Be it for location, design or size, these pools are more than just enclosed bodies of water intended for swimming – as put in a definition. These extraordinary pools give a whole new meaning to swimming. In some cases you would have to be super rich to dip yourself in the luxurious waters, but a few of them are set in amazing sceneries, open to the public, and quite inexpensive.

1. The Icebergs. Sydney. Australia.

The ocean’s waves often break over the side of the Icebergs swimming pool located in the corner of the famed Bondi Beach. This beautiful full-sized 8 lane, 50m swimming pool is open to the public and the fee is only 5 AUD.

The Icebergs in Sydney.

The Icebergs. Sydney.

2. The Neptune Pool, Hearst Castle. California, the USA.

Unlike with Icebergs, you would have to be a millionaire to immerse yourself in the waters of the Neptune Pool. The pool, located at Hearst Castle, was originally constructed in 1920s for William Randolph Hearst, an American magnate, and then rebuilt twice.

The Neptune pool. By Hishaam Siddiqi.

The Neptune pool. By rieh

The Roman pool.

3. The Joule Hotel. Dallas, the USA.

This twisting swimming pool projects eight feet over the sidewalk, at the edge of the 10th floor of the Joule Hotel in Dallas. The five-star complex, located in the building since 1927, was designed by a famed architect, Adam D. Tihany.

The Joule Hotel in Dallas

The Joule Hotel pool.

The Joule Hotel.

4. The Alila Ubud swimming pool. Bali.

The calm, emerald-green swimming pool is floating above the Ayung River valley in Bali’s lush foothills. The pool’s home is the Alila Udubu resort, Payangan, a traditional Balinese hill village, near Ubud.

Alila Ubud. By seanmcgrath

5. Simply a swimming pool. Iceland.

All we know about this swimming pool is that it is located somewhere in Iceland, and to swim in it you have to drive to the farm next door to ask for a key. If you find it, let us know…

Iceland.

Swimming pool. Iceland.

6. San Alfonso del Mar. Algarrobo, Chile.

This is the world’s largest swimming pool. It is 1,013 m (3,324 ft) long and has an area of 8 ha (19.77 acre), which is equivalent to 6,000 8-meter-long pools. The water is pumped from the Pacific Ocean, then filtered and treated before it is supplied to the pool.

San Alfonso del Mar.

San Alfosno del Mar.

7. The Gellert Swimming Pool. Budapest, Hungary.

Gellert Baths and Swimming Pool complex looks more like a cathedral than a pool. The famed Budapest’s bath was constructed between 1912 and 1918 and it features chic Art Nouveau style. The temperature of water exceeds 40°C (110°F), so visiting the baths is a perfect way to kill the time on a rainy day.

Gellert Swimming Pool in Budapest

8. Harbour Plaza Hotel Swimming Pool. Hong Kong, China.

Harbour Grand Hong Kong, an icon of luxury in Hong Kong, is home to an amazing outdoor swimming pool that sits on the 23th floor of the hotel. The pool, facing the Victoria Harbour, has some truly stunning views of the city’s countless skyscrapers.

Harbour Plaza Hotel

9. The Badeschiff. Berlin, Germany.

Badeschiff or “bathing ship” is the most unusual swimming pool in Berlin. It is an old cargo container converted into a pool on Spree River. During the summer it is an outdoor pool with the beach, bar and DJs. In the winter the whole thing is covered, and a few extra saunas are added.

Berlin’s swimming pool.

The Badeschiff.

10. The Pimalai Resort swimming pool. Koh Lanta, Thailand.

This amazing swimming pool in Pimalai Resort & Spa on Koh Lanta looks more like some kind of a temple site. In fact, it is a fresh-water, infinity-edge pool, which is set around 50 meters above sea level – so while swimming you can admire the spectacular views of the beach and the sea below.

Pimalai Resort swimming pool. By gkamin

Pimalai Resort. By gkamin

That’s what you call swimming with a capital S. Just looking at them sends shivers down my spine, so diving to their bottoms must be nothing short of thrilling.

Hills behind Hearst Castle, originally uploaded by Kelson.

Taken in February 2009, just after the rains came through and turned the hills green.

