A Much-Needed Getaway

Normally, we go visit my husband’s family during summer vacation. Several factors prevented us from going out of state, but I was determined to take my boys somewhere before school started. My husband and I went to Hearst Castle fifteen years ago and really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of Moro Bay and San Simeon. With everything going on, we all needed a relaxing getaway, even if it was for a long weekend.

I took July 31st off from work, and we drove down to Moro Bay to have lunch and to take in the sights. Normally, the summers on the coast are cold. Not this day. The fog was just starting to lift when we arrived. One of the things I regretted about my trip fifteen years ago was not taking a snapshot of The Estuary. I can still see it clearly in my mind all these years later, waking up to see that huge rock enshrouded with a golden-colored fog. What I remember was the peaceful feeling I received when looking out on the horizon.

The second time around felt pretty much the same, despite the crowds walking around us. I took my shot of The Estuary with the intention of catching just the rock and the boats in the foreground. As you can see, I caught a pair of kayakers on their way out of the harbor. After that, my family tolerated me wandering around the different shops and galleries.

We still had plenty of time to kill before our first tour of Hearst Castle, so we went to the neighboring town of Cambria. Fifteen years changes a lot of things. For one, the art galleries had been all but replaced by boutiques. We walked around for about a half hour before we drove up to San Simeon, where Hearst Castle is located. I really wanted to put one of my shots of the mansion in this post, but copyright rules prohibit me from doing this.

My boys loved touring the place. We went on two tours. The second one turned out to be the best because we were the only people on it! That’s never happened to me before. My husband was able to ask the guide questions without feeling like he was imposing, so we learned a lot more about the mansion than we would have otherwise learned.

We took Highway 1 home because it’s such a pretty drive. I had forgotten how windy the road is, though. It didn’t matter because we suffered through slow drivers all the way into Gilroy. Back at home, I found six messages on my answering machine from my family, wishing me a happy birthday. I felt refreshed from this trip, so much so that I want to take another.

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