Morro Bay 10.08

10.08 Hommikusöögi uus kogemus. The Landing at Morro Bay hommikusöögilaud koosnes muffinist, koogitükist, keedetud munast, kiirpudru pakist ja puuviljast. Kõik tuli võtta kandikule ja oma tuppa transportida. Tavaliselt on ikka söögiala, ükskõik kui väike. Ahjaa, uhke kohvimasin oli ka. Lattet tehes hakkas pritsutama ning ujutas terve leti üle. Makstud hinna eest oli valik üliväike ja lahendus huvitav. Muidu ei häiriks aga ise nimetavad ennast butiikhotelliks. Kui Ailiga mai kuus Saaremaal Ekesparres käisime oli rikkalik valik ja personaalne teenindus. Ka butiikhotell.

Hearst Castle

Enne sööki oli muidugi plaan jalutamas käia aga hüljeste platvormist kaugemale ei jõudnudki😁

See oli siis päev, mis pidi olema rannas mõnulemiseks. Kuna see plaan tuli paar kuud varem ümber mängida, siis ostsin piletid Hearst Castle tuurile. Seal on ajastatud sissepääs ning iseseisvalt territooriumile ei lubata (rääkimata sellest, et giidiga ka ringi uidata ei saa).

Hearst Castle bassein

Meie külastus algas 10, siis ei pidanud hommikul tormama. Ookeani kohal laiutas udu. San Simeonist läbi sõites märkasin silmanurgast sebrat. Kuna ülemäära aega ei olnud, siis peatust teha ei saanud. Parkisime auto Hearsti parklasse, vahetasin netis ostetud voucherid piletite vastu ning suundusime bussi peatusesse.

Söögisaal

Umbes pooletunnine bussisõit viis meid järjest kõrgemale ning päike tuli välja. Audiogiid jagas informatsiooni W.R.Hearsti ja tema arhitekti Julia Morgani ühise kontseptisiooni kohta, mille ehitus kestis 1919-1947. 

Mäe tipus võttis meid vastu giid, kelle juhtimisel ning meeleoluka etteaste saatel käisime tunni aja jooksul läbi neli tuba ning aia. Iga samm andis märku William Hearsti tohutust rikkusest. Algupäraselt mõeldud naise ja viie lapse jaoks perekonna koduks, ei meenuta nime poolest loss harjumuspäraseid losse Euroopas. Pigem on tegemist grandioosse hoonega, väga kauni ja suurustava hoonega. 

Hearsti lossis on oma kino, tenniseväljak, kirik, sise-ja välisbassein, osa Hogwartsi söögisaalist. Sealt avaneb võrratu vaade vaiksele ookeanile (sellel päeval küll uduloori all). William Hearst kogus kõike väärtuslikku, seal on originaalteoseid, mille koopiad on Louvres. 

Mäest alla sõites lootsin, et udu hajub. Edasi suundusime San Simeoni lonthülgeid uudistama. Sinna ma oleksin võinud ka jääda😍 Nii võimsad loomad, see heli, mida nad tekitavad. Lonthüljes on nii imelik nimi, inglise keeles elevanthülged. 

Seisin piirde taga, tegin pilte, vaatasin, olin kohal. Kodulehel väidetakse, et tippajal võib rannikul olla kuni 17000 looma. Tippajad siis jaanuaris, aprillis ja oktoobris. Lihtsalt imetlesin.

Maantee 1, mida mööda me liikusime, kulges mööda rannikuäärt. Tegime peaagu igas vaatepunktis peatuse. Seal oli metsikult oravaid. Julgeid oravaid, argu oravaid. Tahtsin pilti teha aga kui mõni minu suunas liikuma hakkas, oli kuidagi kõhe. 

Lõunapausi tegime San Simeoni muulil. Jälle ilus liivarand aga ujumiseks liiga jahe. Parklas märkasime 50dantest pärit autosid. Selgus, et väärikas eas härrad (ning prouad) on ise oma autod üles ehitanud või remontinud ning teostavad nende hooldust. Iga kuu käiakse koos sõitmas ja piknikku pidamas.

Cambria

San Luis Obispo maakonda jääb veidi alla 6000 elanikuga Cambria väikelinn, mille nimetus on laenatud Walesi ladinakeelsest nimetusest. Peamiseks majandusharuks ikka turism. Peatänav on ääristatud kauniste britipäraste hoonetega. 

 Morro Baysse jõudes selgus, et üks tänav oli laada tõttu suletud. Jälle põnev avastus. Uudistasime kohalikku toidukaupa ning käsitööd. Käisime kaltsukates. Leidsin lõpuks mõne raamatu. Ja ühe kummalise nuku.

