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Way back in December 2012, we took a little road trip down to the Central Coast of California. Thank you Living Social for providing us with a great deal to visit this quaint town of Cambria. Why did we go in the dead of winter? Because we can. Because in California, winter just means cold and a bit rainy, making it easy to travel the state at any time of year.
We stayed at the Cambria Pines Lodge, in a large suite. They had a cute little Christmas village set up at the lodge, so on our first night, we walked through twinkling lights and a little row of vendor stands and finally sat down with a hot cinnamon roll and some warm berry cider, which was perfect as the cold rain had just started to fall. Not a bad way to start this little getaway.
We also got dinner vouchers in the deal, and most conveniently, there is a lovely restaurant at the Lodge. We had cocktails, crab cakes, calamari, and I had a delicious eggplant parmesan!
Elephant Seals
Oh I remember why we went in the winter – to see the elephant seals! Husband used to visit family in the area and always remembered seeing the elephant seals. Being a lover of animals, he just knew I would want to see this. They dotted the beach, barking, playing, fighting, and sleeping. They come in the winter to give birth to their pups on the beach – tiny, wrinkly black pups.
It was amazing to get to see them out in full force. When I get to see animals thriving in their natural habitat, it makes my heart happy. Of course, I am sure they don’t appreciate us gawking at them for hours, but it beats the zoo!
Hearst Castle
Have you heard of William Randolph Hearst? He was an old school publishing tycoon who built an elaborate castle on the hills in San Simeon. You can’t actually get to the castle without paying for a tour, and since it was a wee bit foggy to see it from where we were, we did just that. There are different tours to select depending on the parts of the castle you want to see, and we opted for the Upstairs Suites tour for $25/pp. Fair warning, you have to go up quite a few stairs – I would suggest a comfy pair of shoes for touring the castle…instead of heeled boots like me!
Taking a bus up the hill in the dreary foggy winter was a bit dodgy but it was cool. I loved this tour. You get to see a large collection of artifacts, an amazing library, and an elaborate array of swimming pools with imported Italian marble and gold.
I would definitely suggest taking this tour anytime!
Cambria Town
We were also lucky to get some vouchers to do a little wine tasting in town at a little wine shop called Fermentations. We thought it would be best not to drive if we would be sampling the vino, so we climbed down a hillside trail (me in those darn heeled boots no less) and made our way in.
That evening, we also had a wonderful dinner at Linn’s of steak, salmon quiche (for me), and lovely salads. It looks like their menu may have changed since, though I’m sure it’s all still yummy! Linn’s is famous for their olallieberry pie, though we were too stuffed to pack anything else in there…and then we had to hike back UP to the Lodge…not good if you are out of shape!
Morro Bay
We also took a little detour down to Morro Bay to see the famous big Morro Rock. I think I was on a cinnamon roll kick that weekend. And of course hot clam chowder and a beer never hurts. We were joined by some pelicans and seals cruising the waters also.
If you ever want to visit the Central California Coast, this is a great spot to stop 🙂
Happy Traveling!
It has been a few years since I was at Hearst Castle and Cambria. Your post makes me want to get back there. Beautiful photos!
Thank you! I’d love to go back again and see it in a different season too. So beautiful there 🙂
Beautiful gallery !