We awoke to a sunny but chilly day. Although we missed the clear starry sky that we only get when we are camping and away from city lights, Peggy was happy to have indoor plumbing and a quick burst of heat to chase the morning chill away. After a wonderful breakfast at Mother Hubbard’s, we headed to Hearst Castle along US Highway 101 and CA 1. No matter how many times we travel these 2 roads we are always in awe of the amazing scenery. The landscape changed from desert like tans and gold to green grasses with bushes and trees as our altitude changed. The contrast of the deep green trees and the dune coloring of the hills is impressive. The views of Pacific Coast are spectacular. Our travels also brought us past irrigated farm lands and vineyards.
After those impressive views, we arrived at Hearst Castle in time for the Grand Rooms Tours1, and the spectacular views continued. The Grand Tour included the first floor rooms of Casa Grande and the gardens.
Hearst Castle was built between 1919 and 1947, by William Randolph Hearst and his architect Julia Morgan. The original estate was purchased by Hearst’s father, George, who made his fortune discovering silver. Over time, he expanded the original 40,000 acres to 82,000 acres. As a child, Hearst did the “grand tour” of Europe with his mother. He developed a love of paintings, antiques, and old European architecture. Hearst Castle (the grounds, buildings, and contents) reflects this. Casa Grande is where Hearst had his private living quarters and office on the upper floors. The main floor was where he entertained his guests in lavish style. There were three other “cottages” where the guest relaxed and slept. All meals were served in the impressive Refectory in Casa Grande. Much of the estate was designed and built to house his extensive collection of art and antiques. The construction of the estate buildings is truly an architectural and engineering marvel. It was built on a hill 1600 feet above sea level where Hearst had camped as a boy with his father. Hearst loved the estate, and it was his favorite place to be. The first order of business was to build a 5 mile road to the hilltop to deliver building supplies and the extensive art work and antiques, including statues and columns from Greek and Roman time. The views of the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Lucia Mountains are truly beautiful. We could go on with our descriptions of this Historic Landmark that was the epitome of the lifestyle of the rich and famous from a bygone era, but we’ll let you come and discover it for yourself. According to Wikipedia (and not our wonderful tour guide),”Hearst, his castle and his lifestyle were satirized by Orson Welles in his 1941 film Citizen Kane.”
One year after William Randolph Hearst’s death, his family gave the castle and much of the contents to the State of California. It was opened to the public in 1958 and is officially known as the Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument. The Hearst family owns most of the 82,000 acres which is a functioning ranch. In 2005, an agreement was made between the family and the California State Parks Department and Land Conservancy to prevent development and to preserve the environment as it is in perpetuity.
We topped off the day with an excellent prime rib dinner at a small restaurant looking out over the ocean in San Simeon. We will definitely stop in San Simeon the next time we come this way.
1There are 4 basic tours, an evening tour and several special tours. The Grand Tour is recommended for first time visitors.