Monday April 16, 2012
We finally got a ride in today. We woke pretty early, ate breakfast, and headed north up the coast. We had originally intended to ride up to Hearst Castle. But at the last-minute, the 1600+ foot climb up to the castle seemed like more work than we were willing to do right then, so we chose to stay on the highway instead.
The coast road is spectacular. Good shoulders, wonderful views, and very light traffic make for a great ride. We pulled into all the scenic overlooks to look at the ocean and the amazing views up and down the coast. We spotted sea otters playing just past the breakers!
After the ride, we played tourist and went to visit Hearst Castle. It turns out that the management does not allow people to ride up the hill to the castle itself. Instead, you must park at the visitor center and they cart you up the hill in tour buses. So we could have ridden to the castle after all, but it probably would not have been as fun as the ride we ended up taking. Everything works out in the end.
William Randolph Hearst constructed the castle between 1919 and 1947 on property he had loved as a small child. It is a gigantic place – over 68,000 sq. feet in the main house plus a dozen other smaller buildings. I really don’t think it would be possible to build something like this today – not only would the costs be prohibitive, but the environmental impact studies other bureaucratic tie ups would make progress impossible.
After the visit to the Hearst Castle, we went to see the elephant seals. Every year, thousands of elephant seal pups are born along the coast here. Hundreds of thousands of northern elephant seals once inhabited the Pacific Ocean. The oil industry slaughtered them wholesale in the 1800s for the oil that could be rendered from their blubber. By 1892, only 50 to 100 individuals were left. The only remaining colony was on the Guadalupe Island off the coast of Baja California. Since then, they have been protected by both the US and Mexico, and the population has been growing rapidly. Latest estimations claim as many as 160,000 seals in along the US/Mexico pacific coast in 2011.
Finally, we ate dinner in downtown Cambria at The Black Cat Bistro. I definitely recommend this place if you get the chance. Local ingredients, a nice wine list, very friendly service and an interesting space. It’s pretty small – maybe 40-50 seats, and the owners are there in the restaurant making sure everything works properly. The food is well prepared, simple yet elegant and presented beautifully. We loved it!
Today is the end of my extended weekend with Nancy. It’s been so nice to share this time with her. Starting tomorrow I am back on my own, and back in the tent, as I begin my ride north through Big Sur. I am surely going to miss Nancy so much, but I am also so stoked to ride through Big Sur! I can’t wait….Not sure how well I will sleep tonight.
Internet connections are a little elusive the next couple of days, but I will update the blog when I can….