Actress Brooke Shields and comedian Jim Belushi were recently involved in a minor plane “crash” on their way to an event in the Hearst Castle estate.

According to the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department, although the Cessna plane flying the two celebrities landed safely, the pilot failed to set the parking brake after the plane came to a stop.

The plane rolled and crashed into a 2010 Buick SUV, the wing clipping the car. At that time, the pilot was at the back of the plane, helping Shields and Belushi.

Both Shields and Belushi were not injured but the SUV incurred the most damages.

Spiraling Down, originally uploaded by Kelson.

An unfinished staircase in Hearst Castle.

Last night I was watching California’s Gold with Huell Howser on the PBS channel. I can’t stand his Arkansas hick accent. It was like watching more of the “good-ole-boys club”. He was at the Hearst Castle, taking a tour. It’s an 80,000 acre ranch. Okay, I just want to say that yes, it’s very impressive. But hey look, there were buildings and houses and living quarters that didn’t even have anyone living in them. And guess what I began to think? It went something like this……Why don’t those rich people give some of that space to homeless people? I bet they could even use it as a tax write-off. Maybe I should write the Hearst family a scathing letter about it. These days, it’s not even normal (to me) to be so ostentatiously wealthy, and not give to charities. Who knows, maybe they do give to homeless organizations. But they don’t allow any people to live in those buildings do they?

I’m up kinda early, doing a load of laundry.

Later today I’m going over to the WISE Place. I think I want to use their computers to send some resumes out. And I just like being there. And of course go into the closet where they have lots of clothes for free to look in. Last night I went over to the graduation at their home. There were 4 women, who I didn’t really know, graduating that program. Again, I am surprised by all of the “12 steppers”, addicts. There weren’t any women there who were living at WISE Place when I was there. Nobody of the “old crowd”. Not that I’m old, it’s just been a while since I’ve moved from there. And I still like going back and seeing the staff. It’s nice, makes me feel good, and gives me hope like nothing else, that there are caring and supportive women in my life. It’s something I’ve never had before, ever.

Nala slept in my bedroom with me again last night. I’m wondering if she is fed up with the bunnies and how much attention I give them. The attention that she used to get. I try to hug her as much as I can. I was thinking now, that maybe I shouldn’t have bought that second bunny. But it’s too late, I love her now. And soon she’ll have her own cage to live in. Last night she was having fun running all around the living room. I gave them both lots of carrots, lettuce and apples. Goldie ate everything and then some. She’s sleeping under the couch now. The last thing I remember as I was falling asleep last night was seeing her laying on her side in back of the couch, and then hearing her scratching at my bedroom door. I got up for a second and then she ran back into the living room. So cute.

I took my little bunny Priti to the vet for her re-check. She’ such a cutie. The vet technician was a nice woman about my age. She weighed Priti. She weighs 3 pounds. She said that she’s beautiful and she’d never seen a bunny this color. And that she’s an “alpha” female. I asked how could she tell this. She says it’s because of her attitude. She showed me where I’m supposed to clean her around her little butt. I didn’t know this. And she also said to buy hay for her to eat. I told her Priti’s story of how she followed my cat home. She said I’ve done really well with her. She’s doing well she said. So I’m happy that she’s such a healthy bunny. I asked her what breed she is, she’s a dwarf.

Neptune Pool, originally uploaded by Kelson.

The main outdoor swimming pool at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. Taken on a tour last February.

This was at least the third time I’ve been to Hearst Castle, and the second time as an adult. I vaguely remember visiting when I was eight, or ten, or somewhere around that age. Years later, in 2008, my wife and I planned a trip to San Francisco and decided to do it in stages, including a stopover at Hearst Castle. We only had time for one of the four tours, so when we planned another trip this year, we made sure to include another stop in San Simeon. This time we had a little more sense of how much time was involved, and managed to fit in two of the remaining tours.

At some point, we need to head back during spring or summer when they’re running the garden tour.

Think lavish palaces and imposing bastions are strictly Old World? Think again.

Hearst Castle, San Simeon, CA

In our proudly egalitarian American minds, castles are an aristocratic symbol of Old Europe, or maybe ancient Asia. But there are at least two Old World castles here in the New World — and you won’t need your passport to visit either of them.

