In the late 18th century, Spanish colonists named this stretch of land
El Pais Grande del Sur, meaning "the big country to the south". The length of Highway 1 running from Carmel to San Simeon is 160 km of breathtaking vistas: mountains, cliffs and surf. There are no large towns, and most of the shoreline is protected by a series of state parks, many established by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s as Highway 1 was built.
Carmel was covered in a thick coastal fog when we left early on Tuesday morning, but in true California fashion, the sun came out the minute we hit Highway 1. We popped in the Beach Boys CD (cheesy, I know, but it had to be done) and proceeded to enjoy some of the most stunning views North America has to offer. This drive is not for the faint of stomach. The twists and turns along the coastal cliffs have nauseated lesser souls, but Sarah has a hearty constitution and has experienced/suffered through my driving before. We became compulsive "vista stoppers"; you get worried that by skipping one of the scenic lookouts, you'll miss out on one of the incredible views.
All the guide books recommended a stop at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, so we parked the car and went for a short hike to see the McWay Creek Waterfall (it's featured on just about every postcard and coffee table book on Big Sur out there). The waterfall is about 30 metres high and drops directly onto the sand, where the water seems to just disappear. This property was donated to the state of California in the 1930s and the remains of a private villa overlooking the waterfall are still visible. The owners had planted lots of non-indigenous fruit and palm trees near the edge of the cliff and the smell of eucalyptus and cedar was incredible. Unfortunately, the rest of the hiking trails had been closed due to damage by recent brush fires and floods, so we headed back on the road towards San Simeon.
It happens to be molting season for Elephant seals, so it made sense to check out the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, located about 5 km north of San Simeon. It's a stretch of rocky beach that is home to hundreds of Elephant Seals (the ones with the funny noses). Females arrive in December and the babies are born at the end of January (Fun Trivia Fact: baby Elephant seals are called "weaners" once they are left on their own at about four weeks of age). The seals return once or twice in the spring and summer to molt, and there were quite a few in desperate need of exfoliation when we stopped for a look. There was also lots of testosterone on display - I caught a good shot of two of the males barking and lunging at each other.
San Simeon is a tiny fishing village consisting of four motels, a dock and a general store. But it's also world famous as the home of Hearst Castle, the private playground and museum of media tycoon William Randolph Hearst. It was Hearst's lifelong dream to build a European-style castle on this site - the location of many happy childhood holidays. His father had bought 48,000 acres of land in the area in 1865 after making millions through prospecting. As an adult, William Randolph Hearst made his own fortune in magazine and newspaper publishing. When he inherited the land in 1919, he began plans for a magnificent castle in his mother's memory. Construction began in 1922, overseen by architect Julia Morgan, one of the first women to graduate with an engineering degree from Berkeley and the first woman to graduate in architecture from the Ecole Nationale et Speciale des Beaux-Arts in Paris. She and Hearst shared a love of the creative process and collaborated on most of the design elements of the structure.
What boggles the mind is not only the incredible architecture of the complex itself, but the vast collection of European art and furnishings that it houses. Hearst purchased many of his treasures at auctions and designed several of the rooms around elements such as 16th century fireplace mantles, Renaissance paintings, and Belgian tapestries. The grounds are equally magnificent; Hearst had thousands of trees, flowering plants and sculptural elements imported. A big sports fan and avid swimmer, he also oversaw the construction (built and torn out three times until he felt the design was right) of the Neptune Pool, inspired by Greek and Roman architecture. The pool is 32 metres long and 10 feet deep, made out of white marble and has colonnades and a reproduction Greek temple containing actual columns from ancient Rome. Apparently Johnny Weissmuller enjoyed swimming here as a guest.
Hearst enjoyed entertaining and would organize weekend parties in which he brought together people from the worlds of politics, film, academia and grand society. Charlie Chaplin, Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Bob and Dolores Hope, George Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill, Hedda Hopper and Amelia Earhart were all guests at one time. Hearst disliked the over-consumption of alcohol and insisted his guests mix and mingle, which is reflected in the design of the main building and adjacent bungalows. While accommodations were lavish, food and drink were not allowed in the guest rooms, and all meals had to be taken in the large refectory dining room. Staff were instructed never to serve more than two cocktails before dinner. "Sleeping-in" was actively discouraged.
Sarah and I enjoyed the "Part One" tour so much (ground floor and bungalows), we decided to return the next morning to take "Part Two", which includes the upstairs rooms, Hearst's private quarters and the kitchen. I can see why Hearst loved this part of California so much - the landscape is incredible and the sunsets aren't too shabby either :)
In the late 18th century, Spanish colonists named this stretch of land El Pais Grande del Sur, meaning "the big country to the south". The length of Highway 1 running from Carmel to San Simeon is 160 km of breathtaking vistas: mountains, cliffs and surf. There are no large towns, and most of the shoreline is protected by a series of state parks, many established by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s as Highway 1 was built.
