April 17 Carmel Valley to San Simion

I forgot to mention in yesterday's entry that as we entered downtown Monterey, we came upon a rally...it was a political rally, a Tea Party rally to be exact. We could clearly hear the speaker slamming the government. We knew it was a Tea Party rally because that's what their t shirts said.

This morning we left Carmel Valley at around 10 and headed for Hearst Castle. Since highway 1 is closed due to "slides" we had to find an alternate route. We chose the road less traveled and drove through cattle country and wine country. At times the road was one lane, and the turns were hairpin but the scenery was spectacular.

We arrived at Hearst Castle, which is high on a mountain top overlooking the Pacific Ocean, just in time for our tour. William Randolph Hurst donated this castle and the surrounding land to the State of California so that many could enjoy it. It is now a State Park. Hurst was an extremely wealthy man who not only inherited a fortune but made a fortune. His father's money came from silver and Randolph increased the family fortune in the newspaper business.

After a European tour with his mother when he was ten years old, Randolph became obsessed with antiquities and so began his life long hobby of collecting works of art from around the world. The castle contains works that are as old as any you would find in the great capitals of Europe. Marble statues, ornate ceiling tiles, gold leaf, tapestries, and even an Egyptian statue from 400 AD are just some of the wonderful pieces we saw on our tour.

During it's day the castle had many famous visitors. Mr. Hurst entertained movie stars, industrialists, athletes and the political elite in his "camp hill". As we walked through the dining room and through the guest houses we could almost  hear the sounds of the guests as they left the dining room after dinner and sauntered towards the movie theatre where the evening's entertainment always included a movie. Hurst owned movie studios as well as newspapers. Our tour also included a visit to both the outdoor and indoor pools which looked more like Roman baths than swimming pools.

After three hours at Hurst Castle we made our way to San Simeon State Park where we will stay for the night. There is no power hookup here, but this vehicle has a generator, just in case we need it. We love this RV...stovetop, fridge, microwave, stereo and even a television...all in 19 feet!




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