One is Hearst Castle in California, a few hours’ drive north of Los Angeles. The other is Morro Castle in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The first was a monument to one family’s wealth and power. The other was a massive “We ain’t playin’!” fortress with stone walls 18 feet thick.

Hearst Castle overlooks the southern end of state Route 1, aka the Pacific Coast Highway or — as most Californians know it — Highway 1. You’ve seen this stretch of road in at least a few dozen car commercials on TV over the years, but nothing equals seeing it for yourself.

The drive getting there, from north or south, is literally too lovely for words. If you chose to skip the castle entirely and just keep on going, few who’ve ever driven this highway would blame you.

But don’t do that.

You need to see this place — not just to drink in the incredible opulence, but to touch a big piece of modern American history. In their time, the Hearsts weren’t just major figures in the media. They practically were the media.

There are those who believe, with some justification, that they deliberately used their influence to push the United States into an expansionist war with Spain in 1898.

The movie Citizen Kane, widely considered one of the greatest films ever made, all but made a target of the life and deeds of the family patriarch, William Randolph Hearst.

(It also made a legend out of Orson Welles, who wrote, produced, directed and starred in it!)

If you’re one of those who insists that America has never had its own royalty, what you learn here about the Hearst family just might change your mind.

Even in this era of mega-mansions and MTV Cribs, the splendor and comfort in which the Hearsts lived on this mountain is hard to fathom.

(NOTE: If any of you fans of the old Star Trek TV series feel like you’re suddenly having flashbacks, it’s no surprise. The set for the episode involving the Greek god Apollo clearly was inspired by this pool!)

Morro Castle — El Castillo de San Felipe del Morro in Spanish — was designed to make unwanted visitors to San Juan as uncomfortable as possible, and history shows they did a pretty good job of that.

Britain had Gibraltar. Spain had this place — and she needed it.

Madrid was getting rich off her Caribbean colonies — and just about everyone, it seemed, wanted a piece. Over the centuries, the British, Dutch and Americans would all try taking a bite out of Spain’s Caribbean holdings…starting right here.

Some countries even enlisted pirates to plunder Spanish shipping on their behalf. You know, that whole “plausible deniability” thing?

See? They weren’t really pirates. They were “contractors!” Before there was Blackwater, there was Blackbeard!

Bottom line, this part of the world was no place for a pacifist. Morro’s massive cannons fired iron shot the size of bowling balls, and the Spanish soldiers who manned them were cold-blooded professionals who “handled their business” with deadly precision.

These heavy guns defended San Juan from invasion

England’s legendary sea captain, Sir Francis Drake, found out just how precise in 1595.

Drake, a full-time adventurer and part-time slave trader, figured he could force his way into San Juan with a British battle fleet at his back.

It must’ve been a majestic sight — a classic battle line of galleons under billowing sails, blasting away with their rows of guns.

The Morro garrison, apparently, was not as easily impressed as I am. Taking aim at Drake’s famed ship, the Golden Hind, the castle gunners calmly put one of their giant cannonballs right through his cabin.

Sir Francis took his business elsewhere.

The British got a measure of revenge soon after, storming the castle from the land side, only to have their army so ravaged by disease that they withdrew after a mere six weeks.

Today, the castle is listed as a national historic site by the U.S. Park Service and a world heritage site by the United Nations. It draws some 2 million visitors a year — and nobody gets shot!

The one thing Hearst and Morro castles have in common: You can’t actually drive right up to either of them.

You have to leave your car at the bottom of the mountain near San Simeon and take a tour bus up to Hearst Castle. Even if they let you drive up the mountain — which they won’t — there’s no place for you to park up there.

As for Morro Castle, a decision was made about ten years ago to return that area to its natural state. This led the Park Service to tear up the parking lot in front of the gate. So if you visit, be prepared for a little hike over a long gravel path.

Hearst Castle. Morro Castle. One symbolized power. The other projected the real thing. Both are worth a visit.

AUTUMN REFLECTIONS BELOW HEARST CASTLE

The clouds gather and swirl and bunch and whirl like

A wet garment—the sheath folds  on a statue of Athena—

Aquiline languor placed by invisible hands in a gem of sky. 

