Day 9 - Hearst Castle and Sea Otters
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| What a View |
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| Bluebird Inn |
Cambria proved to be the perfect overnight staging post. The Bluebird Inn was a great Motel and, because it was in town, there were several Restaurants to choose from within walking distance. We chose Robin's and were not disappointed. The bill was a bit heavy but it rounded off a perfect day.
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| Nitt Witt Ridge |
TW decided she wanted to visit Hearst Castle and the Motel Receptionist was really helpful in getting us booked in for a Tour for later in the day. A good Breakfast and were all set to go. First stop was to Nitt Witt Ridge. An eccentric chap who was a bin man built this house out of junk and maybe inspired shabby chic. I thought it might give us some suggestions for our refurbishment but TW was not impressed, she is a bit John Lewis. Not sure the Nitt Witt was a great neighbour.
It was a useful counterweight to our next target, Hearst Castle. Might seem odd going to visit a Castle in the USA when we have so many at home but this one has proper toilets and a couple of tidy swimming pools.
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| Hearst Castle |
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| Every Castle should have one |
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| The indoor pool |
It was built by media mogul William Randolph Hearst who inspired Citizen Kane, bit of a heavy film in Black and White. The Castle itself is in stunning Technicolor on a fantastic location high in the hills overlooking the Ocean. WRH built it to entertain his celebrity guests and ran his Newspaper empire from here, not sure how he managed 'working from home' without the internet? Anyway he made a lot of money and spent it just as quickly. The place is stuffed with antiquities from Europe and has an Italian look to it. The estate is so big that it needs a fleet of buses to go from the Entrance to the Castle. He kept changing his mind and reworking the place and never quite finished it. Our guided tour was a nice way to spend the morning and we both found it interesting. Glad we stayed at the Bluebird Inn though, it's a bit creepy in the Castle.
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| Otters at play |
Getting Otter - next stop was Morro Bay to see the Sea Otters. These very comical creatures were enjoying a swim near the wharf. They are an endangered species but at least they are not hunted for fur anymore. There are problems with toxins in the water and sharks tend to take a bite out of their numbers.
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| Morro Rock |
Back on the road South through San Luis Obispo. We managed to get a bit lost in town but eventually found our way to Pismo Beach for our late Lunch at the Ventana Grill. Nice outlook and good grub.
Traffic now getting heavy as we moved towards Santa Barbara and it was a great relief when we reached the Peppertree Inn, our pleasant accommodation for the next two nights. Our room was bit dark because of a massive tree by the balcony but otherwise perfect.
There was a Chucks Diner next to the Hotel so that was Dinner sorted. Very busy and noisy on a Friday night. Looked to be mainly smart locals enjoying some relaxation after a busy week. We sat, and ate, at the bar and watched the expert barman ply his trade. The background noise was amazing. Americans talk - a lot!
Where we stayed-
http://www.bestwesternpeppertreeinn.com/ Santa Barbara
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