Spent the morning touring the Piedras Blanca (White Rock) Light Station. Established in the 19th Century, the lighthouse and foghorn aided navigation in the San Simeon area for many years. Today the area is used primarily for studies of native plants and animals. Later in the day we toured the Hearst Castle on the top of the hill looking down on San Simeon Bay. It was filled with an incredible collection of ancient art works and sounded like it would have been a fun place to have been a guest in the early 20th Century. After such a busy day we decided to spend a second night in the area but opted for a simple dinner and beer in our room.
Did you notice the very humble condiments on the grand dining room table? Always thought that was ironic in the midst of such opulence! Haven’t been there in years but loved it, especially Big Sur area. I stayed at the Big Sur Lodge which was just magical. And yes, the road is twisty and worth every “extra” photo along the way.
Over a long weekend we sampled some of the myriad things to do in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, unique among national parks for it’s environmental reclamation, historic preservation, and recreational opportunities adjacent to the populous cities of Cleveland and Akron in northeastern Ohio. Can’t wait to return and explore more.
Our journey from Portsmouth, England to our home in Ohio might have been accomplished in about sixteen hours but my avoiding air travel we were able to enjoy a fifteen day journey home via train, ship, Uber, train, as well as our own feet and finally our personal vehicle.
It’s been a fascinating two day visit to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. We managed to pack in tours of the HMS Warrior, the HMS Victory as well ast Victory Live: The
Big Repair, and finally the Mary Rose. All were incredibly informative and well presented.
Did you notice the very humble condiments on the grand dining room table? Always thought that was ironic in the midst of such opulence! Haven’t been there in years but loved it, especially Big Sur area. I stayed at the Big Sur Lodge which was just magical. And yes, the road is twisty and worth every “extra” photo along the way.
Did you put together jigsaw puzzles while lounging on the dining room floor of the Hearst estate?
Thursday, October 23, 2008 – 03:14 PM