Cambria

For this week, I decided to write about a trip I took a couple months back to the little town of Cambria, Ca. Cambria is a little town about 3 hours north of L.A. Cambria is mainly known for two things, their elephant seals and Hearst Castle.

Hearst Castle was the home of William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper magnate. Also known as La Cuesta Encantada, The Enchanted Hill, the castle-like mansion sits a top a hill over looking San Simeon. It was designed by architect Julie Morgan and Hearst and was constantly being expanded throughout Hearst's life. It was never completed, but Hearst Castle has 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, 127 acres of gardens, indoor and outdoor pools, and a movie theater. There used to be a zoo on the grounds during Hearst's time. In fact, zebras still roam the grounds.  

The front of Hearst Castle

The view from the top.

A famous reproduction of the Three Graces

The tours take up most of the day but the architecture, history, and beauty of Hearst Castle is well worth it. The rooms are guided tours, but you can roam the grounds by yourself. At Hearst Castle, you feel as if you are on top of the world.

After Hearst Castle, we drove a couple minutes down the road to where the elephant seals were hanging out. Their names come from the huge nose the males have. The noses are used to make loud roaring noises. 

That's a lot of elephant seals

They were very vocal when we went to visit.

I just love their noses. 

Roaring again.

A couple of fun facts about elephant seals. They can hold their breath for more than 100 minutes and spend 80% of their lives in the ocean.  While we were there, the elephant seals were extremely vocal and were fun to watch. 

This was a fun trip that is often overlooked when people come to visit California. It shows a different part of California that also is a big part of California's history. 

~A. E. Keener

Interested in my trip?

Hearst Castle: http://www.hearstcastle.org/
Elephant Seals: http://www.elephantseal.org/