Crossing the Colorado River at Needles, the introduction to California is by way of the Mojave Desert and rocky mountain range after range. Some would argue that this country is nothing more than hell on earth, but I found it absolutely beautiful. The rock formations, the rainbow of colours in the layers of the canyon walls and the huge changing sky above. The only true eyesore is the tarmac that snakes its way across the valley floors and over the rise, peppered with speeding trucks and cars! I image the early explorers and pilgrims making their way west from somewhere lush like New England would have thought that they were destined to die of thirst in the lonely expanse of country that is south eastern California, but for those who hung in there, the Pacific coastline, when she appears on the horizon it truly beautiful and somehow comforting. To know I am looking across the water to home is good for the soul.
We skipped LA and its hustle and bustle and instead
made a beeline for Santa Barbara just in time to watch the sunset and to settle
into some comfy digs for the night.
Santa Barbara is a lovely village with a great old fashioned feel to
it. The architecture is all
Spanish-mission style and it has a wonderful old ‘main street’ leading directly
onto the pier. Sitting in a little
coffee shop watching the world go by, it was hard to believe that I was only a
short drive from LA. Everything felt
really relaxed and charmed in Santa Barbara.
Even the seagulls seemed to have taken a chill pill.
From there, I followed the scenic coast highway north. This driving route is breathtaking to the
extent that concentrating on the twisting road is almost impossible. The Californian coastline is incredibly
rugged and in places baron while in other spots, lush with oak trees, huge
stands of eucalyptus, and the occasional redwood. We took some detours into the countryside
along the way and discovered a veritable smorgasbord of fruit trees,
strawberry farms, vegetable crops of every description and of course, oil beam
pumps. The towns varied from downright
‘plant your foot and move through quickly’ to great little market towns with
old store fronts and mission style buildings.
All still draped in their Christmas decorations and lights.
My next stop was Santa Maria to catch up with some
friends. After getting in some quality
‘dog time’ with hypo Sam, we were taken on a tour of the local area to view the
Elephant Seal rockery at Morro Bay. What
amazing creatures and unbelievably enormous.
I had no appreciation for the size of these guys. Huge big blobs of fat that can move
surprisingly quickly to protect their harems from the curious eyes of the young
fellows! A relaxing meander along the
rocky cliffs, followed by a wonderful snack and coffee at “Fat Katz” on a pier
and then home to a true Chilean style BBQ (my host being a Chilean/American).
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| Hearst Castle |
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| Roman Baths of the castle |
From Santa Maria to Carmel and Monterey via Hearst
Castle. Now that place is something to
be seen. I don’t believe you can genuinely
suggest this property is kitsch. It is a
true museum piece and something that I think both Mr Hearst and his
one-of-a-kind architect can rest in peace being proud of. It is magnificent and filled with amazing
antiquities that have been treated with respect in terms of their placement and
incorporation into the castle. Its wonderful to see that this property and its
treasures have all been protected and cared for. A trip along this coastline isn’t complete
without taking a few hours to explore and learn about Hearst and his castle.
Carmel and Monterey – well both these communities are
lovely in their own ways. Carmel is like
a postcard. It’s a really leafy hickledy
pickledy community nestled on the hills right up to the rocky cliffs adjoining
the ocean. Gorgeous little shops, cafes
and galleries line its main street and it really is a magnet for the rich and
famous. Monterey, also hugging the
coastline, has a more laid back coastal town feel. It was once a huge fishing community with a
cannery and wharfs for manufacturing all things seafood. These days it still has a significant fishing
fleet, but its wharfs have been turned into a wonderful museum, gallery,
aquarium and entertainment district. Its
also home to the Harvard marine research centre. Again, seals make the beaches their home at
various times of the year and therefore, humans are prohibited. Very cool I think. |
| Painted Ladies |
Next stop…..San Francisco. What a fantastic city. Loved it.
I even kind of got to enjoy the ridiculous up and over streets and
walking up then down, then up then down just to get a coffee. I don’t think my butt has had such a good
workout in years. I did all the
compulsory tourist stops – Golden Gate, Fisherman’s Wharf, Sausalito, Pacific
Heights, Russian Hill, the Crooked Street, Cow Hollow, the Painted Ladies and the
Golden Gate Park. Push biking is definitely
the way to explore SF apart of course, from the wonderful old cable cars! Also took the opportunity to enjoy some
world class blues at the Biscuits & Blues bar. A great way to top off the visit to this
beautiful city.
From SF there is only one place to go and that is the
Sonoma and Napa Valleys to taste wines and meander, which I most dutifully
did. There was no arm-twisting although
I will need many more SF hills to whip this body back into shape. Both food and wine in the Napa were wonderful
and staying in a great little B&B with our own fireplace was a perfect
finish before we donned the snow gear again and headed into them thar hills
towards Lake Tahoe………
