Monthly Archives: July 2018

As planned, we drove North on Hwy 101 to Pismo Beach since the crowds were too big and traffic too slow over the weekend.  We were right to think that Monday was a much better day to explore this beach because all the weekenders were gone leaving just a small group of vacationers.  Jim’s assessment of Pismo was, “its just like most small beaches” but the quick look I got made me think of a miniature Daytona, without the wide strip of sand.

We decided to move on to Monterey but along the way, we saw a sign that told us the Hearst Castle exit was in 1 mile.  Without much time to debate the pros and cons, we got off and headed west to see what William Randolph Hearst built for his castle.  We had no idea it would take us all the way to Route 1 along the coast and probably add an hour to our journey to Monterey.

When we arrived, all we saw was a visitors center and no “castle” anywhere in view.  The docent inside explained that there were tours available and you had to take a bus to the house because the driveway was 5 miles long up a very steep winding hill. 

On the bus, we heard a little background on the property and house which was very interesting.  For instance, this property was originally 40,000 acres bought by George Hearst, WRH’s father, as a working ranch.   George made his money after 10 years of prospecting for gold by finding one of the largest silver lodes in the west.  It was this money that allowed him to buy his cattle ranch and grow it to 250,000 acres.  His wife was a school teacher who took their only son, William, to Europe for 16 months when he was 10 years old.  This gave him his love of art and 16th, 17th, and 18th century architecture and antiques.

The very pinnacle of the property was the place the family would go and camp in tents but George never built any structures on this site.  After William was a successful businessman owning multiple newspapers, magazines, and radio stations, he decided to build a cottage on the property for his family.  A modest 8 bedroom, 8 bath two story building quickly became the small house to the quest cottage with twice the number of bedrooms and baths.  Within a short time, these buildings were dwarfed by the main house with 118 rooms, tennis courts, indoor swimming pool with gold tile and an outdoor pool called the Neptune Pool (now being historically renovated).

Neptune Pool under historical reconstruction

Walkway to main entrance

Main entrance of castle

Living Room

Dinning Room 

Library

Hearst’s Office 

We spent the entire afternoon exploring the house and grounds and wonderful furnishing of this one of a kind marvel created by William Randolph Hearst using the first certified female architect Julia Morgan who also acted as contractor for the project.  She was so far ahead of her time, she created all these buildings of steel reinforced concrete including all interior walls which served two purposes; it made each room fire controlled, so would not spread outside the room where it started, and it made the house earthquake resistant.  Actually, when the 2003 earthquake which was a 6.5 hit the area, the engineers found not structural damage to this house even though it is almost 100 years old.

Flowers all around the property

Tennis Court

Te

Indoor swimming pool below the tennis court

View of Pacific Ocean as you leave the castle

We learned much more than we could put into the blog, but suffice it say this was one split second decision we did not regret……… Well, maybe a little.  After spending all afternoon there, we found out the PCH was closed just north of the castle and we had to backtrack the way we came meaning we would not arrive in Monterey until 8 p.m.  The 101 Hwy has nothing but small towns with limited services and more limited eating options.  Oh well, dinner at Subway isn’t too terrible.

Before I say anything about today’s adventure, I want to express our amazement with how the Parks Department has upgraded the Grand Canyon making it accessible to every American and foreign visitor.  We had forgotten that our GC is one of the seven wonders of world until this trip which probably explains why English is not heard very much anywhere in the park.  There are visitors from all over the world who come to see this great treasure.  The park has something for everyone and if its not on your bucket list, you may want to think about adding it, (except maybe our friends with a fear of heights).

View along the way to Bryce Canyon from Grand Canyon

We were on the road by 5:15 this morning because we had a 1:15 pm tour in Bryce Canyon and heard there was construction delays on one of the roads.  Besides, we were up anyway!

Our Bryce Canyon adventure was a mule/horse ride into the canyon and back out.  It has been 50 years since I did any serious horseback riding and, truthfully, I was a little apprehensive about getting back in the saddle at all, much less down into a deep canyon.  But Jim had done it back in the 1980s and wanted to do it again so why not.

Jim and I each got a horse instead of a mule.  According to the wrangler, Jim’s horse, Buckets, was lazy and my horse, Blaze, was mean.

