Our Trip Up The Coast

Hi everyone, well we did an overnight tour last week up the central coast of California. We stayed at Morro Bay but went a little farther up the coast to visit Hearst Castle. Neither of us had ever been there. Well, obviously Wolfgang hasn't been but I had never been either so it was a real treat for the both of us.

Our friend Sue told us to make sure that we saw the kitchen so we went against what the sweet little information lady was trying to get us to do and we took tour #2 instead of the general tour #1. We are so glad that we did because we don't need to go back, we have seen the best first. Here are a few pictures of our excursion to Hearst Castle, the elephant seals and to Morro Bay. The weather was spectacular and isn't that what makes California great!

At the entrance to Hearst Castle Wolfgang was able to take this picture of a Turkey Vulture. They are everywhere. We also have them in Santa Clarita. Oh and we saw these same birds on our trip to Peru. I am not sure if we should be taking this as some kind of sign......

Entrance to the Visitor's Center where you can buy everything you would ever want to remember Hearst Castle. This includes beef steaks from the Hearst Ranch. We did try them later when we were in Morro Bay and we will admit, they were the best steaks we have ever had.

A view of the Castle from the bus riding up from the visitor's center. A very windy road but the view of the pacific ocean on the way down was fantastic.

One of the many beautiful pieces of artwork collected by Hearst. His style was a little over the top but each thing he did or collected was incredible.

The famous outdoor pool. The Hearst family no longer owns the castle but they still own the ranch and all the water rights. The water in the pool is actually fresh spring water from the ranch so the family technically owns the water so they can swim there any time they want. If we had been there in the summer, it would have been worth falling in "accidentally".

You can understand why everyone wanted to come to the castle. It must have been so different than what most people had ever seen or experienced in their lives.

OK, so I do travel with the Vogelmann (birdman) of Geinsheim so where ever there are birds.... This is a California Woodpecker heading up a palm tree at the castle.

Don't ask why the picture was taken but here it is.

This is a common sitting room for two of the guest rooms. Hearst was definitely influenced by the French. I mean a little gaudy but hey, I would stay and enjoy it.

A view of the Pacific Ocean from one of the balconies at the castle. Ocean views are something I never get tired of looking at no matter where it is.

One of the dining areas that was added on after the initial castle was built.

The kitchen at the castle is surprisingly modern. Of course Wolfgang thought it was fabulous that there was a built-in beer tap that only served German Beer ("the best beer").

The last room of the tour is the indoor pool that is covered with Murano tiles inlaid with gold. Above the pool are the tennis courts. I wonder what it must have sounded like when someone above was playing tennis.

About 2 miles from the castle is one of the main breeding grounds for elephant seals. We were here about two years ago and the beach was full with mothers and their brand new babies. This time, we were there earlier in the year and it was mainly the men. They are in the process of setting up their harems for breeding next February when the new babies are about 8 weeks old. Those poor women just don't have a minute to themselves!

This is one of the younger bulls. Elephant seals are truly a bad boys club. The more scars you have and the bigger the nose you have the more desirable you are to the gals.

Using the bad boy terms above, this is a real catch. When they are about to fight they hang their big noses into their mouths and blow air. It is super loud and really funny to hear.

Here are two men that are having issues because one is too close to the other guys women. Gee, sounds kind of like how gangs work. Do you think that those who created our gangs visited the seals for inspiration?

This is a young elephant seal that was probably born last year. Super cute as a baby but man, when it gets older it will be a face only another elephant seal could love.

This is a beautiful lighthouse about 5 miles away from the seals. The coastline all the way up highway one is really spectacular. It is hard to leave it.

The sunset over the ocean is always a real WOW for us. Wolfgang snapped this from the car on our way back to Morro Bay.

From our hotel in Morro Bay. This is our view of the Morro Rock when we got up for our ride home. Great weather and this picture just doesn't give you the real perspective as to how big this rock really is! There are two pairs of Peregrin Falcons (The fastest bird on earth) living on the rock. If you ever go, please head out to the rock and talk with Bob the birdman. He will tell you all about the birds and maybe you can see them sitting on their rock way up on the side.

No not a purchased postcard just a perfect day. We walked from where we took this picture out to the rock and back. Just a wonderful place to hang out.

The next couple of pictures are a little hard to see but I had to include them. Morro bay is full of seals and sea otters. The next two pictures are of two sea otters and their babies. This picture shows the parent laying on its back in the water while the baby lays on top. This guy was busy giving himself a bath and that poor parent was having to balance its movements so it wouldn't fall off. I could have watched this for hours.

This picture shows the other parent, again laying on its back, and the baby sleeping. This was the luckier parent. I bet it was the dad!

We drove home over Highway 46 from the coast through Paso Robles and then on to Interstate 5 for our route home. This is at the top of the pass into Paso Robles from the coast. The rock in the water is the Rock at Morro Bay. Doesn't look so big in this picture.

We had one surprise on our way home. Highway 46 between the 101 and 5 freeway is famous for the James Dean Memorial Intersection. It was at the intersection of Highways 46 and 41 where Dean crashed into the station of a guy named Turnipseed. 7 miles farther down Highway 46, we visited the last place James Dean stopped before his accident. Always the tourist, we just had to get a picture.

