A 3 Day Escape to SLOCAL

California Less Traveled”

SLOCAL Motto

For those of you that don’t know, “SloCal” or “Slo” is what the central California coast is called by locals and visitors ……and now maybe even you. It is the region about half way between Los Angeles and San Francisco. What a great place to sneak away to on a last minute weekend trip. There is so much to see and do.

My friend Jeanne and I did just that last November. We wanted a quick getaway in a place a little warmer than Colorado. We booked our flight and headed out without hotel reservations. The off season is a great time to explore and not have anywhere to be by a certain time. We just looked for a place to stay when we were ready to call it a day.

Saturday – Heading from Colorado to California – DEN-SBP

We didn’t take off until nearly 9:00am from Denver and it was a three hour flight into San Luis Obispo. There is an advantage of flying west and to a very small airport. We grabbed our carryons and headed directly into the terminal auto rental desks by 11:30am. Avis, Budget and Hertz were just steps from gate. We could have flown into LAX or SFO but we would have had such a hassle getting a car and then a two hour drive. I always prefer a smaller airport.

Sometimes you just need to spoil yourself a little. A nice little Mustang convertible fit the bill. Jeanne is the hunter of car rental deals. She reserved online but bargained further at the rental desks to get just the car she wanted. Our car was just 20 feet from the exit door. Nice.

We took a quick spin around San Luis Obispo. It’s a beautiful small city with tree-lined streets and a main square called Mission Plaza. Yes, the city is named for the 1700’s Spanish mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa and it is one of California’s oldest European-founded communities. We decided to skip Bubblegum Alley and the Underground City (a maze of tunnels beneath the streets). I may return to this Cal Poly college town sometime to check out the Museum of Art and the May Festival of Beers one year. There are concerts on the square held each Friday during the summer. This trip we want to see an American Castle.

Hearst Castle Tour

The drive to Hearst castle was very scenic. We drove along the Pacific coast highway with its beautiful coastal views. A stop at the beach for photos was a must. It is crazy how the wind coming off the ocean and blowing in your hair is not irritating like it would be if I was headed out of the house at home. The flowering ice plant along the California coast is amazing.

The parking lot of the castle was sparsely populated. There are quite a few spots for electric vehicles up front. We parked very close to the entrance of the visitor’s center. The castle has been run by the California State Parks for more than 50 years. The visitor center is very nice and includes shops and various dining options as well as a theater to view a movie about the castle.

There are several different guided tours available. We didn’t come all this way to simply tour the grounds! We booked the next Casa Grande tour in order to go into the 68,500 square foot main residence. Not that we could see all 115 rooms or even all 38 bedrooms but a fair representation of what was inside. We had no problem at all just walking up and getting a ticket since it’s November. I don’t think I would come without a reservation during peak season though.

First, at your tour time, you ride a shuttle from the visitor’s center to the unloading platform near the staircase to the North Terrace. We barely had time for a break before setting off. It is a 15 minute ride of about 5 miles up a winding mountainside road. Not a problem at all for us Colorado girls.

There was an audio presentation on the shuttle giving some of the history of the estate. William Randolph Hearst called it his “ranch at San Simeon”. Apparently, it was used as a place to come camping before the castle was built. Camping to the Hearst’s sounded more like “glamping” as they had fully furnished canvas buildings on platforms for their “tents”. He hired a female architect from San Francisco to build the Mediterranean Revival home. It was formally named “La Cuesta Encantada” – the enchanted hill.

As we stepped off the shuttle, we were met by our guide Jason with the California State Parks. He gave us a rundown of the common sense rules that some tourists need to be reminded of quite frequently. We proceeded up the stairs to the North Unfinished Terrace which we were told was poured over a previous version that Hearst deemed unsatisfactory. Who cares about the terrace, the views are certainly enchanting! You can see all the way to the shoreline and out to the horizon. There was time for a few photographs and gazing before we proceeded to the Esplanade.

This esplanade contained flowers, trees, hedges and sculptures around every bend. Some of the trees are Coast Live Oaks that are native to the location. Some were fruit trees and others were palms. The variety of flowers is immense. Every type and color imaginable. A gardener’s delight. The sculptures ranged from a Princess Leia bunned girl feeding a goat to an ancient bust said to be over 3,000 years old. Amazing to see. Wow!

