May 2006 - Memorial Day

For Memorial Day weekend, we decided to take a trip to San Luis Obispo (SLO) and the surrounding area. SLO is located down U.S. Highway 101 approximately three hours South of San Jose. We chose to go Hwy 1, which is the scenic route. It took us noticeably longer, but it was well worth the detour. The view from Hwy 1 is absolutely gorgeous. Surrounded by rolling hills on one side and the rocky California coast on the other is something everyone should experience. Natalie never tired of pointing out “moos”, a.k.a. cows, and big rocks. She would ask for more and we would remind her to look out her window in hopes of catching a glimpse of something else.

We also drove through Big Sur – a stretch of coastline famous in California for its scenery and winding mountainous terrain. Redwoods abound in Big Sur and it was fun to pick them out among the other big trees.

San Luis Obispo is a charming town with both historic and modern aspects. The mission was founded in 1772 and still serves as a church. California Polytechnic State University also calls SLO home and its Performing Arts Center is a far cry from historic architecture.

The most famous tourist attraction in SLO County is Hearst Castle, summer home of William Randolph Hearst. Approximately 45 miles north of the city of SLO, it is on par with the Biltmore House of Ashville, NC. Constructed over a 28 year period, the estate boasts of three guest houses, the main house, an outdoor and indoor pool, acres of gardens, and a private zoo. The zoo is no longer as big as it once was – now mostly ranch animals roam free on the 180+ thousand acres. However, in Mr. Hearst’s day, the zoo held animals such as bears, lions, and tigers. Today, there are still a few zebra that roam the lower acreage.

If you are unfamiliar with Hearst publishing, Mr. Hearst started out by publishing newspapers such as the San Francisco Examiner, the Chicago Examiner, and Harper’s Bazaar. Today, Hearst Corporation publishes magazines such as Cosmopolitan and O (Oprah’s mag), and has a stake in the t.v. channels: ESPN, ESPN2, Lifetime, A&E, and the History Channel. Although the house and road leading up to it were given over to California to run as a state park some time ago, the family still runs a cattle ranch on the estate and comes and goes as they please. While we were visiting, we were able to see them camped out on “Camp Hill” – a hill Mr. Hearst camped on as a boy with his father, and where the family still gathers annually on Memorial Day weekend. The most infamous of the family is Patty Hearst.

Sunday evening we had some time, so we drove south of SLO a few miles to Avila Beach where I was able to fulfill part of an item of our list of things to do. Never having set foot in the Pacific Ocean, I waded into the chilly waters Henry, having swum in the Pacific as a boy, chickened out, and Natalie, not understanding the reasoning behind getting near hypothermia, waited on the beach far from the freezing surf. Henry told me I had to swim, not only be ankle deep, for it to count, so I went out waist high – to where the waves were crashing, and bent down. While my feet never really left the ground, I did do the breast stroke and freestyle with my arms. Henry said it was legit! Shew! On the way to dinner, it occurred to me that one of the four oceans is the Arctic and how are we ever going to accomplish that one! One word: wetsuit.

Okay, so it’s really funny how your vacation choices change once you have a child. For example, on Sunday, while we did do adult things in the afternoon (Hearst castle), the morning was spent at a park in downtown SLO playing on the slides and swings. And while we did see adult things on our drive back on Monday (the dunes at Grover Beach and Vandenburg Air Force Base), we spent part of the day looking for and seeing the Charles Paddock Zoo and park located a few miles off Highway 101. Natalie loved the zoo (a small rural zoo with about a dozen exhibits) and tired herself out at the nearby playground.

The drive back north on Highway 101 was as breathtaking as the drive down Highway 1. While the drive down focused on the coast, the drive north was through vineyards as far as the eye could see. I have seen the vineyards in the Mosel Valley in Germany, but it was nothing compared to the acres and acres of vineyards in California.

We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend and highly recommend any of these sites to anyone traveling through this part of the country. As always, pictures are located in the picture gallery. Enjoy