Below San Simeon waves announce autumn’s arrival—

In wave after wave—upon your shore—green and brown

Kelp weave the story throughout the salty and crystalline

Tapestry.

September 1992

Dan Davis, © 2009

ON HEELS OF DESIGNING THE FIRST ROOM IN OVER 50 YEARS AT FAMED HEARST CASTLE, BUTERA ADDS ‘SAN SIMEON CHAIR’ TO COLLABORATION

LOS ANGELES, CA (October 2009) – This Fall, national lifestyle designer Barclay Butera tapped the “City” section of his Living in Style book for inspiration and created the “Gramercy Park Collection” for High Point Market introductions.  Named for the exclusive Manhattan park, where a key is required to enter and enjoy this haven within the city, the Collection celebrates the world traveler / city dweller who enjoys all aspects of the arts and high culture of a big city, and requires an elegant and subtle palette against which to showcase their personal collections.  The “Gramercy Park Collection” can be seen at High Point Market: The World’s Home for Home Furnishings (Oct. 17-22), Interhall #IH102. As an extension of this concept, Butera will showcase new pieces from his continued association with the Hearst Castle Collection^®, reflected in upholstery and pillows.

The color palette of the “Gramercy Park Collection” reflects a quiet sophistication through its tonal fabric selections that include taupe, bronze, chocolate, gold, cream, butterscotch; variegated stripes with texture and sheen; menswear-inspired textiles including bold houndstooth, large-scale paisley & windowpane plaid; supple leathers, plush velvets; touches of Butera’s characteristic textured animal prints, tone-on-tone woven patterns and classic solids.

For this Fall, Barclay Butera Home is proud to present all new at High Point Market:

Park Avenue Bench

Generously-scaled bench, an elegant, ‘collected piece’ of a well-traveled couple, possibly for base of bed.  Sophisticated tufting and dark turned leg are standard; nailhead is option (extra).   Shown in Kipling Bone leather (Gramercy Park Collection).  (60”w x 20”d x 22”h)

Essex Ottoman

Regency inspired ottoman with distinctive double “X” base with stretcher for additional strength. Tufted attached pillowtop with contrast welt added as signature Butera design detail.  Tufting and fully upholstered base are standard.  Most effective shown in pairs; perfect additional seating for conversational great room.  Shown in Savoy Tobacco Velvet fabric (Classic Collection) with Contrast Welt in Savoy Bay Rum (British Colonial). (24”w x 18”d x 20”h)

San Simeon Chair

Known for his collection of wing chairs, this is Butera’s newest addition to his collaboration with Hearst Castle Collection.  Modeled after originals purchased from Bullock’s Wilshire for Mr. Hearst’s North Wing suite, this modified wing chair features cutaway arms that echo the rolled detail on the wingback, as well as a current twist on a traditional pleated arm detail.   Transitional and ideal for lounging, chair features classic tapered leg with carved relief detail and attached pillow back.  Shown in a textured striped velvet, Edwin Cream (Gramercy Park Collection). (33”w x 36”d x 40”h)

Bradford Chair

Generously proportioned lounge piece, comes standard with tufting and turned legs with casters.  Similar to Newport Chair, but deeper and taller.  Shown in Butera’s characteristic animal print while still remaining neutral.  Fabric: Giraffe Natural (Gramercy Park Collection) (32”w x 36”d x 32”h)

In other news, Butera is touring luxury design centers nationwide, lecturing on “Decorating in the New Economy” to packed rooms filled with those in the design trade.  The tour is tied to the launch of his Kravet Collections line of textiles, as well as his selection of original designs for Tufts by Kravet Carpet.  Please check facebook.com/kravetinc. for a full schedule.

ABOUT BARCLAY BUTERA

Barclay Butera, Inc. is based in Newport Beach, CA, and entails the Barclay Butera collection showrooms in Newport Beach and Los Angeles, CA, and Park City, UT.  Barclay Butera Home, Inc. products (www.barclaybuterahome.com) are distributed through over 300 showrooms, his own collection showrooms, and To the Trade nationwide. The Kravet products are available through Kravet showrooms nationwide.  Butera designs and manufactures his bench made upholstery products in Los Angeles, CA.   Please visit www.barclaybutera.com/media for a full introduction.

by Jeremy Wells

Jamie and I recently spent 10 days covering some of our favorite land in the world. The central coast of my native, golden state of California.

