Olympia, Washington, The Capitol

Stopping for a week in Castle Rock, Washington, we decided to spend a day in Olympia, just 50 miles north on I-5. We took a one hour guided tour of this beautiful building. We also went into the Temple of Justice where the Washington State Supreme Court meets when in session. The Washington State Capitol Campus is comprised of six classical style buildings and gardens completed in 1928.

Since Washington was the 42nd state to be admitted
into the Union, there are 42 steps up to the front porch.

This 10,000 pound chandelier is the largest ever
created by Tiffany. It hangs from a 101 foot long chain
in the center of the 175 foot tall rotunda.

We were able to leave our car parked in the visitor parking lot and take the free Dash bus downtown to the Farmer's Market which is open Thursday through Sunday. We found some great tasting Washington cherries, strawberries and fresh baked cookies. While downtown we had a nice lunch at a little Italian restaurant. After lunch we hopped back onto the Dash for a ride to Sylvester Park.

Farmer's Market Main Building

The Old Capitol Building, also referred to as The Castle, built in Sylvester Park in 1890 now serves as administration offices.

Old Capitol

Washington State Flower is the Rhododendron.
These large bushes are everywhere and in
full bloom this time of year.

Monterey Bay and Big Sur

On a couple of different days we wondered around the beautiful ocean front town of Monterey. We visited Old Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row, Monterey Aquarium, the world famous "17-Mile Drive" around the Monterey Peninsula, and the coastal drive down Big Sur. We also enjoyed a couple of delicious meals with beautiful views of the bay.



The free city "Trolley" operated on the weekends and
everyday through the summer months.
This was a great way to see the town without
negotiating traffic.

Old Fisherman's Wharf is now a haven of
restaurants and shops.



This new Cannery Row Monument honors author
John Steinbeck, depicted at top,
and other real and fictional characters
from Monterey's Cannery Row.



The outstanding Monterey Aquarium took
us a full day to visit.

One of several large/multi-storied aquariums.
This is a shark in the three story kelp forest.

A Nautilus in the Tentacles Exhibit

Shrimp Lovers Feast at Bubba Gump's

Strawberries were in season and we
found "The Farm" in Salinas where we
purchased 1/2 flats from the grower.

Vista Point on CA-1.

A marine layer settled in on the Pacific on
this warm dry day.



On the Monterey Peninsula 17-Mile Drive,
 we watched the seals and golfers at Pebble Beach.



Seals, Cormorants and Otters Enjoying the Surf
at Bird Rock

The Lone Cypress has sat on this rocky outcrop
for 250 years. This icon is the living symbol
of Pebble Beach Golf Course

 

The 1932 Historical Bixby Bridge
along the Pacific Coast Highway CA-1

What a difference a day makes.
It turned the bridge into a ghost.
We were glad to see it two different times.

San Simeon and the Hearst Castle

We scheduled a 6:30 evening tour for Friday at the Hearst Castle. The day was free to explore the coastal area around San Simeon. The Brown Butter Cookie Company was our first stop. These interesting cookies have a delicious sweet and salty taste and we enjoyed the offered samples. We did buy a couple bags to take home.

Brown Butter Cookie Company in Cayucos, California

All cookies are hand made using quality ingredients.

We had an interesting lunch on our drive up the coast. Linn's Easy as Pie Café prides themselves on their pies, so we both enjoyed the chicken pot pie and shared a slice of Olallieberry pie for dessert. Olallieberry is a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry. Both were very unusual and delicious.

Linn's Easy as Pie Café in Cambria, California

Overlooking the town of Cambria is Nitt Witt Ridge. This historic landmark was hand built over a period of 51 years by Der Tinkerpaw. His name is as nutty as his house. This is sometimes referred to as the poor man's Hearst Castle.

Nitt Witt Ridge in Cambria, California

Point Piedras Blancas, near San Simeon, is a rookerie of Elephant Seals. There are thousands laying along the shore. They return to mate, give birth and molt each year. Looking out at them, it is hard to believe that 100 years ago there were less than 50 Elephant Seals left due to over hunting for their blubber.

Seals and More Seals

Young Males Practicing to Defend Their Harem.

We Smelled Them Before We Saw Them.

Beautiful Cliff North of San Simeon on CA 1

We chose an evening tour so we could watch the sunset from the Castle on the Hill. Also, docents dressed in period evening attire throughout the Hearst Castle. We toured many of the rooms in this 68,000 square foot castle as well as one of the three guest houses and the gardens. Even the bus ride up and back was very pleasant.

The Visitor Center has a museum and theater.
Tours begin here with a 15 minute bus ride to the top.

Neptune Pool

Casa Grande

Beautiful Views from the Gardens and Fountains

W.R.'s Library

Indoor Roman Pool

This is one from our bucket list. We loved the tour. This is truly a splendid place.

Do You Know The Way To San Jose?

We decided to stay at Yanks RV Resort near Monterey, California, south of San Jose for a couple of weeks to see the area. We spent a day at each of Pinnacles National Park, Salinas, and San Jose.

Yanks, a new resort, has spacious FHU sites.

The west gate of Pinnacles National Park is outside
of Soledad, just seven miles north of our RV Resort.

Lunch Before Our Hike

Balconies Trail

Entrance to Balconies Cave

Lookout Point on 3.5 mile Condor Gulch Trail
accessed via the East Entrance of the Park

The National Steinbeck Center, in Salinas, was very interesting. The town is very proud of their native son. He lived here most of his life and drew upon his family and life experiences in the Salinas Valley to write his novels and short stories. The Museum had many interactive exhibits and film clips. We found it extremely interesting as we learned about the background and setting of some of his famous books, such as "Of Mice and Men", "Cannery Row", "East of Eden", "The Red Pony" and "Grapes of Wrath".

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Sculpture of Steinbeck with Famous 19 Books

This is the actual pickup camper Steinbeck used on
his trip which formed the basis of his book
"Travels With Charley" 1962
“...people don’t take trips—trips take people.”
John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America  

 

Boyhood Home of John Steinbeck
Two blocks from the Steinbeck Center

On Thursday, we found our way to San Jose, about a hundred miles north of the RV Resort. Our first stop was the Winchester Mystery House. This is a Victorian mansion that many think was designed to baffle the spirits that were haunting Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester Arms Fortune. After her only child and husband died, she moved to San Jose into a small country farm house. She felt a need to build onto this house for the next 38 years until her death in 1922. With 160 rooms, 2,000 doors, 13 bathrooms, 10,000 windows, 47 fireplaces, blind closets, secret passageways and 40 staircases, the house is so complex that even the owner and the servants needed maps to find their way. We took a 65 minute guided tour through the interior of this expansive 24,000 square foot home along with a self-guided tour of the Winchester Museum and the gardens.

The Back of the House and Gardens

Sarah Winchester imported plants from all parts
the world, keeping her 8 gardeners busy.

While in San Jose, we also visited the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. This museum building and gardens were designed to resemble the Temple of Amon at Kamak. The extensive collection includes human and animal mummies, coffins, textiles, musical instruments, toys, jewelry and other objects from everyday life in ancient Egypt.

Replica of King Tut's inner coffin with a
Replica of an Egyptian Rock Tomb you could explore.