Õhtusöögiks suundusime uuesti Tognazzini`s Dockside restorani. Jäime eelmisel õhtul pakutud toidu ning hinnaga rahule. Sõin merekarbihautist (clam chowder), mida serveeriti saiast kausis. Oleks saanud tavalise kausi ka valida aga tahtsin järgi proovida. 

Tõime auto, sõitsime Morro Rocki juurde randa. Vanemad jäid autosse sooja, mina chillisin saarmaid jälgides. Mul on zoom objektiivi vaja. 

10th August Yet another new experience with breakfast. The Landing at Morro Bay offers a cupcake, a slice of cake, a boiled egg, an instant porridge package and a fruit. You have to pile all you choose to eat on a tray and take it to your room. I am used to a dining area, however small. Oh, I forgot about the fancy coffee machine that decided to give a tantrum when I wanted to make a latte and overflowed the table. The variety and the coice of breakfast was really poor for the asked price. And they call themselves a boutique hotel. When I visited Ekesparre in Saaremaa in Summer we had a plentiful breakfast and a personal service. They are a boutique hotel.

I had intended to walk before breakfast but I didn`t make it past the seal platform😁

Hearst Castle

So, this was the day, that we were supposed to spend on a beach. As I had to rethink that plan a couple of months earlier, I bought tickets for a tour in Hearst Castle. You cannot visit the castle on your own (not to mention, you cannot wander around even if you take the guided tour) and you have to choose a specific time for your visit.

Hearst Castle church

Our tour started at 10am, so we didn`t have to rush in the morning. A veil of fog was covering the ocean. As we were driving through San Simeon I saw a zebra from the corner of my eye. By then we didn`t have the time to stop. I parked in the Hearst Castle car park. I exchanged our vouchers for the tickets and we headed to the bus stop.  

It took about half an hour to reach the top of the mountain where the castle is located. As we were driving upwards, the sun came out. The audioguide informed us about the combined concept of  W.R.Hearst and his architect Julia Morgan that was built between 1919-1947. 

Hearst Castle pool

We were greeted by a guide, who led us through four rooms and a part of the garden during an hour. Everything we saw made it obvious how wealthy William Hearst was. The castle was built as a family home for Hearst, his wife and five children. The building does not resemble any castles I have seen. It is a huge, beautiful, grandiose building.

There is a cinema, church, tennis court, inside- and outside pools, a part of Hogwarts dining room. There castle offers great views of the ocean (unless it is covered in fog as it was that day). William Hearst collected everything expensive. There are several original paintings whereas Louvre has the replicas.

 

I was so hoping for the fog to dissolve while driving down the mountain. From there we drove to see the San Simeon Elephant Seals. I could have stayed there as well😍 The elephant seals are magnificent. They make such unique sound. 

I just stood there. Took photos. Looked. Stayed in the moment. The homepage states that there are up to 17000 animals on the shores at peak times in January, April and October. I simply stood there and admired the nature`s wonders.

The Highway 1, where we drove, runs by the shore. We stopped in every vista point. There are numerous squirrels. Brave squirrels, shy squirrels. I wanted to take photos of them but as soon as they started approaching me, I was spooked.

San Simeon Pier

We had lunch near the San Simeon Pier. Another wonderful sandy beach but the water was freezing. We noticed a group of cars from the 50s in the car park. It turned out they were owned by men (and women) in their respectable age, who had restored their cars and took them for a ride once a month to spend time together and have a picnic.

Cambria

There is a small town of Cambria located in San Luis Obispo county. The name Cambria, chosen in 1869, is the Latin name for Wales. The primary economic activity of Cambria is tourism. The main street is bordered with cute little houses inspired by Great Britain.

Morro Bay

When we reached Morro Bay we saw a street was closed, because there was a fair. Another interesting discovery. We visited some second hand stores. I found some books at last. And a weird doll.

Morro Bay

We had dinner in Tognazzini`s Dockside restaurant again. We were happy with the food and the prices the previous day. I had a clam chowder, served in a white bread bowl. I could have had in a regular bowl but I had never eaten from a white bread dish, so I wanted to try that.

We fetched our car and drove to Morro Rock`s beach. My parents stayed in the car while I was chilling outside looking at the cutepie otters. I need a zoom lens. Any suggestions?

Los Angeles - Santa Barbara - Morro Bay 9.08

9.08 Väljasõit Los Angelesest oli sündmustevaene. Alustasime suhteliselt varakult ning ummikutes eriliselt ei passinud, kuigi linnast välja jõudmine võttis ca tunni. 

