We lost a few participants this morning who had other commitments. Farewell to Jim and Maureen and Jim and Cathy and Pete. It was wonderful sharing this tour with you!
We had a nice continental breakfast on our final morning here in Clovis. We headed out for a final stop in San Simeon, where we will spend our final day on the 2014 Western Scenic Tour.
Our first stop was at the Cambria Pub and Steakhouse. We had the second floor reserved just for us, and the food and service were outstanding.
After lunch we headed to Hearst Castle for our 1:40 tour time. There is so much to say about Hearst Castle. What an oddity out here in the middle of nowhere (at least when it was built)! It was designed by architect Julia Morgan between 1919 and 1947 for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Invitations to Hearst Castle were highly coveted during its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s. The Hollywood and political elite often visited, usually flying into the estate's airfield or taking a private Hearst-owned train car from Los Angeles. Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant the Marx Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Bob Hope, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill were among Hearst's A-list guests. While guests were expected to attend the formal dinners each evening, they were normally left to their own devices during the day while Hearst directed his business affairs. Since the ranch had so many facilities, guests were rarely at a loss for things to do. The estate's theater usually screened films from Hearst's own movie studio, Cosmopolitan Productions.
Hearst Castle was included as one of America’s "10 Amazing Castles" by Forbes Travel.com. Forbes said, "Quite possibly the nation’s most famous castle, William Randolph Hearst went to great lengths to bring back the best of European architecture — most notably ceilings from churches and monasteries — which were pieced back together in California to create his highly eclectic Central Coast getaway.”
And it really was amazing. A future visit is in the cards.
After the tour, we headed to our final hotel to check in, the San Simeon Lodge. We had a little surprise drive after we all got settled in. We piled into our cars, and with the escort of the clouds kissing the ocean on the horizon, we drove about 5 miles miles north to an elephant seal rookery! About 17,000 elephant seals call this beach home! This location keeps us at a safe distance as we observe them sleeping, sun-bathing, and speaking in their guttural “speech”. There were about 50 seals on the beach today. We had a few other visitors, though--whales! Jim spotted them off-shore as they surfaced, and you could see their spouts/blows. Wow. So, with the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, the elephant seals singing their guttural tune, the pelicans and seagulls flapping their wings all around us, and the whales surfacing in the distance, we all had an incredible afternoon!
We headed back to the hotel and went to dinner at San Simeon Lodge Bar and Grill adjacent to the hotel. The dining room overlooked the ocean and as dinner was being served, we were blessed with a beautiful pink sunset over the ocean. <sigh>
After dinner, we met in the courtyard for our final meeting. The 50/50 was won by Norm, and Sam won the two chairs that Rett and Donna donated to the tour. We discussed next year’s tour to Yellowstone and other possible stops, and capped it off with toasting marshmallows and making s’mores. This night was shared by: Ed and Mary, Norb and Terry, Jim and Denise, Ken and Linda, Jim and Lisa, Phyllis and Fernando, Terry and Sam (he joined us mid-tour), Papa Duane, Ed and Jane, and of course, Doug and Michille (me). We had participants from Florida, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Colorado, California and Arizona! Wow!
This tour has been incredible, folks! We had returning and new participants this year. Thank you to you all! It was a potpourri of personalities, and somehow, it just all worked. Why? Because we all have some commonalities that bring us all together: driving, appreciation for great scenery, a love of our country, a sense of adventure, cars, good food, good conversation, a sense of humor, and more. What else can we say? Simply...Drive On!
and...see you next year!
Happy Trails to all of our friends...until we meet again!
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