No, we didn't make a wrong turn and end up in Texas, these are the oil fields outside of Bakersfield.

So that's it for this trip. Great fun and we hope that if you ever have a chance, you too will be able to see Hearst Castle, Morro Bay and of course those fabulous bad boys, the elephant seals. Hmm, James Dean didn't really have a very big nose.

Our Trip To Peru

Hi everyone, well we just got back from a one week whirlwind tour of Peru. Ella, Dion, Wolfgang and I climbed on a 2am flight starting at LAX and eventually ending in Lima, Peru. There was one stop and plane change in San Salvador but once we got on that first plane we were off and running. The 2am flight should have been an omen to us of what was yet to come. If you ever go to Peru, just don't expect to sleep-in. In fact, don't expect to sleep past 5am. Everything started at dawn but it was worth every painful waking hour.

Our tour started with two days in Lima, the capital of Peru, then we flew to Cusco for 2 more days there. Between the first and last day in Cusco, we took a train to Aquas Calientes where we stayed over night. Our last couple of days were spent in Puno. Why did we go to Aquas Calientes and Puno - to see Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. Everything we saw was great but the lack of oxygen during most of the trip did create a challenge for us all. Most of our trip was spent over the 9,000 ft. mark so there was no "just running up to the room".

Although I should be more organized in my approach, I have decided to do just sections of pictures for your viewing. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

TRAVELING

So here are the roommates, Dion and Ella at the airport in Lima. Looking pretty chipper for having traveled for what seem like days. The bus behind them is an example of what schlepped our butts all over Peru. The tour company we used was great. They picked us up at the airports, hotels, trains, etc. and they were always, well almost always because they forgot us in Puno, on time. They made the trip much easier for us inspite of the unbelieveable wake up times.
Our trip took us over the PanAmerican Highway from Cusco to Puno. We reached a summit of 4,335 meters above sea level. While we were driving we kept thinking, gee these Andes Mountains just don't look that big. Of course we forgot that we were already at 13,000 feet. One of my favorite things about this picture is the little girl and the lamb. She stands under the sign when the buses arrive so she is in your picture. You then are expected to give her a tip for being in your picture. She was not there when we started to take Wolfgang's picture but she ran to be in the shot when we took it. Yes, of course, we gave her a tip.
This is the same summit but a different sign. Notice that somehow Ella is 3 meters higher than Wolfgang and no kid with a lamb. Just so you know, breathing was a challenge in itself just to get to the sign for the picture.

Well this was our first flight on our last day. We are still smiling. By the end of our endurathon, we were just happy not be be getting on one more plane.
This is pretty much what we looked like throughout our flying to an from Peru. Wasn't Wolfgang a lucky man to get to travel with these three exciting women? Notice that Dion was pretending to be Kitty Carlisle (come on now, think about it, who was Kitty Carlisle). I am just thankful that my mouth wasn't hanging open.

LIMA

This is the view from our hotel windows in Lima. The restaurant is where we ate on the first night. We found out later that it is a chain but hey, we enjoyed ourselves. Lima is a huge city that is really run down in areas but it is one of the cleanest cities I have ever visited. In fact all of Peru is incredibly clean. Now that doesn't mean you can drink the water but the streets and sidewalks were so clean you couldn't help but notice.
Here are Wolfgang and Ella standing in front of the President's palace. something was going on the day we were there but we never found out who was coming to visit. There was a brass band and lots of amored police officers guarding the palace. In fact, we were made to cross the street for this picture.
Oh, sorry, we just didn't realize that we were traveling with the VIP. Here she is with her personal body guards

Lima is famous for the balconies and some of them are spectacular. All are made of craved wood and many of them are in disrepair. Lima has started a "save the balconies" plan where people can contribute money for their restoration .

The main square of Lima. Notice the balconies all around the square and the wonderful color.

The church of San Francisco. We did a tour of this church because it said that there is a painting of the Last Supper showing them eating Guinea Pig (a common food in Peru) but our tour guide told us the book was wrong that the Last Supper painting with guinea pigs is in the Cathedral in Cusco. We did see it there. This church did have a Catacomb graveyard underneath that we toured. A very strange thing to do, burying everyone together under the church.

PEOPLE
(Not in any kind of order)

Here we are in Lima having our first Pisco Sour drinks. It's a mix of Pisco (like mexican tequila), lime, sugar and egg white. Wolfgang enjoyed them and drank a Pisco or two during our trip. It was a great day in Lima including a fantastic lunch of rabbit at a restaurant run by nuns. Oh yes, notice Wolfgang's new glasses.

Part of traveling did include illness. Dion and Ella survived but there were moments when they were thinking that ending it all would have been better.

Poor Dion got the crud on a travel day from Lima to Cusco. We had to share this picture because it just says it all about how she felt.

Yes she is three feet tall and dressed traditionally. Why do you ask, well the bus arrived and we all want pictures. Tips yes and hey when you want a picture holding the baby alpaca, no problem, just remember the tip.

