Since we are back in the "student" mode of life, we are also back in the "take vacations whenever you have a 3-day weekend" mode. And living in beautiful Northern California provides many amazing options for long weekend getaways.
For the President's Day weekend, Kylan indulged my inner history nerd and we planned a trip down to see Hearst Castle. I learned about Hearst Castle in one of my Art History classes, then my interested was further piqued after listening to a "Stuff You Missed in History Class" podcast about it, so when I learned that we were only about 3 hours away from the famed Hearst Castle, it was quickly added to my "must see before you leave Stanford" list.
I love checking things off that list!
On the way south Kylan stopped to introduce us (we were so happy to have Kylan's sister Whitney and her two sweet boys join us) to what he enthusiastically referred to as the most beautiful beach in the world. Julia Pfeiffer State Beach. About 5 miles off of Highway 1 in the heart of Big Sur, this truly is one of the most stunning beaches I have ever visited. As you can see, we got to the beach shortly before sunset and were able to enjoy the last warm rays of the sun and watch the shafts of the setting sun shine through the rock formations.
It was just beautiful.
Lili brings some of her Utah roots to a California winter - sand angels instead of snow angels!
The next morning we hit another Northern California phenomena - the Elephant Seal.
There were hundreds. They were huge. They were kind of disgusting and very ugly.
Happy to check it off the list, not sure it needs to be repeated!
We enjoyed a cold, but absolutely clear and beautiful day.
The Northern California coast may be one of the most stunning places I've ever visited.
Just love these sweet cousins. "Satchel-Man" and Serelle are great pals, and Lili loves to take good care of little "Eero-dero. The Lundeens have a thing for nicknames (inspired by their dad!)
The Castle!
The Castle was absolutely unbelievable. Interior, exterior, grounds, location. Everything about it was breathtaking. The man behind the building, his life and his parties did not appeal to me very much, but I really enjoyed wandering through a part of his collections. We only did one of three available tours and I wouldn't mind coming back for the other tours, any takers?
How about that pool? It's a good thing it was a pretty cold day, or else I may have been tempted to jump right in!
For me, what stood out far above the beauty of the architecture or the magnificence of the art and antique collections was the natural beauty of the location. The day was clear and we could see for miles up and down the San Luis Obispo County coastline. I could really go for a view like that!
The last stop of the day was at McWay Falls. A secluded little beach that looks like it belongs in the Caribbean! There is no public access to the beach, but Kylan is determined to find a way...
3 comments:
looks like HEAVEN! i will come on the tours with you, please. you are living the dream while simultaneously being the most beautiful family in the world! how does it feel?!? miss you guys :)
xoxo.
ps we made a trip to see the elephant seals last time i visited the in-laws. aren't they gross (the elephant seals, not my in-laws)?! and kind of scary - they move pretty quick for being so large and lazy looking. crazy things.
Thanks for the directions to the beaches. I loved them both. I even saw a heart drawn in the sand at McWay Falls, so there is a way down to the beach. I'm sure Kylan will find it someday.
Post a Comment