After a great rest at our "boutique hotel" we drove just a short distance up the coast to the Hearst Castle. The day was clear and sunny, so the ocean views on one side and coastal mountain views on the other were just stunning.
The Hearst Castle itself is impossible to describe. Building the 156-room main home and three large guest houses around the tapestries, art works, centuries-old furniture, and even entire rooms brought from Europe made at least one of us think that some people have too much money! However, the view from the top of the mountain is spectacular, and the tiles of the indoor pool (empty for the first time in many years) were very impressive.
We intended to have a picnic lunch at a rest area in the Salinas Valley, but because it was closed for re-construction, we had a rolling picnic on the bus. The afternoon drive was past miles of vineyards and through a salad bowl. With irrigation, the Salinas Valley produces 80% of all of
our lettuce plus dozens of other vegetables. We passed an open double semi full of carrots, and colorful signs in a few of the fields identified what was growing.
Once we got to the Monterey Peninsula, we drove along the Pacific Ocean on the 17 Mile Drive. Photo stops included ocean views, breaking waves, cypress trees shaped by the wind, cormorants and other ocean birds, many, many harbor seals, and even spouting whales. We also spent some time in Cannery Row shops before checking into our hotel for the evening.-Laurel Johnson, Tour Director
The Hearst Castle itself is impossible to describe. Building the 156-room main home and three large guest houses around the tapestries, art works, centuries-old furniture, and even entire rooms brought from Europe made at least one of us think that some people have too much money! However, the view from the top of the mountain is spectacular, and the tiles of the indoor pool (empty for the first time in many years) were very impressive.
We intended to have a picnic lunch at a rest area in the Salinas Valley, but because it was closed for re-construction, we had a rolling picnic on the bus. The afternoon drive was past miles of vineyards and through a salad bowl. With irrigation, the Salinas Valley produces 80% of all of
our lettuce plus dozens of other vegetables. We passed an open double semi full of carrots, and colorful signs in a few of the fields identified what was growing.
Once we got to the Monterey Peninsula, we drove along the Pacific Ocean on the 17 Mile Drive. Photo stops included ocean views, breaking waves, cypress trees shaped by the wind, cormorants and other ocean birds, many, many harbor seals, and even spouting whales. We also spent some time in Cannery Row shops before checking into our hotel for the evening.-Laurel Johnson, Tour Director
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