Day 10: Cambria- Santa Barbara

Woke up this morning and had a fantastic breakfast at the Cambria Pines lodge and then walked around their beautiful gardens. It was a little chilly for the butterflies in the butterfly garden, but it was fun to walk around.

Then we headed back up north, passed by the Hearst Castle (my summer cottage) again and went to see the Elephant seals. At first we saw only a few and then TONS of them, both in the water and on the sand. The males are butt ugly and apparently the beach gets an average of 4,000 seals chilling on the beach. Female seals are pregnant for 11 months, and then four days after having their pups they are pregnant again- I can't imagine life being any worse!

Then we headed back into the town of Cambria which is very cute and had lots of local art and bakeries, and great restaurants. We briefly drove thru the town of Harmony (population 18), which our guide book had recommended but we didn't feel like walking around, and it didn't look much like it was worth the mention.

Next stop, Moonstone beach which I naively thought would be covered in moonstones. It was quite the search but I got two pocketfuls of moonstones and just cool stones.

It was another foggy and cold day but we braved the cold and put that roof down in hopes that it would get warmer. We headed to Morro Bay which is a "volcanic plug"-a volcanic landform created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. We couldn't see the top of it but from where we were standing, it was huge!

We hopped back on the road and route 1 took us more inland where it was warmer and less foggy and MUCH appreciated! Inland was filled with rolling golden hills and cow pastures. It was amazing to think that over a hill there was the large, loud, foggy, and cold Pacific Ocean!

We are now sitting in our beds and watching TV after having an awesome Mexican dinner at Los Agaves (voted best Mexican in Santa Barbara this year). Our hotel is on one of the busier streets on the harbor so I'm crossing my fingers for a good nights sleep. Tomorrow we'll walk around town for a bit and then head to Tujunga Canyon and spend time with my Aunt Kat, Uncle Malcolm and cousin Calley, before heading back to Colorado on Wednesday!

It has been a great trip and I know that plenty of people have done it in less time. I think 10 days was a great amount of time but could have easily packed more things in with a few extra days (whale watching, kayaking, a massage, exploring more inland). I highly recommend this trip and will most likely be doing it again soon!

a mini gardens we actually missed

young bulls sparring

Look at that chunker!

This one's for you, Rachael

What idiot picks up an elephant seal pup?

that is what we should've seen

that is what we saw

MOMMA'S NOTES

Male elephant seals are about the ugliest males on the planet with so much testosterone that they spar for practice until November when they return to almost kill each other for real, staking out their harems. And these charmers keep the females pregnant for all but 4 days a year every year of their lives after they mature at age 3 or 4.

They mesmerized us for over an hour.

Still scoured the horizon for a whale and Eliza also hoped for a white shark and a Planet Earth moment with a seal pup in it's jaws.

The town of Harmony with a population of 18... it has it's own post office! Really? No wonder the US Post Office is going broke.

We are both a little sun and wind burned from the top down drive today, a pleasant change from the last colder and foggy days. Not that we are complaining. Eliza returns to CO and 90+ degree temperatures and I will soon be in Singapore and 90+ temps and humidity.

We've started to realize our vacation together is coming to an end. Much to get back to but this has been a lot of fun.

Day 9: Carmel - Cambria

What another awesome day today!

We were woken up to a damn seagull that wouldn't stop chirping or whatever it was doing. So we left our hotel and walked around the town. The town of Carmel is cute, however overpriced stores with a lot of not-so-great art... AND.... Carmel LOVES Kinkade....ugh....

Then we drove down route 1 some more and stopped at the 40 foot waterfall that drops into the ocean at the Julia Pfeiffer Burns national park. It was absolutely breathtaking. And then a little further on our walk and we came to the sight of a landslide that went right into the water.

Our next stop was the Hearst Castle in San Simeon. Perhaps the coolest and most fascinating thing I've seen this trip! What a lot of interesting history, architecture and landscaping.... AND.... the site of my new home? I wish! There are still zebras that run free along the property from his days of having his own zoo.

Now we are laying in our beds at the Cambria Pines lodge. We haven't been able to see it during the day yet but our room is HUGE and has a fire place so we can't complain!

UGH
A fantastic stop at the Big Sur Bakery
Can't get enough of these waves!
At the waterfall!
Beautiful wildflowers everywhere!

Leftovers from the landslide



badass bridges
Surfing anyone?
Hearst Castle
Oh this is just part of the parlor
Oh that old thing? It's just the front door!

Amazing gardens!
The Neptune Pool (if you swim in it you get a $650 fine)

The family home (of the 4 on the property)
Succulents!
Another view of the pool (one of 2)
The roman pool (that's the diving deck on the top)- and below the tennis courts
ZEBRAS!
Mommy and Baby

MOMMA'S NOTES

I think it's getting a little warmer as we head South. We still turn the heat on when we put the top down and it would have to snow to prevent us from chillin' in our convertible.

The road sign indicated 74 miles of S turns and that was pretty much it. When not averting my eyes from the edge I was enjoying the beautiful coast and (as usual) looking for whales.

Hearst Castle was the highlight of the day. Eliza wants to marry into the family and I thought we might have to pay the $650 fine, the pools were so appealing.