OK, so we don't have any more pets but hey, I am thinking about an alpaca, really cute and very soft. Dion is also considering an alpaca, hmmm, can she make something with the fur???
A smiling Dion. Finally feeling better in Aquas Calientes. Yes, it's a really big beer but unless you want to drink the local beer, you have to order a liter bottle.
Hey are those two famous Wrestlers? Isn't Wolfgang lucky to get to travel with such fun people!

Peruvian Night in Cusco. Here we are with a dancer in a wonderful mask made of wood. We had a great time and wonderful food.

Ruins of Sacsayhuaman (Americans pronounce is Sexywoman). Incredibly built stone on stone walls that have survived many earthquakes.
Everyone in Peru is available for pictures in traditional Peruvian outfits.

OK, is it Wolfgang or Huell Howser here with this adorable Peruvian farmer. This was taken at a large ruin of an Inca Village along the Pan American Highway.

Same Inca Village ruins. Here is a picture of Ella, Wolfgang and this wonderful old Peruvian woman. Peru was one of the first places that Ella felt like an Amazon.
One of the many beer breaks along the trip. This is at the railway station in Aquas Calientes after our afternoon at Machu Picchu. If we could have been sucking oxygen (and Dion did find an oxygen bar), we might have swapped it for the beer.
Peruvian night in Cusco. This was a Panflute group that we truly enjoyed. We bought their CD. They played Mozart!
Arrival in Cusco drinking Coca tea. It is suppose to help with any type of problem with High Altitude sickness but Ella's pills from the doctor in the USA worked much better! Dion is sitting a little sideways because she is just above dying from the crud.

One of my favorite pictures of the trip. I can't decide who is the cutest in this picture. Don't you just want to hug them all!

MACHU PICCHU

Wow, what a place. This was something that was as spectacular to see in person as the photos you see in a book. Why these people thought hey, let's build something here way up on top of these mountains is still a question but I think it was for the view. Eventhough it looks like a rainy day, we didn't have a drop and thank God it was cloudy because it would have been REALLY hot in the sun. A truly memorable place to have seen in this lifetime.

Just a moment to show you what incredible builders the Incas were. Notice that the window frame is wider at the bottom. This is suppose to help against earthquakes. There must be something to it since the rocks are still in perfect condition.

Oh look, maybe that's where the shops were. Let's go look!

One of those great and unforgettable moments in life.
Another great and unforgettable moment. Being terrified of heights probably isn't the best thing to be when hiking around Machu Picchu, but I made it. This is the first time I have seen what is actually behind me because I just couldn't turn around.
Now Dion shows no fear what so ever for heights. I believe it was a long way down on the other side of that wall.

This was the group that toured with us around Machu Picchu. We enjoyed them all but could have thrown our guide over the side. Dion said it best when she asked if we thought that he was Mormon because of how he guided us through the site. A little bit on the cultish side.

Again the group. We would see many of the same people throughout the week because everyone was pretty much there to see the same stuff.

Feeling pretty good. Thank God for those pills!!!!!

SHOPPING

First Day in Lima and we found our local market place to peruse all the stuff.

Dion loves markets. She saw a few but never long enough.
Here we are on the Uros islands on Lake Titicaca. Of course everything they sold on the island, they made themselves by hand (ha, ha, we saw the same stuff everywhere in Puno and the airport) but it was still fun and we all bought something.

Shopping along the way. Here is when we stopped at the Llama place and bought ourselves Llama slippers.
First stuff store we visited in Lima. We were all pretty good at controlling the spending. I mean, how many knit hats do you need?

PUNO AND LAKE TITICACA

Here is our warrior guide scouting the reeds on Lake Titicaca for interesting things, birds, for us to enjoy. We sat up on top of the boat and enjoyed the sun and the view. They warned us that the sun was very strong and to wear sunscreen. Ella found out later that day that it was true. A bit of a red nose from the sun.

Here she is, our skipper. Of course we did all the tourist stuff including riding on a reed boat from one floating reed island to another. For some reason they just wouldn't let Dion steer the boat.
Another great group shot on the floating island taken by our guide. We voted Ruben to be the best guide we had during our stay in Peru. Notice the dog house on the right but we never saw a dog, hmmmm. Walking on these islands is a very strange feeling. You are just sure that somehow you will fall through into the water but with about 9 meters of stuff under you, it probably wouldn't happen.
Here is a shot of the islands with Puno in the background. Also, please notice the fancy reed boat that some of the other island people used for their island rides.

The Uros islands or floating islands on Lake Titcaca were really a fun adventure to make. There are 44 islands linked together and each one has it's own look out post with its island name. Kind of like their club name.

Who could resist climbing up for a picture but it was a bit creepy. No stable groundunderneath and the look out post construction itself was definitely not a permitted item

Saying goodbye to the islands. Totally different than what I expected but still a great time had by all.

So that pretty much covers our trip. Yes there were quite a few other things to see and do and we did them all but hey, there is a limit to your viewing patience right and as Huell Howser says "thanks for watching".