Day 4: San Simeon, Cambria and Arroyo Grande, California
We pack up our tent in record time and stop at the Big Sur Coast Gallery and Cafe for a breakfast with a view, on a mountain overlooking the ocean. We have a bit of a drive to Arroyo Grande, but aren’t ready to part with Big Sur yet. After we pass the Pfeiffer Parks we stop at a bend on the side of the road to take a picture. There is a ladder leading down a dirt path towards the ocean. What a find this is. As we climb the ladder and start down the path, a group of rabbits disperse. Following the path further we find tide pools surrounded by various rock formations. Besides the bunnies, we are completely alone, staring off at the ocean.
The vast coastline is jagged and complex, constantly changing at this point in our route. The road gets windier and the cliffs drop farther.
We stop at Pt Piedras Blancas to watch the “experienced nudists”. This enormous colony of elephant seals spread along the beach as far as we can see and there are thousands of them. Some are sleeping, enjoying the sun and sand, while others use their fins to throw sand on their backs to keep themselves cool. The seals blend in quite well with the sand and the community looks longstanding and blissful.
Making our way down the road, we stop in San Simeon for a rest. Its a small colonial town with a quaint charm to it, surrounded by farmland.
There’s a crowd standing outside the Hearst Ranch Winery and we go in to see what all the fuss is about. The line for food wraps around the store but my eye catches the wine cellar and we decide to buy a bottle.
Of course, not without a tasting. As the bartender prepares the wine tasting for us, she inquires into our travels. At this point, we are on day 4 of no showers and are quite a sight. We feel the need to explain that we have been camping the last three nights and are on a road trip down the coast. After finishing our tasting and purchasing the bottle, we start to exit the bar. The bartender yells after us “Make good choices girls, life won’t make them for you” as the entire place turns with expectant looks on their faces. She’s right after all, and that’s pretty much what this trip is about; a reflection on all the right choices we need to make and the wrong ones need to learn from.
This day is a packed one and we still have a lot more to squeeze in, so we move on. We drive up to Hearst Castle, look around at all the tour buses and the mansion sitting at the top of the hill and decide we aren’t ready to see how the other half lives. We drive on to Cambria and take a tour of the Anti-Hearst instead at Nitt Witt Ridge.
Cambria is pretty small and has a similar vibe to Santa Cruz, with boutiquey hippie-esque shops and restaurants. The Anti-Hearst is a true gem in Cambria, made up of assorted junk by Arthur Beal, a former garbage collector. Arthur, or Art Tinkerpaws, was known by friends and admirers for his quirky eclectic junkyard designs. The house is a real treasure trove and environmentally friendly as well. Whatever Tinkerpaws found in the trash, he adapted to his home; toilet seats became picture frames, bathtubs were garden beds and abalone shells decorated the walls.
Although it’s a California State Historic Landmark, it receives little- to-no funding for maintenance and upkeep. The new owner, Michael does the tours and most of the maintenance out of pocket. There seems to be no support from the community for maintaining the property (tours and even selling souvenirs are forbidden). I am really happy to see Michael’s efforts to keep Art’s memory alive and strongly advise people to skip Hearst and see how the weirder side lives.
We still have some time to kill before we check into our Airbnb, so we head over to Avila Beach and lounge by the boardwalk. Around 6pm, we are greeted by Lou at his Art Farm. What a gem we found on Airbnb! It is a completely sustainable, eco friendly farm in the middle of Arroyo Grande, with an art studio, air stream trailer and a yurt. We figure after three nights of camping, the Yurt would be a nice break.
After welcoming us, Lou tells us about these sand dunes that are fun to check out for sunset and advises we take a sled along with us. Not expecting much, we follow his directions, and ten minutes later, we are transported to the Sahara Desert. Red, orange and white dunes stretch for miles in every direction, with the sea in the distant background. It is quiet and serene and as the sun sets over the sanded, hill top valley, we wrap up another perfect day on the road.
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