No Thru Traffic

I got to the coast yesterday via an awesome stretch of CA41 that took me through some windy and beautiful wine country. The weather is already a lot more pleasant. I was even a little chilled for part of the ride.

It feels good to be on the coast and have some curves in the road. It seems like I’ve been nothing but straight desert freeways lately.

I had reservations at San Simeon State Park but I got there much earlier than I planned on. So instead of saving Hearst Castle until today, I saw it yesterday afternoon instead.

I was reluctant to pluck down the $25 fee to see the castle, but I had nothing else to do so I went for it. It came with a bus ride to the castle, a two-hour tour, and a 45 minute IMAX movie on William Randolf Hearst himself. Overall, I’d say it was very worth it. My tourguide was very knowlegable and friendly.

The place was nuts too. To think of the people who he entertained here and the scope of the construction at the time was pretty mind-boggling. He even had a private zoo with zebras, polar bears, and all sorts of other crazy animals.

What a life.

Today I ride through Monterey and into San Francisco where I’ll be staying with Ryan Knutson for a couple nights. By the way, Ryan, a fellow 2009 UO grad just had a story published on the front page of the Wall Street Journal… as an intern! Maybe next year I’ll be touring his mansion instead of Hearst’s…