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Published: April 10th 2008
The Casa Grande
The dark balcony was Hearst's room. Twin bells towers hold 36 bells that are played from a 36 key upright piano.After yesterday's limp up from Jalama, this was a perfect day to kick back and enjoy the locale. Camped just a few miles away, this morning was spent touring Heart Castle.
Hearst Castle was one of six homes built by William Randolf Hearst, heir to the largest silver mining fortune in the world, and builder of the first multi-media empire. He was not permitted by his mother to build on the site because she thought he might "get carried away." Within a week of her death and inheriting the family fortune, he began drawing up plans with his architect. Mother was right.
When you traveled the world in those days with an open checkbook and a lusty greed for collecting, you could end up with a mess of stuff. In some ways Hearst Castle is a monument to conspicuous excess. It is a hodge podge of object de art from all period and place, assembled with odd taste, all in a spectacular setting.
The tour guide was excellent and the state park facility that owns and operate the site was very well run.
Sunday afternoon was windy, clear and cool. Bill and Sandie brought their friends John
and Judy up to the campground for a picnic. We enjoyed great wine and snacks and enjoyed making new friends. Sandie is a Nurse Practitioner so a little shop was spoken. John is a performance car driver and was able to assist me in some routing strategies.
Bill and John have both been involved with local land preservation work, and have especially focused their efforts on preserving the rare Monterey Pine. One of only four stands of these trees in the world are in and around Cambria. The Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata) is a species of pine native to coastal California in three very limited areas in Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, and on Guadalupe Island off the west coast of Baja, Mexico. The cones of this tree have a spiral radiating pattern, hence s. radiata.
After our picnic Bill drove me to town for a grocery run and we climbed the hill above the local high school where he and John have planted a couple hundred Monterey Pine seedlings.
Bill returned me to my campsite with evening provisions and another fine Central Coast day to savor.
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