The center of the esplanade contains a swimming pool fit for, and surrounded by gods. It is named “The Neptune Pool” after the Roman God of the Sea. His statue can be seen right above the pool. Hearst would even heat the pool for his guests comfort which was not a common practice back then. Speaking of his guests comfort, there are three cottages for guests. They are larger than most homes today. They do not have kitchens, though, since guests were free to frolic about the estate during the day, but required to join him for dinner and festivities each evening. Each cottage is names for its view; Casa del Mar, Casa del Sol and Casa del Monte.

Next, we met up with our group in front of Casa Grande. It looks like a European cathedral. Our guide tells us the bell tower design came from a cathedral in Spain. We enter and it continues to look like a cathedral. Hearst even used choir seating as wainscoting! I guess when you have the ability to import treasures from all over the world, why not? Our guide told us the story of a tourist who was also a historian realizing a statue on display was one her team had been trying to locate unsuccessfully for years – and she just happened to discover it touring here with her family. It is obvious that Hearst brought many invaluable pieces to the hilltop that should perhaps be in museums in the places they came from.

Our guide bid us farewell and directed us where to meet the shuttle when we were ready to go. As hard as it is not to wander around the grounds a bit more, we know the days are short this time of year and we want to make it to the ocean side.

The last point of the tour was the Indoor Roman Pool. It sits beneath the tennis courts that have glass skylights incorporated into them to provide light to the pool. Another opulent space with over a million Murano glass tiles! (I have been to Murano and know that the smallest of small items are expensive.) Some of the pool tiles even have a layer of gold leaf inside. The designs are amazing. Architect Julia Morgan did herself proud.

As we descend the mountain, we take in the views as far a the eye can see and are amazed that at one point, Hearst owned it all.

Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery San Simeon

These seals are huge. They are easy to view and the area is free and open to the public. I am so glad we are here at this time of year and find it so easy to park. I am so sad that this is not the time of year to sea the pups. The area is quite nice. As soon as you get out of your vehicle, you can hear the seals, long before you can see them. There is a boardwalk along the edge of a drop off from which you can observe them. The seals seem oblivious to the myriad of humans so near to them. We watched them until it was nearly dark. They make the strangest noises and torment one another constantly. We saw a couple young bulls practicing their battle skills and others chasing one another in and out of the ocean. They are clumsy looking but can move pretty fast, especially when they hit the water.

We need to find a place to stay! I search for an inn or hotel while Jeanne drives south on scenic Highway 1. We get a splendid view of the sun fading beyond the horizon. We decided to go look at the Fog Catcher Inn Cambria in person. The photos look pretty nice. It is a seaside hotel across from Moonstone Beach. Oops, by the time we get there the NO VACANCY sign is illuminated. We pulled into a couple more places before deciding to head to Morro Bay instead. I booked a room online at the Ascot Inn at the Rock so we won’t be left out in the cold. The temperature certainly dropped once the sun went down. The top of the convertible is closed up tight for the remainder of our drive.

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Morro Bay is a quaint, tiny coastal town. We find the Ascot Inn and get checked into our room with a balcony and a fireplace. The staff are super friendly and welcoming. We had a problem getting a fire turned on but the front desk clerk came and got it going for us. Our balcony view didn’t afford us a peek at the water as we had hoped but it’s always nice to be able to enjoy some fresh air.

We popped over to the Pizza Port for a quick bite before calling it a day. It was a homey little place with a nice outdoor seating area. That may have been great earlier in the day. We chose to sit inside out of the cold. The food was quite yummy! Heading back through the hotel lobby, we grabbed a hot chocolate to warm ourselves up.

Sunday Was Not Exactly a Day of Rest

We took our time getting up and ready. The beds and room were very comfortable. Our stay included breakfast which was enough to keep us going for a long day. We got away to decompress so we decided to stick around this no stress location and see what we could discover.

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What a great little town. It is super walkable. We got permission to leave the car in the free parking lot at he hotel while we perused the nearby shops. There is a great antique store with a lot of items from the time we were growing up. Are we antiques, Jeanne? I think not! Nevertheless, we spent quite a bit of time looking through the merchandise and reminiscing. We each bought a couple things. Small things since we brought only our carryon bags.

I found out that this is where the Dory movie’s Marine Life Institute was said to be located. “The Jewel of Morro Bay” they said. Nope, not here – movie magic by the sea I guess.