We love traveling, whether it’s a Hill County refresher trip a few hours away or an exotic getaway half way around the world. But like many people lately, we’ve been watching our budget and the exchange rates and decided to stay close to home for this summer’s vacation. We set our sights on California and decided to make it an À la carte vacation of sorts by renting a car in San Jose and making our way south stopping at various spots along the coast until we reached our final destination at Terrenea Resort. This is a brand new five star accommodation in Palos Verdes that we recommend to anyone looking for a luxurious retreat.

One of our first stops was San Jose where we had a great time staying with some artist friends. (shameless plug: she makes amazing plush animals which would make perfect Christmas gifts.) Doing art full time has its drawbacks and its benefits. A photography research trip to Big Sur is definitely on the list of benefits. And so we proceeded south along the infamous Highway 1. We had no reservations, no agenda, no commitments — but we were on a mission. Our clear objective for the day was to search high and low for beauty.   We started our photographic journey in the lovely coastal town of Carmel. If you have never been to Carmel, we highly recommend it; amazing shops, world class golf and historic-eclectic architecture. The architecture of the town is as unique as the people who inhabit it. It is perfectly congruous with the land itself, new buildings on top of old, modern next to arts and crafts, Spanish next to English — all with the global and time-worn influence one would expect of a quaint little seaside village.

We continued driving south along the breathtaking Big Sur coast. In and out of fog and blue skies, every corner of the highway brought stunning vista after stunning vista. It truly seemed like we had rediscovered some ancient Eden. Other than the highway and a few telephone poles along the way there is almost no trace of development. We immediately found our travel groove where Jamie would drive and I would check the land, keep good music playing, meter the light and prep my camera. Scarcely 5 or 10 minutes would pass without a sudden swerve to the shoulder for me to hop out and scramble down a 300′ cliff to get my shots. This whole routine is a bit more tricky than it used to be now that we have a two-year old in tow, but to her credit she’s been accompanying us on trips like this since she was three months old and is a trooper.

At one point, I came across a hidden cove that I think may be one of the most beautiful landscapes my eyes have ever beheld. The water in the cove was a full range of deep denim and eggplant blues in its deepest colors to a tropical turquoise and bright white where it crashed on shore. As I looked closer, I noticed a small waterfall cascading down a cliff  landing idyllic on the sandy shores. Truly a small slice of heaven.

Rounding out our trip was a stop at the amazing Hearst Castle with all of its world class architecture and collection of antiques. We experienced so many beautiful moments on our journey. We eagerly anticipate the wonderful task of re-telling these stories on canvas.

Big Sur Coast

Continue your discovery of California’s breathtaking coastline today as you journey further south down the Big Sur coast. Stop at midday to visit HEARST CASTLE, built by the newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst. You’re in-dept tour covers the beautifully landscaped 123-acre estate and the splendid mansion that houses antiques and art treasures from all parts of the world. In the afternoon, arrive in beautiful Santa Barbara, often referred to as the American Riviera. (CB)

Visual Source:  travelpod

SAN SIMEON, CA (September, 2009) — For 2009 Hearst Castle Overnight, renowned interior and lifestyle designer Barclay Butera will create a contemporary interior inspired by the design collaboration of Julia Morgan and William Randolph Hearst. Notably, this is the first interior design of a room at Hearst Castle since Mr. Hearst left the estate in 1947.  Butera’s respect and admiration for the old Hollywood lifestyle garnered him this enviable project.

The design of this rarely seen room and special evening celebrates Mr. Hearst’s passion for the decorative arts, his graciousness in sharing this passion with countless guests and the importance of his collections housed at Hearst Castle, a State Historical Monument and California State Park.  The overnight stay at the Castle was won in a benefit auction sponsored by Friends of Hearst Castle in 2008, honoring the 50th anniversary of public access to Hearst Castle . A nonprofit cooperating association, Friends of Hearst Castle supports art preservation of Hearst Castle’s world-class collection of art and artifacts and art education, including programs for youth at-risk.