Santa Barbara

Esimese peatuse tegime Ameerika Rivieraks kutsutavas Santa Barbaras. Nii huvitav oli mõelda, et aastaid tagasi sai samanimelist seebikat vaadata.

Santa Barbara

Jätsin auto parkimismajja ning suundusime randa. Tegime pikniku (salat), käisin jalgupidi vees (jätkuvalt jahe) kuigi rand on mõnusalt liivane ning jalutasime kail. Neil on nii lahedad kaid, müügipunktid, toidukohad, meelelahutus.

Moreton Bay viigipuu

Ranna äärde jääb samuti Moreton lahe 24m kõrgune ja ca 54m laiune viigipuu, mis arvatakse olevat suurim suureleheline viigipuu Ameerika Ühendriikides. Viigipuu seemne kinkis 1876. aastal üks meremees oma neiule.

Sõime ühe kalleima jäätise, mida kuskilt ostnud olen. 

Linna moodustavad kaunid hispaaniapärased madalad hooned. Auto juurde tagasi liikudes otsustas telefoni kaart ka siesta võtta nii, et sain mälu järgi liikuda. Parkimine ainult 1.50$

Vahepeal tekkis vajadus tualetipeatuse järele ning keerasime suvalisele kõrvalteele, mis viitas bensiinijaama suunas. Bensiinijaam oli tilluke, poes oli tualett olemas ja keegi meid välja ei ajanud, kuigi midagi ei ostnud. Aga väikelinn, kuhu sattusime, oli nunnukas. Peatänavat ääristavad madalad vesternitest pärit stiiliga majad. Silma jäi tohutult huvitav gootilik 1880 Union Hotel.

Teele jäi Eestlastele maitseainena tuntud Santa Maria. Ameeriklaste jaoks on see maitseaine firma tundmatu. Kuna ma ei leidnud kodutööd tehes linnast midagi huvitavat, mida kindlasti üle vaadata, siis peatusi ei teinud ning pildistasime ainult silte.

Nätsukummi allee

Ühe vahepeatuse tegime veel San Luis Obispos. Kuidas tekib mõte tekitada nätsukummi sein? Kui üks inimene paneb oma nätsu seina külge, jääb see enamasti märkamatuks. Kuidas tekib 21 meetri pikkune tänav, mille mõlemad seinad on näritud nätse täis? Ühe versiooni kohaselt sai see alguse pärast II MS, kohaliku keskkooli lõpetamisest. Teise variandi kohaselt sai see alguse 1950ndate lõpus SLO keskkooli ja California polütehnilise riigi ülikooli õpilaste rivaalitsemisest. Mis iganes põhjus see oli, praegu külastavad turistid linna, millel on nätsukumme täis allee. Turismilõks missugune. Ootasin tegelikult päris mitmed ajad, et inimesed tänava vabastaksid.

Morro Bay 😍

Kulgesime terve päeva ranniku ääres. Õhtuks jõudsime ookeani äärses asuvasse u 10000 elanikuga Morro Bay linna.  Selle peatuspaiga olin valinud enne ookeani temperatuuri siseeluga tutvumist rannapäevaks. Kaardilt paistab ilus liivarand, piisavalt väike koht aga samas mitte ahistavalt tilluke. Kuni siis avastasin, et ookean on külm. Marsruuti ümber ei planeerinud. Ja jummal tänatud, ma olen Morro Bayst täielikus vaimustuses.

Morro Bay

Kõigepealt registreerisime end majutusse - The Landing at Morro Bay. Mõnusalt väike butiikhotell. 25 numbrituba, kõigile olemas parkimiskoht, ülemiselt korruselt vaade ookeanile (meie asusime esimesel korrusel), armas tuba, meeldiv ning abivalmis teenindus.

Tegime jalutuskäigu, põikasime sisse poodidesse (tillukesed ja turismindusele üles ehitatud). No kõik kohad, kus me käisime, promosid oma elukohta. Otsisime tegelikult America kirjaga särki, mida ei leidnudki. Igas kohas oli kohaliku sümboolika ja/või kirjaga meeneid, riideid.

Ema õhtusöök

Õhtusöögiks jalutasime keskusest veidi eemale Togazzini Dockside Restauranti. Isutekitajaks pakuti marineeritud juurvilju. Head. Oliivid ka peaaegu nagu Hispaanias. No ja suured viilud võiga tehtud saia. Ikka vaja ära süüa. Kuigi ma tean, iga kord tean, et siis ei jaksa toitu süüa. Toodi tohutu portsjon pastat, mereannid, riivjuust ja võine saiaviil. Kes ei suutnud järjekordselt magustoiduni jõuda?

