Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Part 2

After getting our fill of Mexican food, we proceeded to make our journey on the PCH.  The weather chose to cooperate and we were enjoying the cool breeze coming from the Pacific Ocean.  It is a very welcome respite from the LA heat.

San Luis Obispo -- roughly halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles -- is home to the Morro Rock.  "Morro" is Spanish for crown. It was named such a Portuguese explorer in the 1500s.  This historic landmark is actually a volcanic plug formed millions of years ago from extinct volcanoes.  A causeway was built between the rock and the harbor so people can drive up close.

Morro Rock

 He was sleeping and his dad woke him up. Hence the fez.

 

View from the Harbor

 If it weren't for the fact that this site is literally beside PCH, we wouldn't be going out of our way to see it.  There really wasn't anything to see here I guess besides the protected birds who have made this their sanctuary.  But I'm not really a bird person, so the only cool thing is that its millions of years old. Okay.... next time, I'll pass.

About an hour from SLO, we arrived at the first main destination of our trip -- the Hearst Castle. Built between 1919 to 1947 by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst (Trivia: he is the inspiration for the main character in Citizen Kane) , this sprawling estate boasts a large collection of arts and antiques.  Several years after Hearst' death in 1951, his corporation donated the property to the State of California.  It has since then become a state historic park open to the public.

Tours are available for the different parts of the property like the Grand Rooms, Upstairs Suites, and Cottages and Kitchens for $25 per person. Reservation are highly recommended and can be made here.  I reserved the last tour of the day, but we arrived early and the lady at the ticket counter gave us an earlier ticket.  Which is actually better as it gave us more time to roam the grounds after the tour.  From the Visitor Center, we rode a bus that took us on a 5 mile drive up towards the castle.

Strollers are not allowed in the grounds.  There were stairs all over and the place is not really accessible for strollers.  Good thing I researched and reserved beforehand, so I know we had to bring the Bjorn carrier.  Imagine just carrying 25 lbs Macu up and down the stairs?  Good luck.