Lighthouses,castles and ghosts?...

" You may feel like you are in a Stephen King novel"...these were the words the guide said to us as our bus crept down the fog covered gravely road. We were headed for the Piedras Blancas Light Station...

...this is the last part of our circle of central California. We began in Carpinteria, headed out through the Sespe Wilderness, Pine Mountain and the Los Padres. We spent two days camping in the Carrizo Plain National Monument, eventually heading back to the coast to San Simeon...

...oh sorry my friend, you can't come with us...

...we all started to laugh when our guide told us we were not driving into a horror novel, where we would become captives away from all civilization...I think everyone was feeling the same thing...

??

...after all, just because a place is in complete isolation on 18 acres (7 hectares) of a fog~enshrouded rocky promontory, is no reason to feel...sketchy?...

"Piedras Blancas" means white rocks and was named by the Spanish explorer and navigator Juan Cabrillo in 1542. The tower was built in 1874 due to increased shipping traffic following the Gold Rush. President Andrew Johnson authorized the construction of 8 lighthouses on the west coast, including Piedras Blancas.

Photo- Illustration by Mark Arnold
Mark is one of the tour guides. If you've ever had a tour with him, you'll remember his stories about life at the point.
He says he is trying to tell the story of when the light still functioned with these images.

These prints combine modern photographs with vintage shots and are further manipulated to show what the light at the point must have looked like. For more info or to purchase a beautiful print go to
http://www.piedrasblancas.org/

...Our first stop was inside the fuel~oil building where we were given an introduction and learned a little about the history of this place...

....our friendly and knowledgeable guide...

...the area is also managed as a wildlife sanctuary, see the elephant seals lounging on the beach below? we watched a great whale migrate so close we could hear his spout, do you think he knows the area surrounding Point Piedras Blancas recently received designation as a Marine Reserve? your safe here California Grey...

...let's go inside...

...yes, it was cold, and damp and everything turned black and white (kidding) although it does feel as though you've stepped back in time...

...looking straight up. Can you imagine climbing these a few times a day? we were not allowed up, repair work and all. That was ok. We got the feel of the place. Light~Keepers were dedicated folks, with a most important job. Did you know they actually lit a lantern with a wick (5 wicks) that were used along with a lens? What a tricky job that was. It would take at least a half an hour to light the lantern, and then only after the lens rotation time was exactly adjusted, the keeper would begin the more relaxed portion of his watch....

...beautiful or creepy, I couldn't make up my mind, beautifully creepy then...

...they let us go, no one got locked up, whew, we'll be back for another visit to Piedras Blancas, it's a very special place...

Good thing, we don't want to miss our next tour which is of

Hearst Castle

Yes, there is a castle in California...

... there are many books and websites devoted to this "hilltop estate"so I'll not say too much. The former residence of media magnate William Randolph Hearst, it was gifted to the State of California in 1957 and opened to the public in 1958. Now operated as an historic house museum by California State Parks.

You just have to see it to believe it. The building pictured above is only one of the three "smaller" guest houses...

...this is the house...

...pool...

...filled with antiques, artwork and treasures dating to 800 B.C. ...

...our thoughtful guide...

...there are 4 or 5 different tours you can take, there is even one for the gardens...

...Marble sculptures...

...the casual dining room...

...no ghosts here...

...after watching a movie, the guests would go back to one of the 56 bedrooms, after washing up in one of the 61 bathrooms...

...the underground pool..

...time to leave the Enchanted Hill, back to reality.

You know you are a lucky person when you can go into a palatial pad like this and be ohsograteful for your humble little home, and life. I would way more rather have experiences than things...(unless we're talking about Chanel, those little black compacts and #5 perfume and oh, oops! carried away here!)

So, it was time to start for home. We talked all about the fantastic time we'd had, all that we'd seen in a few short days, hoping we'd gotten those shots and the g.p.s. info so necessary.

But there was one last thing on the list, a quick stop at Montana de Oro again. Chuck needed to get coordinates for one of the hikes we did in the past. When we got there it was at the tail end of a storm, the wind and waves were howling. I opted for the warmth of the truck while he went and took care of business. Deciding to go have a peek in visitors center, I found the woman working there in a panic. It seemed a couple of trail runners had just happened on a mountain lion taking down a deer! Her phone wasn't working and she wanted to use my mobile to call the rangers. Mine had no service. But she showed me a map and pointed out the exact location. Then she warned, do not! go on this trail. Take any other, but this. Ok, I said, and thanked her. Then I ran. And luckily Chuck was running back towards me. I told him what I'd learned. And within minutes we had the truck up to the trail head, where we shouldn't go, and then he was gone. This is the kind of thing he lives for. I sat there in the warm truck hoping he would and wouldn't find this drama. But he did. The deer anyway. Poor thing, laying there with her belly all eaten out. I know I know, but that's nature, it's either that or the butt.

A lions got to eat too.

One more adventure coming to an end...

'till next time ;)

xxx love, lori