The Shortest Drive and the Longest Day

One hundred and thirty miles yesterday. We left San Luis Obispo at 10:30 AM and headed for Highway 1 so that I could point out the Hearst Castle as we drove by it. I knew there was a roadway there and I had previously brought up google maps to see if there was a place where we could turn the motorhome around. There was, and it appeared there was a visitor's center there with generous sized parking lot. So up we went to the parking lot.

In the visitor's center we found that there were tours available. The tour would take 45 minutes. It was still early - 11:30. We had time. So we thought we would have a bite to eat and then take the tour. Joyce thought she ought to have better walking shoes, so I went back to the motorhome and swapped her shoes out, grabbed my camera and tripod and returned to the center where we could get our tour tickets.

Hearst Castle at the top of the hill seen from the visitor's center.

When we got our tickets we were advised that we could not take the tripod, so back I went to the motorhome to drop off the tripod. We had noticed a theatre and found that the tour tickets included free admission to a movie about the construction of the Hearst Castle. We figured we ought to see the movie so spent 40 minutes there. Then out to the bus that was about to leave. We were the last two to board the bus and after a drive up the long and curving uphill road we finally reached the castle.

The tour itself was interesting but as we were moving about to take photos we were continually prodded to keep up with the group. Not sure why, because after the walking tour ended we would be on our own to walk about the place.

Joyce and Michael at Hearst Castle. Our tour group is behind us at the right.

We took our time walking around and finally boarded a bus to take us back to the visitor's center where we spent 30 or 40 minutes shopping for souvenirs. By that time it would be 4:00 and we still had to drive to Monterey where we would be staying that night.

So back down to the highway, turn right and head up Highway 1 to Monterey. Four lanes turned to two. Then some curves in the road. Then some hills. Then some cliffs. Then I remembered about Highway 1. But I knew that we had less then 130 miles to go so it couldn't be that bad. Now combine that while driving in and out of fog. Between 20 and 25 miles an hour. Yes, it could be that bad.

We arrived at our campground on the other side of Monterey at 7:30 in drizzly fog. The office was closed, but an envelope pinned near the front door told us we would be in site #16. We drove down the one way road, located our site and started to unhook the car. In front of us a pickup truck hauling a travel trailer headed towards us (the wrong way on a one way street). He wants to pass us, and now the manager has appeared and is asking us to move over to let this guy past. Now, this campground has one road, essentially a circle. The sites are angled, set up so that you drive just a little past your site and then back right into it. Driving the wrong way makes it nearly impossible to get into your site. This guy is a nutcase. 

I move over, he gets past me, we get the car unhooked and the motorhome backed into our space. Got us leveled, got the sides extended, the electric, water and sewer hooked up. And this idiot is still trying to wrestle his trailer into his site.

It's Miller time.