The winning couple has invited eight friends for a swim in the Neptune Pool, tennis, dinner on the terrace, a garden stroll, and an after dinner movie in the Castle theater, followed by an evening just for the two of them in this specially decorated showcase room with a view of the Pacific.

The Barclay Butera designed Hearst Castle Overnight room, will feature contemporary reproductions and interpretative designs by Hearst Castle Collection licensees whose home furnishing designs bring new awareness to the depth and importance of Mr. Hearst’s collections, while contributing significantly to Hearst Castle’s preservation. Butera is one of the select licensees, having debuted upholstery and pillows over the last year. The individual pieces and design of the room for this special evening respect the historical environment of the Castle with integrity and illustrate the contemporary relevance of Hearst Castle, its art, antiques and antiquities.

Mr. Hearst was a man with a reverence for the past and anticipation of the future. By bringing together his collections at Hearst Castle, he sent the message that one should be immersed in and surrounded by art and this message continues at Hearst Castle with the preservation of the works of art and antiquities for generations to appreciate. It is fitting that Butera who brings art “home” is redecorating a room in a home of priceless art and beauty.

Barclay Butera has great admiration for old Hollywood and great architecture, having owned former homes of Frank Sinatra and Betty Davis, and initiated  redesigns that paid respect to their special past. He did the same as creative director of the $25 million renovation of L’Auberge del Mar in Del Mar, CA, a former playground of old Hollywood.  Butera knows how to capture the era in furnishings, in this case for the ultimate home, Hearst Castle. Butera’s designs and accessories will honor the environment with integrity and interest. Proceeds from Hearst Castle Collection licensed designs benefit art preservation and education at the Castle. The design of the Hearst Castle Overnight bedroom is being accomplished through the generous contributions of: Architectural Detail Group, Barclay Butera Home, Castilian, Habersham, Hearst Castle Collection Design, Ambience by Minka Group, Pindler & Pindler, Taracea,  Tilevera, Jeff Margolin and Susan Ward Designs.

“I am honored to be selected as the interior designer on this project. I have a great respect for Mr. Hearst’s vision and am confident that he would be proud of the completed room in this incredible home,” states Barclay Butera, CEO and President of Barclay Butera, Inc.

The next Hearst Castle Overnight is planned to honor the 25th anniversary of Friends of Hearst Castle in 2010.

Barclay Butera / www.barclaybutera.com, www.barclaybuterahome.com

Hearst Castle / www.hearstcastle.org

Hearst Castle Collection / www.hearstcastlecollection.com

###

We plan to continue up Highway 1 tomorrow to San Jose, but want to make a stop. Your mission is to tell us which house of wonder we MUST VISIT in California. Vote now!

I can not feel my limbs, and I love it.

Yesterday, I asked Drew to hold another one of his gymnastic conditioning sessions with CADs. As summer training has taught us, he’s a monster when it comes to working out! But it was very encouraging to see around fifty people sweating their asses off with me. Plus, Mike finally decided to join in on the fun! He even came prepared with jerseys (hehe) Isn’t that adorable?

Who could ever forget the dreadful bridge walk.

These pictures weren’t taken yesterday though. There was no time and no way we could stop and take some. Above: summer training in 2007 and below: Auditions 2009

After the conditioning session, some of the girls from the Max Groove team and I went for more training at the Prince David pool! Perfect for Coach Drew’s instruction of “cold baths only”, since the water was unbelievably icy! (I even had goosebumps underwater!) Can I just say that after 19 years of living 30 minutes away from beaches, I FINALLY LEARNED HOW TO SWIM! Yay for me! Granted I looked a bit off, but a start is a start! At least I move now. haha. I kept telling everyone that I should make swimming a staple CADs workout. Its a whole body workout, AND it builds your stamina, just like jogging without the sweat! But they kept telling me that all my excitement was primitive, and only because I learned how to swim that night. Maybe so, but 50 laps and I feel great! I wish I could swim everyday! EVERY EVERY DAY!! (feel the joy) Now, to find myself a pool in Manila… (anyone know a place?)