Morro Bay

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Our hotel was only two blocks from the bay so we headed down to the water. We found the rock! And the stacks! Quite hard to miss as they dominate the seaside town. I guess Morro Bay has its own hand signal – a fist with one hand and three fingers upright on the other. It does match the skyline. There were many unique boutiques and galleries as well as some tasty looking restaurants, most with seafood and a nautical themes. We stopped in a cute shop and bought salt water taffy. I enjoyed a tasty latte as well to warm me up. We strolled the Embarcadero and enjoyed the views. There are beaches out to the rock which we learned is a volcanic mound. We spotted a group of sea lions out on a floating dock causing quite a racket.

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My favorite animals to watch were the sea otters floating on there backs right in the marina. Some were cuddling their pups. So cute! Jeanne and I enjoyed our yummy salt water taffy as we watched them. Be sure to try the taffy if you are ever here. We spotted a large seal swimming near the boats and under the wharf. I guess he was looking for a fisherman with some leftover bait fish. There were several different types of birds, too.

We walked toward Morro Rock a bit more and then turned around and went all the way back down to the end of the Embarcadero. Not to say, we didn’t pop into a few shops along the way. I bought a “Kuhl” hoodie that was warmer than the jacket I brought. Much warmer – I’m happy now. Except that it’s time to leave this charming town. I’ll be back to “put life on coast” someday. Maybe for the avocado and margarita festival one September. I’d also love to kayak the waters to see the wildlife up close.

Another lovely sunset on our way to Solvang.

Solvang – The Danish Capital of America

Highway 1 meets up with the 101 as it heads away from the ocean and into the Santa Ynez Valley. It was already dark when we reached Solvang. There were white lights on nearly every tee along the street. We passed all the way through town in order o pay a visit to a local family. After meeting the family, their dogs, and their chickens, we had a short visit and learned more about the area. For instance, those lights in town – those are not just for the upcoming holidays, they are there all year round. So pretty.

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We checked into The Kronborg Inn and Spa at Wine Country Manor and walked down the street to the Solvang Brewing Company for a late supper and a tasty beer. Our room was comfortable and clean but lacked a deadbolt or chain. Jeanne remedied that situation by placing a chair and ironing board blockade in front of our door. Safe and sound.

Monday arrived earlier than we would have liked but we were determined to see everything we could before our departure this afternoon. The Kronborg has a continental breakfast included, but we knew we had to head to a Solvang original – “Paula’s Pancake House”. It was definitely worth passing up the hotel spread. We sat outside in the cute courtyard with fall decor. Great lattes to start, followed by large, thin, but somehow still fluffy old fashioned buttermilk pancakes with apples and powered sugar. I tried the Dutch sausage and Jeanne had the crispy bacon as a side. This meal might last us all day!

It’s Like Being Farther Away

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The architecture here beckons to a different place. The half timbered buildings and windmills definitely remind me of the Baltic region. There were so many cute shops with authentic imported goods. Of course, we and to duck in and browse in a few of them. We stopped in and enjoyed an engaging conversation with a gentleman in Hanson’s Clock Shop. The majority of the clocks are from the Black Forest in Bavaria. There were a few from northern Europe but we were told “those are not the clocks people want”. The selection was great as you could find the very size and combination of unique characters you would want on them. I found a house cookie cutter for my realtor friend back home at a huge shop called Rasmussen’s and a Danish doll dress for my granddaughter at The Doll House.

So many shops we would have loved to step into had to be passed by due to time constraints. There were Danish bakeries, (good thing we were full), The Old Danish Fudge kitchen, and a Danish chocolate shop to name a few. We also passed restaurants like Copenhagen Sausage Garden, Solvang Restaurant, and many small cafes. Wine, wine, and more wine – shops advertising tastings on every block.

Did I mention that there is a mission here? Yes, California has more than its fair share of missons. The one in Solvang is Mission Santa Ynes. It’s a Spanish mission named for St Agnes of Rome. That’s all I got on that subject since we didn’t tour this mission and it’s time to head back to San Luis Obispo Airport for our afternoon flight home.

It’s only an hour’s drive from Solvang to San Luis Obispo via the 101. There are so many wineries along the way.

We made it to the airport, checked our car in, and walked a few feet to security. What? We had to wait behind three people in line in front of us! So crowded. Then we sat in some lounge chairs outside in the waning California sun. Do you want to play corn hole? You can, but we didn’t. We just took it SLO. Did I mention how much I love this small airport.

What a great weekend in central California! So much to see and do. Maybe so much to see and do that I now need to plan to be “Livin’ the Slo life” for a week – or two. SLOCAL was certainly a great adventure.