Exploring the Hearst Castle

When I woke up this morning, it was to the sound of my hostel roommates complaining about the rain. I knew it was going to rain...the newspaper confirmed this last night. It is Sunday, Super Bowl Sunday. Buses are even less reliable on Sundays, so I don't bother taking my chances there (the bus schedule says I can make it to the coast on the #10 bus, which runs 3 times today, four hours apart). I decide to join my friends on a trip to San Simeon State Historical Monument Park to see the Hearst Castle. We start with our pancake breakfast (I add chocolate chips to mine) and I scramble two eggs for protein. Then, we pack the four of us into their rental car (a Prius) and drive north through San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, Harmony, and Cambria to San Simeon. This drive is a great scouting trip for me. I stop in the Bridge Street House (a small HI hostel in Cambria) to check out the place, and I also scope out the coast in Morro Bay, and San Simeon checking to see what low tide looks like in these areas, and what type of terrain I will be walking on. This area of the Central Coast looks incredible, but I will most likely be walking on the cliff edge at times, due to the extremely rocky coast. The Hearst Castle is a reasonable $20 charge for the 2 hour guided tour of the grounds and I fall in love with both the indoor and the outdoor pools. At one time, this estate included the largest zoo in the world, now those animals live in the San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles Zoos. I am throughly impressed by the sheer size of this estate and the beautiful grounds it includes, although being 1000 feet above Sea Level is an odd feeling, when you have become accustomed to the sea level life. I finally have some serious time to play with my new camera. Eventually, we make our way back to San Luis Obispo, where we lunch at the Firestone Cafe and attempt to watch the Super Bowl. None of us four girls enjoy the game, so we ignore the football and watch the commercials. We leave 20 minutes into the game and they drive back to Santa Barbara, while I stay in downtown San Luis Obispo, since my hostel is still closed for at least another hour. Tomorrow is going to be sunny, and no matter what tomorrow brings, I am finding myself at the shore...I hate being inland. The ocean has become my home and I feel far from the familiar. I am ready to hike.

The tour includes the guest houses, main houses, and the pools. I ask "Can I just stay here and admire the pool?"