Trip to Portland: LA to San Francisco

The morning started off at dear old starbucks. I have a gift card so I had free breakfast. Sweet. I had a bagel, posted a blog :) and started on my journey toward Hearst Castle about 4 hours away.

mmmm breakfast

oh yay a tunnel!

I made a pit stop at Pismo Beach to stretch my legs and take some pictures. I don't know why I often feel compelled to stop here on my way up to Portland, but this is the second time I've done it. 

Pier

underneath it all

Rad hotel

The thinker

A rad sign for a lame store

After my ever so brief stop in Pismo Beach I continued on my way to Hearst. I think I took a long cut and went on Highway 1 waaaay before I should have but oh well, it was a pretty view. Right before I came to the entrance of my destination I pulled over at a view point to take some more pictures.

 part of your wooooorld

So windy

Not going to lie, I froze with those pictures. The wind coming off the ocean was quite chilly to say the least. I guess I was getting ready for colder climates stop by stop. 

I got back in my car and headed toward the castle parking lot.

The next tour didn't start for an hour an a half so I ate some semi edible pizza (maybe I'll choose macaroni next time) and read my book Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott. Then the tour was getting ready to start so off I went to wait in my line. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the tour:

enter

I wish for a castle like this

the drive up the mountain

The beginning

Roman pool

Favorite little detail, this was in between stone steps outside.

The library.

Favorite Painting

yuuum yum, plastic cake

you are here

I took way more pictures than that but I didn't think fitting 100+ pictures of the castle on here would be worth anybodies time. 

Right before our bus took us back down the mountain my camera gave me a low battery warning which didn't surprise me. 

I quickly left the castle and started the second leg of my long drive. I stopped once to take a picture of the view from a spot on the highway that was incredible. I wish this picture did it justice but alas the view points weren't the prime spots. The places that were prime viewing spots would have caused accidents however so I took what I could get.

I guess there are some green parts of California.

I then drove the rest of the way to San Francisco to meet with C-dogg and Knife Fight Ruby so we could dance the night away. And let me just tell you, that is exactly what we did.

xoxo