Jalutasime tagasi majutusse ning vanemad jäid õhtut nautima, mina läksin uuesti jalutama.

Morro Bays elavad hülged😍. Nendele on tehtud omaette platvorm, kus nad saavad puhata. Ja seal elavad ka saarmad😍. No ja ma siis käisin mööda rannaäärt ning lihtsalt nautisin kohalolekut. Ainuüksi nemad olid väärt seal olemist. Jõudsin päikeseloojanguks Morro Rocki juurde. Saarmad chillisid selili vees.

Santa Barbara

9th August Leaving Los Angeles was not that exciting. We started relatively early, and it took us about an hour to drive out of the city.


First we visited American Riviera - Santa Barbara. It was fascinating to think I used to watch a soap opera with the same name years ago. Years and years ago.

Santa Barbara Pier

We left our car in a car park and walked to the beach. We had a picnik (salad), I stood in the water (still cold) although the beach was so nice and sandy. We walked on the pier. They have such interesting piers with performers, places to eat, little shops.

Santa Barbara

We went to the 80 feet high and 176feet wide Moreton Bay Fig Tree that is believed to be the largest Ficus macrophylla in the United States. Supposedly a seaman visited Santa Barbara in 1876 and gave a seedling to a local girl.

We ate probably the most expensive ice cream I have ever had.

The houses are pretty and quite low. When we were walking towards our car park, my phone`s maps decided to erase all the dots I had marked so I was able to rely on my memory. The parking was only 1.50$

At one point we had the need to use a toilet. I took a randon exit that directed to a petrol station. The station was tiny. There was a small shop with a toilet we were able to use although we didn`t buy anything.

But the small town we had found was so charming. The main street was bordered with yet again low, vestern looking houses. An interesting gothic looking 1880 Union Hotel caught my eye. The charm of road-trips.

We drove past Santa Maria, a name that is known in Estonia for the seasoning brand. But as I understand the rest of the world does not know that. I didn`t find anything interesting to see when I did my homework so we just drove past it and took some photos of the city signs.

Bubblegum Alley

We stopped in San Luis Obispo. How does one start a bubblegum wall? If a person sticks their gum on a wall, it goes unnoticed, I would imagine. How does a bubblegum on a wall become a 70-feet bubblegum alley?

Morro Bay

One version says it started after WWII as a San Luis Obispo High School graduating class event. Others believe it started in the late 1950s, as the rivalry between San Luis Obispo High School and California Polytechnic State University students. Whatever the reason, many tourists actually visit San Luis Obispo because of the alley. What a brilliant idea to attract tourists. I had to wait quite some time for the people to leave. 

Morro rock

We were able to drive along the coast most of the day. By the evening we reached the seaside town of Morro Bay.  I had chosen that place for its location by the ocean. Before I found out about the ocean`s temperature. You can see beautiful sandy beaches from maps. The town is small enough but not too tiny. Until I discovered the ocean there is freezing. I didn`t re-plan my route. And thank goood. I fell in love with Morro Bay.

We checked in The Landing at Morro Bay. Lovely boutique hotel. 25 rooms, a parking space for each room, the top floor offers views to the ocean (we had to stay on the ground floor), cosy room, polite and helpful staff.

We had a walk. Browsed the tiny shops. Every shop we visited during our journey was dedicated to the place we were in. People know how to advertise their homeplaces. We were actually looking for a shirt with a "I love America" message, my neighbour had asked for that, but the only clothing (magnets, keychains, etc, etc) we saw had only local writings.


We had to take a slightly longer walk to Togazzini Dockside Restaurant. We had pickled vegetables for appertizers. Good. Olives were almost like in Spain. And huge slices of buttered white bread. Of course I had to eat these. Although I know every time that I shouldn`t, because then I cannot manage to eat my dinner. I had a huge portion of seafood pasta, served with loads of grated cheese and a slice of buttered white bread. Guess who wasn`t able to eat dessert once again?

We walked back to our hotel and my parents called it the night. I went back walking.


There are seals in Morro Bay😍. People have built a platform just for them. And otters live in Morry Bay😍. That was all I needed. I just walked on the waterfront and enjoyed being there. They alone were enough to make our stay in Morro Bay worthwhile. I absolutely fell in love and was soooo glad I didn`t change our route after finding out about the ocean temperature. I reached Morro Rock by sunset. Otters were chilling in the water.