West Coast Tript: Driving Up the Coast (Day 4)

After we visited San Diego & LA, we made our way up the coast. We both were looking forward to this day because we have heard so much Highway 1 and the California coast. Our coastal drive started near Malibu, which was neat but not as glamorous as I thought it would be. Partly because it was so foggy along the coast. There were times where we couldn't even tell that we were literally next to the Pacific Ocean.

Being out on the coast was very refreshing though. The peacefulness of being by the water was hard to match anywhere else we had been in the past three days. The fog made it even more mysterious. We stopped a few places along the way to snap a few pictures and just enjoy the scenery. The first place is where we "made" lunch...aka pb&j :). The views were breathtaking. Thanks for stopping babe!

 

Our main stop that day was Hearst Castle. If you've never heard of Hearst Castle, the views and stories surrounding Hearst Castle are pretty cool. It is now owned by the state of California, but used to be owned by the very wealthy Hearst family. We didn't know much about the castle before we went, but we definitely received the whole history when we were there. We took a tour of the grand rooms and then could roam around the grounds afterwards. This place is surrounded by 70,000 acres of land, so the views were spectacular. It is also very easy to get lost because the architecture of the buildings is so intricate and detailed.

Assembly Room (Walt Disney was entertained here)

The Refectory

The beautiful gardens around the castle

 

Neptune Pool = Amazing

Neptune Pool

Beautiful flower in one of the gardens around the castle

The Roman Pool (the indoor pool)

After we left Hearst Castle, we drove up the crazy hairpin turns on Hwy. 1 near Big Sur. I had a great time driving through there, but it did make my heart stop a few times because you could easily plunge to your death in multiple places along the way. It felt surreal to be driving up Hwy. 1 after I read and heard so much about it. And to do it at sunset...just couldn't beat the views!

That night, we didn't get to eat dinner until 9 pm, but the roscato (red moscato) we had at Olive Garden helped make up for the extremely late dinner :)