Preferably one that looks like this:

Or this? HahaPhotos from: 1, 2 Hearst Castle, California

I think I need a swimming buddy, just to keep the motivation intact. Oh the happiness new activities bring me. I definitely can NOT wait to go swimming again! Maybe when my body recuperates. (Of course all that body work out would take its toll on me.) I’m  feeling the effects of my eagerness as we speak. Kryz is half-paralyzed for the day.

I tried to read but I was exhausted and the flashlight made the entire tent glow, revealing my presence to passing cars.  By the time I had set everything up and given up on Harry Potter, it was around nine.  I sent Jacob a text letting him know where I was camping and telling him I’d let him know when I was on the road again in the morning, you know, just in case.  I fell asleep to the sounds of sea lions barking on the rocks below and some squealing animal in the hills above.  I woke up early, somewhere around six, proud of myself, but feeling the deficiency of my camping gear in my hips.

It was a little chilly as I packed up and the visibility over the ocean was limited, but I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.  I found myself driving through the fog, feeling like I might have found Mikey and the rest of the Goonies just around the next turn.  The fog hung between the trees, speaking to the ancient roots of the mountains.  In driving the serpentine curves of the edge of the world, I found myself thinking about the explorers who first set their eyes on this piece of land from the decks of their ships.  What cajones they had, huh?

Still coming to life with the world, I found a road down to a National Park picnic area right off the shore.  I parked and climbed over the giant rocks to a beach hidden behind a cliff.  I sat there and let the Pacific lap at my toes, the chill sending a signal to my brain to open my eyes.  Looking across the beach, I was almost disappointed that I hadn’t found it the night before…until I saw the waterline.  Then I realized it was best that I found a place to sleep away from the water.  I walked into the surf to mid-calf and allowed the ocean to really slap me on the ass.  Standing on the rocks I had climbed over, I took a picture of my footprints in the sand and made a mental note about the caption I would include with it, something about Jesus.  Driving back up to the highway, I stopped to appreciate a wild flower that had managed to create a home in between the buttresses of a nearby bridge.  I couldn’t help but smile at the tenacity of nature and shake my head at the hubris of man.

Hungry, I stopped at the two roadside restaurants I passed, but neither of them was open yet and I didn’t have to patience to wait.  Instead I had a breakfast of roasted almonds and turkey sandwich.  I felt like I had taken my morning’s quota of pictures when the geography began to flatten out a little bit, allowing me to lay into the accelerator a little more.  The plan was to be in LA by the afternoon and I was hoping to stop by Hearst Castle, so I made it a priority to get where I was going.

Casting my eyes over the ocean, I watched the surf break over two rocks that appeared to be fighting.  I blinked my eyes and shook my head, in a very Scooby Doo fashion.  They were seals.  Seals I could pull over for.  Growing up on Colorado, I’d pulled off the road to see rams, elk, even a moose once.  But never had I seen anything like this in the wild.  My jaw dropped to the ground, I was in awe of their enormity.  After about ten minutes of staring and a few pictures, a docent walked over and answered my questions for another twenty.  Before I left, I took a picture of two males sparing (that’s the technical term) and sent it to Jacob with the caption, “Awesome in the true sense of the word.”  When I finally drove out of the roadside parking lot, I couldn’t imagine anything more humbling, any way more amazing to start the day.

It wasn’t long before I was seeing more frequent signs advertising Hearst Castle.  I came upon San Simeon Bay on my right first.  It was still early; there weren’t too many people up and about just yet.  I parked in the empty lot and walked alone out to the end of the pier, stopping to read the different placards explaining the surrounding ecosystem along the way.  As I stood as far out over he water as possible, I looked over the Pacific and imagined that there was another girl in Japan, maybe, who was looking out over the ocean in my direction.  I took in a deep breath and the idea that the next closest piece of land was on the other side of the earth.

As I walked back down the pier, I picked up a few plastic bottles that never made it into the trash can.  The mountains in front of me were all but shrouded in clouds and mystery.  My mind was again occupied by those explorers from so many years ago.  The shoreline here looked slightly more accommodating, but the mountains were still quite foreboding.

