Okay, so in all honesty, you do get to drive to the base of the big rock out there, but that's it, you walk around and up that rock.
Access to the Pt. Sur Lighthouse is by guided three hour walking tour only. In order to take the incredible lighthouse tour you have to be one of the 1st 12 people parked in the little pull off on Hwy 101 and they recommend that you arrive a half hour before tour time. Also, due to high winds the tour might get cancelled. We arrived about an hour before tour time and were the first ones to arrive (even before the tour guides). However, I’m glad we got in, as there was a car that was turned away. And this was one of the main 4 things on the itinerary.
The idea of a half mile plus walk doesn't sound to bad and the .12% grade or a little less doesn't even sound horrible, the vertigo that you get as you look down on the birds is a little freaky.
Walking across a gap on an old wooden bridge and you look at old wood pieces on the hill below is a little scary. They assured us the wood pieces were not part of an old bridge but I’m not sure I’m buying.
We are told the cliffs out there (now privately owned) is where the VOLUNTEER Coastal Search and Rescue team trains. Cars that go off the side of Hwy 101 works out to about one a week, sad! And we did read some of the newspaper article of the one that had just happened. Incredibly sad.
Families worked and lived up here for almost 100 years.
We got to hear about how the friends of the lighthouse come out for their work days and paint things and wash windows and such. An amazing place
So the lighthouse was amazing. We got to walk all around the light and see out for miles. We got to hear all kinds of shipping history and about the blimp crash.
The cat walk (the no rail bridge from higher ground down to the light house, which was used by lighthouse workers) was no longer there. On the picture below you can see the gap. The spot where it starts from was off the photo to the right and it was a wooden bridge, without a rail that crossed to the black balcony you see.
Could you handle this view?
How about the private beach?
There is our car, all the way down there –
Hey everyone, this is Fran.
From the lighthouse we headed south. Ran into a few little sights along the way. We stopped for a cool waterfall that didn't turn out to be all that cool (because we were to far away from it) but on that path, we learned why we were so far away from it. Someone used to own that private beach and have a cool looking house up there. Mildly interesting.
Another stop was supposedly a view. The view didn't turn out all that great but the shops with items by local artists was very cool! Continuing south to San Simeon we arrived before dark.
California says good evening again.
San Simeon is a great, quiet, flat area. Its cattle ranch area but the coast line is fairly flat for several miles and not real curvy so you can just see up the coast line, very pretty!
And we have a down day -- shopping the local shops and artists of Cambria (6 miles from San Simeon). We were so proud of ourselves for not buying anything, but that was short lived as we didn't impulse buy. Instead we went back on our way out of town and bought the things we still wanted.
Okay, seriously I want to find someone locally that offers this. Seemed weird in October to see these signs all over town in Cambria, but honestly what an amazing offer. I was tempted to call and find out the charge.
Who can name that bird?
Piedras Blancas Light Station - we missed the tours.
We stood out here forever willing these guys to move – move, do something – seriously guys. Just do something! They didn't, I havemany pictures of them just laying there.
Thankfully Fran wasn't ready to get back in the car she walked to the other end of the beach and we finally found a few who did some moving. I have tons of photos of those guys in various points on the beach, but the wind in my ears started to hurt so I had to go in.
I love the coast line there in San Simion. So beautiful. There was a stretch of land with a closed down hotel and cafe on it. The signs indicated a remodel but it looked deserted for some time. Makes you think, perhaps dream, of a completely different life.
Doesn't this look like a painting?
Doesn't this look like a painting?
Hey, see that little white dot up there? That’s where we are going tomorrow.
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