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Coast
and Castle
This is a Specialty
Group Tour
a minimum rental of
four cars.
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 The
Coast & Castle Tour begins in Cambria, half way
between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Cambria is
a small central coast community nestled in the pines.
In Cambria you will find lots to do. Antique stores,
galleries, gift shops, or take a drive down Santa
Rosa Creek Road. The countryside along this picture
postcard road is reminiscent of the roads the Model
T grew up on. The pastoral setting will have a calming
effect on you as you wind your way through stretches
of roads covered in a canopy of trees. In the spring
the river will race alongside you making its way to
the Pacific Coast. During your tour, you will stay
at The Pelican Suites, a 4 diamond accommodation.
Just across the street is beautiful Moonstone Beach.
The beach is covered with tiny smooth, semi precious
stones.
The next day drive up Highway 1 – one of the
most picturesque roads in America. We will prepare
a picnic lunch so you can pull of the road, spread
out a blanket and enjoy your picnic as you watch sea
otters play.
Just down the road you might see Elephant Seals stretched
out on the sand taking their nap. Docents are on hand
to explain the Elephant Seals habits and migration
cycle as well as answer questions about the California
Coast.
 I
know it will be hard to stop exploring the Central
Coast but you will want time to tour Hearst Castle.
Few places on Earth compare to Hearts Castle with
its 165 rooms decorated with rare antiques from around
the world. Hearst Castle sits on the Santa Lucia Mountains,
a Coastal range above San Simeon. Mr. Hearst called
this resting place La Cuesta Encantada, “The
Enchanted Hill”.
Several tours of the castle will be available for
you to take. You will need to allow about two hours
per tour. As you tour the grandeur of the castle,
keep in mind that Mr. Hearst referred to it as "The
Ranch". On a clear day the views over the Pacific
Ocean and the California Coast are stunning from “The
Ranch Home”.
After your day's activities, return to the Pelican
Suites to freshen up for a night out on the town at
one of Cambria's finest restaurants. The next day
is yours. You may enjoy touring the coast or other
southern coastal towns.
 HARMONY
(don't blink), all half dozen buildings of it began
to decline in the 1950's with the dairy industry.
The towns name however has an interesting history.
The name came after a shooting death in 1907, the
result of feuding dairy farmers. The murder brought
the areas battling residents together, and in an effort
to instill a truce, the Harmony Valley Cooperative
Dairy was formed. The town has a working post office
and may be one of the smallest communities with such
a destination. If you've ever wanted to be mayor or
a city dignitary, you might consider buying the town.
Harmony comes on the market every once in awhile.
It last sold for a little over a million dollars.
So, how bad do you want to be mayor?
CAYUCOS got its name in 1769 for the little canoes
– Cayucos – spotted off shore. You might want
to spend time at the antique stores or walk out onto
the pier. The pier became a shipping center for nearby
dairy farmers and cattle ranches in 1875.
 MORRO
BAY started out as a small fishing community. You
can still purchase fresh fish from the boats when
they dock. While waiting for the fishing boats, you
might enjoy watching pelicans dive for their own catch.
If you're lucky, you will see a sea otter swimming
on his back while eating his own seafood off his stomach.
You may find this too much to do on an empty stomach,
so stop in at one of the many seafood restaurants
that overlook the bay. After lunch be sure to visit
the shell shop with the Pacific Coast's largest collection
of shells from around the world. Take a walk through
the art galleries and little shops that line the embarcadero.
Drive out to Morro Rock and watch the boats or take
a walk down the beach. Drive up to Black Mountain;
from there you will have a spectacular view of Morro
Rock, the Bay and the bird sanctuary as well as miles
of beaches. This would make a great photograph.
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