally impaired, yet charming, Forest Gump.
We even made friends with a fearless, and slightly feisty, bird. Unfortunately, Nick no longer likes our feathered friends because of an unfortunate shirt soiling incident that occurred later on during the trip.
After a bottle of Spanish Grenache we were in bed early and were driving through Big Sur on schedule the next morning. The views did not disappoint.
Roooomance!
We continued south, and then the strangest thing started to happen. A marine layer/fog began to roll in. It was the heaviest blanket of white I have even seen. Suddenly, the blue waves turned into an ocean of clouds.
The drive along the cliffs became precarious as the white fluff started pouring onto the roads. Suddenly our cruise turned into a slow crawl. The road mileage signs became painful visual reminders of our slow progression.
Eventually we found ourselves at Hearst Castle, former home of William Hearst, an American newspaper magnate (click here for a history lesson). Needless to say, Hearst’s abode in San Simeone (one of many) was very luxurious.
I imagine his lavish pool was the envy of all of his friends and the site of many scandalous evenings.
Lucky for those around him, he treated his circle well and build five star accommodations for their visits (very similar to the pull out couch our visitors are blessed with). No wonder the ranch became a getaway for the Hollywood elite.
After two hours of living vicariously through Hearst’s show of riches, we were heading back to the car (unfortunate bird incident happens here) and on our way south again.
We drove and drove, through San Luis Obispo, through Pismo Beach and stopped at Solvang. The town is a little Danish getaway, made famous by the movie Sideways. We sipped and swirled, had dinner and roamed the streets.
Like a long lost friend, we were thrilled to see our freeway exit later that night. It was a long and wonderful day with a perfect ending – an enthusiastic greeting from one very happy dog.
There were many life lessons during this trip and I feel like I came away from it a wiser person. Because I believe in sharing knowledge, I have listed out the most important points below:
- An Egg McMuffin will never cease to be excellent road food
- If you stare at the seaweed long enough, a sea lion will eventually pop its head out of the water
- There is such a thing as too much salt water taffy
- You can, in fact, drive off of the cliffs in Big Sur if you are not careful
- Just because a winery has a tasting room, it does not mean that the wine will be good
- If you are able to parlay your money into a media empire and build a castle on a hill, do it.
- A healthy marriage means surviving 15 hours in a car together without incident
- The happiest cows really do come from California
Posted by marcypoz7 
Posted by marcypoz7 
Posted by marcypoz7 
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