MG on Blaze, take notice he was tied up till we were ready to go

Not a good beginning in my mind.  Then I remembered why I gave up riding; it’s a long way up to the stirrup to get into the saddle from down here where my legs start and end!  Nothing like making a scene right off the bat.  Once in the saddle, I could see what they meant by mean.  Any time a horse or mule came near Blaze he would pull his ears back flat like he wanted to kick or bite.  Oh boy!  Do I really need this?

Off we go, with Jim in front of me and as the group of 35 or so split up, I wound up being the last in our group.  We were given strict instructions not to fall behind and to stay about 3 feet away from the horse in front of you.  I could watch Jim continually have to kick Buckets and encourage him to keep up, while I was trying to keep Blaze at a distance so he wouldn’t bite or kick anyone.  We started down the trail into the base of the canyon and the wrangler said they are trained to walk the edge of the trail but don’t panic because none of the animals are suicidal.  Every time we got incredibly close to the edge I just repeat, “your not suicidal remember”, which got me down with only sweaty palms.  About half way down, Buckets had to relieve himself again and came to a full stop.  The wrangler behind me told Jim to get him moving again because he just went and was just wasting time.  Well OK!

The views were spectacular whenever I took my eyes off the trail and Jim got some really good pictures.

View of the canyon from the top rim as we entered the Horse Trail

About half way around the canyon floor, we realized the mule in front of Jim was powered by natural gas which lingered long enough for us to ride through it.  That was also the point when I realized Buckets must be an older male horse with prostate issues.  In the meantime, Blaze and I had bonded.  After about 45 minutes my bottom was sore and I was wishing we had done this before I lost those 10 pounds.

Coming back up from bottom of the Canyon

The red towers in the canyon are called hoodoos created by the erosion over time from the elements.  They have very different and distinct shapes and they are given names to help identify them.  The only one I remembered seeing was called the Queen and hope it was not named after Queen Elizabeth because it was ugly.

On our way back up the canyon trail, I noticed Jim was dropping the reins and letting Buckets do all the work while he took pictures.  Blaze on the other hand was getting really tired and I had to keep kicking him to move but my legs had gone numb which made it hard.  I can’t tell who was happier to get back, me or Blaze.  I will admit, the wrangler had to help me off and I could not walk for awhile until the feeling came back.

On the drive to the hotel, we passed the Red Canyon where you had to drive through two rock tunnels and  took in some awesome views.

Tomorrow we drive to Ventura to celebrate my Grandson’s and my birthday.  We will be writing more when we resume our adventure on the 14th.  Come back, promise!

Just how long does it take for your internal clock to reset?  It just doesn’t seem right to me to be staring at the ceiling at 3:30 or 4:00 a.m.  We were in the 24 hour McDonalds at 5:30 this morning eating breakfast and that’s just WRONG.

This early start did give us a jump on many of the other park guests and there were times during the morning when it seemed we had the entire Grand Canyon to ourselves.  We took the “tips” brochure’s advice and went to the far end first because most people don’t read and start at the visitor center.  As we walked along the rim, the sun was getting higher in the sky and changing the colors in the canyon from dim to vivid and making each view different.

Morning view of Canyon from South Rim near Canyon Village

 View of Bright Angel Trail into the canyon

Along the path we came upon a rabbit drinking from a small puddle created by the rain yesterday.  He drank until it was gone and then moved on.  While we were in the park, we’ve seen lots of elk, a few wild horses, lots of squirrels and a mule deer.  We’ve been told that during this dry time, the rangers put out buckets of water for the animals.  One of the birds that seem to be in abundance is the Raven.  They look and sound like black crows but they are the size of a small cat.  Evidently, they are considered very intelligent and can open a zipper on a backpack faster than you can shoo them away.

July starts the rainy season in the Canyon and not a minute too soon based on how dry everything looks.  Unfortunately, with the rain comes the lightening.  Grand Canyon sees 26,000 lightening strikes per year, second only to Orlando, Florida but up here, that lightening means fire most of the time.

Tonight we took a Sunset Canyon tour and watched the sun casting its shadows on the canyon walls with the backdrop of storm clouds from the north rim.  Here are some of the pictures but bear in mind, the camera never captures the incredible views the eye can witness.

Light from Sunset reflecting on the Canyon wall

Sunset over Grand Canyon

Back in the 1980’s, Jim and I were both in Sedona at different times and we each took the Pink Jeep tour while here.  I believe when they say, “you can’t go home again” they mean nothing stays the same so don’t try to relive the past.  We learned that lesson again in Sedona.  Oh how it has grown!  In 1988, the original owner of the Pink Jeep Tour company sold to the current owner and it has expanded into a major tourism giant expanding into other areas including Grand Canyon.

