The boys got up this morning and immediately began playing with some other kids in the campground. We happen to have camped near this German family who we also camped next to when we were in Bodega Bay. Randi and I got the van packed up so we could get an early start to Hearst Castle. We didn’t make reservations for a tour and we weren’t sure if we’d have to wait. It didn’t take long to get there since Hearst Castle is just up the road from our campground. The site is now run by the State of California but a good portion is still owned by the Hearst family. We arrived and found that it was no problem to get on a tour so got our tickets and headed up the hill five miles to the Hearst compound. The whole place is run very efficiently with buses and lots of staff a whole information center. There are furnishings and art worth millions of dollars so you have to be guided through the home. It was interesting, reminded me of some things I’ve seen in Europe. The kids seemed to like it. I thought they might be bored but they seemed interested. The tour lasts about 90 minutes or so, and then we are returned to the visitor’s center where we grab some lunch and then watch the National Geographic production about Hearst Castle.
By the time we’re done in San Simeon it’s 1:30 in the afternoon. We still have to get a good portion of our drive done so that we can make it home by tomorrow. We take off down the coast and say good-bye to the ocean, for now. We all return in just a few short weeks for a visit with my sister in Manhattan Beach. As we start heading inland we pass through a pretty large grape producing region, and where there’s grapes, there’s wine. OK, just one more stop and then we’ll head home. We pick a winery that looked the most inviting, you know Spanish architecture, big trees, lots of vines. Randi and I sample some of the wines while the kids taste some grape juice. We buy a bottle of Pinot Grigio and head back to the Westy for our long drive to Barstow. Well we get to the town of Paso de Robles and traffic is backed up. Apparently everyone else is also heading back to the east after a holiday weekend on the coast. It’s hot. Real hot. (Remember we don’t have air conditioning.) We wait and inch forward and wait and inch forward and finally the congestion begins to clear. We’re on the move again and heading for Bakersfield. It’s getting later in the afternoon and the air is a bit cooler now. The kids are doing great in the car, even though it’s a long day. We pass the time playing a game we invented just yesterday – it’s called NAME! THAT! CROP! You have to yell that every time you see a new crop along the roadside. Today we’re passing by a lot of vineyards, but also nut orchards like almonds and pistachios. Somewhere in the middle of California we stop at a roadside and pick up some nuts. Then it’s on the road again.
Our brilliant plan is to get to Barstow and find a hotel for the night. There’s no camping in that area and nothing to see. Then we’ll get up early in the morning and drive through the Mojave desert and on home to Flagstaff. Well we get to Barstow and have a little trouble finding the hotels. After a brief flashback of roadside camping we come across a stretch with several options. We pick out the best one (for Barstow) and go into check in. The boys almost immediately find the pool. We’re there late, talking with other travelers, then return to the room. On the television when we get back to the room is the movie Tommy Boy starring our patron saint of travel, Chris Farley. They watch for a while then we set the alarm for 6:45 am so we can get an early start in the morning. The pool and the shower were refreshing. I was reluctant to get a hotel room at first because we’ve not needed one this whole trip, but it was definitely the right decision for today.
By the time we’re done in San Simeon it’s 1:30 in the afternoon. We still have to get a good portion of our drive done so that we can make it home by tomorrow. We take off down the coast and say good-bye to the ocean, for now. We all return in just a few short weeks for a visit with my sister in Manhattan Beach. As we start heading inland we pass through a pretty large grape producing region, and where there’s grapes, there’s wine. OK, just one more stop and then we’ll head home. We pick a winery that looked the most inviting, you know Spanish architecture, big trees, lots of vines. Randi and I sample some of the wines while the kids taste some grape juice. We buy a bottle of Pinot Grigio and head back to the Westy for our long drive to Barstow. Well we get to the town of Paso de Robles and traffic is backed up. Apparently everyone else is also heading back to the east after a holiday weekend on the coast. It’s hot. Real hot. (Remember we don’t have air conditioning.) We wait and inch forward and wait and inch forward and finally the congestion begins to clear. We’re on the move again and heading for Bakersfield. It’s getting later in the afternoon and the air is a bit cooler now. The kids are doing great in the car, even though it’s a long day. We pass the time playing a game we invented just yesterday – it’s called NAME! THAT! CROP! You have to yell that every time you see a new crop along the roadside. Today we’re passing by a lot of vineyards, but also nut orchards like almonds and pistachios. Somewhere in the middle of California we stop at a roadside and pick up some nuts. Then it’s on the road again.
Our brilliant plan is to get to Barstow and find a hotel for the night. There’s no camping in that area and nothing to see. Then we’ll get up early in the morning and drive through the Mojave desert and on home to Flagstaff. Well we get to Barstow and have a little trouble finding the hotels. After a brief flashback of roadside camping we come across a stretch with several options. We pick out the best one (for Barstow) and go into check in. The boys almost immediately find the pool. We’re there late, talking with other travelers, then return to the room. On the television when we get back to the room is the movie Tommy Boy starring our patron saint of travel, Chris Farley. They watch for a while then we set the alarm for 6:45 am so we can get an early start in the morning. The pool and the shower were refreshing. I was reluctant to get a hotel room at first because we’ve not needed one this whole trip, but it was definitely the right decision for today.
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