Point Reyes, Pinnacles NP, and the Big House

Day 5-6

Point Reyes National Seashore – Pinnacles National Park – Hearst Castle

Yahtzee Games: 0

The morning of Day 5 lead us on a beautiful drive to Point Reyes National Seashore. We had very narrowly missed the absolutely gorgeous sunset the night before (which we pouted about for 5 long minutes). So we had to settle on a morning hike with the dogs and lush green landscapes in the AM hours. You don’t feel bad for us, I know. And trust me, I don’t either. I have to remind myself that while on this trip we will see, at the very minimum, 185 sunrises and 185 sunsets! They aren’t all going to be that beautiful, but the odds are in our favor.

The first hike of the day was at Kehoe Beach which is one of a handful of dog friendly hikes on the seashore. We opted for this northern beach over the southern lighthouse area, because the Lighthouse is closed Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Just like the rest of the coast, the storm damage was very apparent. Multiple times we had to veer off the path so we weren’t stepping in a muddy boggy mess. About ¾ the way on the trail another hiker with his large dog mentioned there was a dead sea lion on the beach and that there were a few coyotes eating breakfast. They ran off when he and his dog walked up, but with our two little ones we should use caution. As soon as we got closer the vultures were circling us and also swooping down at the sea lion. I didn’t see any coyotes, but for me this excursion was over. We hopped back on the path to our car all safe and sound and tucked in tight.

After grabbing some to go sandwiches at the Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station, we hit the road for park #2, Pinnacles National Park. It was designated a National Park by President Obama in 2013 so it is amongst the newest. It previously held a “National Monument” designation. At 27,214 acres it is also considered a smaller park. We got there later in the afternoon so didn’t have a whole lot of time to wander. Plus, there are no official trails in the park that allow dogs so bringing The Yappy Campers wasn’t an option. The awesome volunteer park ranger gave us a good suggestion to go on Bacon Ranch Road over to the old Bacon Ranch property. It’s a short, flat dirt road directly behind the visitor center parking and is the only "trail" in the park that dogs are allowed. We stretched our legs and actually got some great photos of both the dogs and the old buildings on the property. We drove through the park as much as we could but most of these hikes are strenuous and hours long. As it turns out we didn’t get to our campground that night until after 9 pm so I’m glad we left Pinnacles when we did!

Remember when I said we would have 185 sunsets and sunrises to capture during our trip? One of the most spectacular photos G has taken on this trip is from the side of the road on the way to King City from Pinnacles. Patience is often rewarded and this night was no exception. G waited until the light was just right and got the most amazing photo of sunset over King City with deep hazy purples and ripe peach. We traded the “booming food metropolis” of King City for dinner in favor of the Paso Robles dining scene to satisfy our hunger. We ended up at Fish Gaucho for a little bit of a splurge dinner, but hey, don’t judge. These Portlandia foodies had to wean ourselves slowly off good food so you can’t expect us to go cold turkey! Literally! The food was pretty expensive, but it was well done and very filling. G’s burrito could have easily fed both of us for 2 meals.

Regal Murphy watching daddy take pictures of the sunset over King City.

We proceeded to San Simeon Creek Campground in Cambria and crashed for the night. It was a LONG day of driving, and we had an early morning to get to Hearst Castle by 8:00 am. Our tour was at 9 a.m. but you have to get there early (not sure why so early…but…we are rule followers). We did the Grand Rooms tour during the pouring rain and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, despite our weird and overly sharing tour guide.

We left San Simeon around 11 a.m. and were in need of a quick and easy bite to eat. Side note: Had there not been the option that I’m about to tell you, I could have happily gone to the historic Sebastian General Store café for a quick lunch. It was quaint and empty, though I did check out summertime Yelp photos and it looks like a bit of a nightmare. For those of you who don’t know, I lived in Las Vegas (minus the college years) from 1985 to 2010. My love for a sandwich place called Port of Subs runs deep. There just so happens to be a brand new one that opened up in San Luis Obispo. How conveeeeenient! I’ll have a #11 on white, sub provolone (because that’s the original #11 before they changed it to American cheese), yes on the mayo/mustard mix, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, olives, and peppers, and yes to all the fixin’s - salt, pepper, oregano, oil & vinegar. Heaven on a bun.

After my divine sandwich experience, instead of taking the coast road we made our way through wine country and stopped in Solvang to stretch our legs and hit 2 tasting rooms then proceeded on to Ventura Beach RV Resort. At $117 a night for a full hookup site, this was a giant money pit, but nice and clean and safe so oh well??!! C’est la vie. I’ll save the Ventura shenanigans for another post. Plus, after writing about Port of Subs I need to look if there are any in the Coachella Valley where we just rolled in. Gotta run!

Highlights:

Point Reyes National Seashore

Hearst Castle

Fish Gaucho

Port of Subs