View of rock formations from Downtown Sedona

Back when we took our jeep rides, they were smaller, no roof, open jeeps that went into the desert and explored the rock formations and vegetation in what could only be described at a “roller coaster” adventure.  The Pink Jeep tour of today takes you into the mountains using the old logging road of the 1930’s (which is no longer paved or smooth) giving you the sights and commentary of the formations and vegetation along the way.  Not better or worse, just different.  Plus, at $100,000 each, the jeeps are bigger and probably safer.

We saw the various rock formations:  Snoopy, cow patties, kissing rock, board room, etc.

Dried up river bed in canyon

Old wagon trail from 1800’s used to go over mountains

Kissing rocks 

 View from top of mountain we climbed  approximately 7000 feet

Our guide was particularly fascinated with the agave plant and the idea that if a cowboy fell off his horse onto the plant, he would be seriously hurt.

Agave Plant

On our way out of town, we stopped at the Chapel of the Holy Cross built in 1957 right into the red rocks.

The cross seems to jet out from the rock and almost looks like the chapel was an afterthought.  When we arrived, we grabbed the first parking spot we saw, only to realize that meant we would be hiking to the top where the Chapel entrance was located.  Not our first or last mistake of this trip, I’m sure.

We departed Sedona and headed to Grand Canyon driving through some much needed rain.  We checked into our hotel and headed for the Park since it was only 4pm.  Since we have a National Park Seniors Pass, we can get into all National parks without a fee so, why not.  Actually, we are having trouble getting our body clocks reset to this time zone.  We were wide awake at 4 am this morning!

The south rim of the Grand Canyon has also undergone some major changes since the 1980’s.  So much to do and the parks department has made it easier with free shuttle buses to all the major sights.  Anxious to get started, we walked to Mather and Yavapai Points before we realized we were outwalking our energy level.

Mather point – South Rim Grand Canyon

The walk back to our car was slow and deliberate especially after we noticed our Fitbits told us we had each walked over 25,000 steps and climbed over 177 flights of stairs.

Elk as we were exiting park

Dinner was just designed to provide sustenance so no pictures.  Sorry Fellow Foodies.  Between the bumpy jeep ride and the walking, this is definitely an Advil night.

Tomorrow:  Grand Canyon all day and 6 pm tour.

After spending nine hours driving from Spring to Amarillo yesterday, today was not any easier.  The trip consisted of I-40 all the way with nothing to see but flat dry brush speckled with “authentic” Indian souvenir signs and occasionally some wind turbines.  The good thing was he temperature was very pleasant, but still, how would you like to watch this for 7 1/2 hours?

Then we crossed into Arizona and the temperature began to climb until it reached 100 degrees.  We began to see pretty mountain configurations and more towns and green vegetation.  This is when we realized Arizona does not participate in daylight savings time so our phones set back another hour making the trip according to the GPS another hour longer.  Ugh!  Sunrise in Sedona is 5:30 am.

Sedona is a pretty little town with a population of around 11,000 in 2016 and only 5 miles wide.  Everything on Main Street is constructed to blend into the landscape and even the golden arches are low and inconspicuous.  There was an interesting restaurant within walking distance from our hotel and we decided it was a must, given we had been sitting for 10 hours.  We walked into the Relic Restaurant and we were immediately transferred back to 1946 which was when this General Store and Gas Station was converted to the Rainbows End Restaurant and has been continuously operated as a restaurant ever since.  Of course, it has been upgraded and modernized enough to keep it attractive but it still has the charm of an earlier time.

In 1965 the movie The Rounders with Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda had scenes filmed here.  More recently, like in March 2017, an episode of Dead Files was filmed here and in 2016, a Paranormal TV show declared this building officially “haunted” by spirits from the days when it was a stagecoach stop.  With a history like that, we were concerned with the quality of the food, but we can honestly report the food was outstanding and not just because we hadn’t had a decent meal since we left our son-in-law.  For my fellow foodies:  Jim had Tilapia and shrimp (he gave me the shrimp) over mashed potatoes and spinach and I had Salmon with asparagus.  Here are the pictures.

MG’s meal of Salmon

Jim’s meal of Tilapia

Tomorrow is our pink jeep ride through the desert surrounding Sedona.  Don’t miss those pictures.