Carmel was covered in a thick coastal fog when we left early on Tuesday morning, but in true California fashion, the sun came out the minute we hit Highway 1. We popped in the Beach Boys CD (cheesy, I know, but it had to be done) and proceeded to enjoy some of the most stunning views North America has to offer. This drive is not for the faint of stomach. The twists and turns along the coastal cliffs have nauseated lesser souls, but Sarah has a hearty constitution and has experienced/suffered through my driving before. We became compulsive "vista stoppers"; you get worried that by skipping one of the scenic lookouts, you'll miss out on one of the incredible views.
All the guide books recommended a stop at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, so we parked the car and went for a short hike to see the McWay Creek Waterfall (it's featured on just about every postcard and coffee table book on Big Sur out there). The waterfall is about 30 metres high and drops directly onto the sand, where the water seems to just disappear. This property was donated to the state of California in the 1930s and the remains of a private villa overlooking the waterfall are still visible. The owners had planted lots of non-indigenous fruit and palm trees near the edge of the cliff and the smell of eucalyptus and cedar was incredible. Unfortunately, the rest of the hiking trails had been closed due to damage by recent brush fires and floods, so we headed back on the road towards San Simeon.
It happens to be molting season for Elephant seals, so it made sense to check out the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, located about 5 km north of San Simeon. It's a stretch of rocky beach that is home to hundreds of Elephant Seals (the ones with the funny noses). Females arrive in December and the babies are born at the end of January (Fun Trivia Fact: baby Elephant seals are called "weaners" once they are left on their own at about four weeks of age). The seals return once or twice in the spring and summer to molt, and there were quite a few in desperate need of exfoliation when we stopped for a look. There was also lots of testosterone on display - I caught a good shot of two of the males barking and lunging at each other.
San Simeon is a tiny fishing village consisting of four motels, a dock and a general store. But it's also world famous as the home of Hearst Castle, the private playground and museum of media tycoon William Randolph Hearst. It was Hearst's lifelong dream to build a European-style castle on this site - the location of many happy childhood holidays. His father had bought 48,000 acres of land in the area in 1865 after making millions through prospecting. As an adult, William Randolph Hearst made his own fortune in magazine and newspaper publishing. When he inherited the land in 1919, he began plans for a magnificent castle in his mother's memory. Construction began in 1922, overseen by architect Julia Morgan, one of the first women to graduate with an engineering degree from Berkeley and the first woman to graduate in architecture from the Ecole Nationale et Speciale des Beaux-Arts in Paris. She and Hearst shared a love of the creative process and collaborated on most of the design elements of the structure.
What boggles the mind is not only the incredible architecture of the complex itself, but the vast collection of European art and furnishings that it houses. Hearst purchased many of his treasures at auctions and designed several of the rooms around elements such as 16th century fireplace mantles, Renaissance paintings, and Belgian tapestries. The grounds are equally magnificent; Hearst had thousands of trees, flowering plants and sculptural elements imported. A big sports fan and avid swimmer, he also oversaw the construction (built and torn out three times until he felt the design was right) of the Neptune Pool, inspired by Greek and Roman architecture. The pool is 32 metres long and 10 feet deep, made out of white marble and has colonnades and a reproduction Greek temple containing actual columns from ancient Rome. Apparently Johnny Weissmuller enjoyed swimming here as a guest.
Hearst enjoyed entertaining and would organize weekend parties in which he brought together people from the worlds of politics, film, academia and grand society. Charlie Chaplin, Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Bob and Dolores Hope, George Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill, Hedda Hopper and Amelia Earhart were all guests at one time. Hearst disliked the over-consumption of alcohol and insisted his guests mix and mingle, which is reflected in the design of the main building and adjacent bungalows. While accommodations were lavish, food and drink were not allowed in the guest rooms, and all meals had to be taken in the large refectory dining room. Staff were instructed never to serve more than two cocktails before dinner. "Sleeping-in" was actively discouraged.
Sarah and I enjoyed the "Part One" tour so much (ground floor and bungalows), we decided to return the next morning to take "Part Two", which includes the upstairs rooms, Hearst's private quarters and the kitchen. I can see why Hearst loved this part of California so much - the landscape is incredible and the sunsets aren't too shabby either :)
2 comments:
Hi its Hunter umm well you write so much and well its summer so i don't want to read it all because its work. I'm surprised that you haven't written any books yet. But i read the first paragragh and half of the second so your in the town carmel is there lots of caramel please bring me back some if there is. P.S i love the photos.
Ironic that Mr. Hearst is nowadays barely more famous than his architect, Ms. Morgan. See my Word Face-Off blog post with several photos.
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