Taking a different route out of the parking lot, I found the entrance to Hearst Castle directly in front of me.  I just had to cross the PCH and take a road that led to the Visitor’s Center hidden behind fog and trees.  In all honesty, I didn’t really care to see Hearst Castle.  Generally, anything with a Visitor’s Center is a bit too touristy for me.  But everyone I’d spoken to said I had to go, so I went.  It was a little after eight when I parked my car and attempted a little bit of a bath (deodorant, body spray and gum) before I headed inside, still hesitant about wanting to stay.

Just outside the main entrance, an older man (I’m guessing in his fifties, but maybe younger, life can be cruel) wrapped in what looked like a horse blanket, said good morning.  Not wanting to be rude, I said good morning back, and kept my stride.  Then he asked, “What are you doing here today?”  Not wanting to be on Dateline, I told him I was meeting friends.  He said, “Me too,” to the back of my head as I hurried in the automatic sliding doors.

My timing was perfect; I only had to wait five minutes before my tour left.  I was firmly planted on the tourist track and felt a little awkward. I sat and watched.  I loved all the dark socks with sandals and Bermuda shorts, all of the sweatshirts from previous stops (Napa Valley, Monterey, Orange County, Disney Land), all of the bleary-eyed kids dragged along on a Griswold-style family vacation.  But I didn’t feel like I was one of them.  Did they have a non-tourist tour?

I found an open seat on the bus next to another singleton.  She was a teacher, too.  Elementary.  She wore an oversized pink Minnie Mouse t-shirt and was proud to announce that she loved this tour, not the first time she’d taken it.  AND, she was taking the other tours in the afternoon.  I’d be willing to bet her shelves were full of snow globes and pictures of her many cats.  While she was kind, I swore to myself to never become that woman.

As the bus navigated the hairpin turns that took us up the 1,600 feet to the main attraction, the speakers played ragtime and pointed out highlights along the way.  I wasn’t really able to see the castle until we were right on top of it, making it all the more breathtaking.  I stopped caring that I was surrounded by tourists.  Our guide, according to my new teacher friend, was very funny and knowledgeable.  I tuned it and out of his overly-rehearsed spiel, and instead soaked up the history that surrounded me.  Hearst was largely enamored by Renaissance Europe and surrounded himself with artifacts of the time.  What I loved most was his desire to share his spoils with others.  Of course the main house, Casa Grande, was the most opulent, the most magnificent, but he had three other guest houses on the property, which I’m sure made visitors feel like royalty.

I sat alone as the bus wound its way back down the hill, and felt haunted by a particular statue I’d seen.  The entire grounds was full of marble statues, beautiful nude figures: the Three Graces, Neptune, mermaids, angels.  But one statue in the courtyard outside the main entrance to Casa Grande remained firmly fixed in my mind.  It was a woman, nude, reclining on top of a giant evil-looking fish, its tail supporting her back.  Her arms supported her head, justifiably pulling her marble breasts upward.  But it was her eyes that caught my attention, the gaze they cast upon the front door of the enormous house.  She had what I like to call “Fuck me eyes.”  I found two different prints of the statue in the gift shop and quickly decided they belonged above my couch.  As the clerk rolled them up into a poster tube, he told me that the statue had been commissioned by Hearst’s mother in France and was rumored to be modeled after her.  Making Hearst’s story even more twisted, I loved the statue even more for this juicy little tid-bit.

On the road again, I finished the rest of my sandwich from the night before and wove on and off the shoreline.  I had to pull over and take a picture of a sign directing me toward “CALIFORNIA MEN’S COLONY,” where I figured my odds were good, but the goods were odd.  I didn’t stop again until Pismo Beach, where an ice cream shop was calling my name.

While I attempted to eat my ice cream cone and drive without making a huge mess or causing an accident, the highway had pulled into the landscape considerably, sending me down winding roads through valleys that were greener and narrower than those from the day before.  By this point, my iPod had died, forcing me to search for a decent music in a sea of evangelical Christian and Spanish-language stations.  I found a fun salsa rhythm that made me shimmy and when the song was over, the DJ said, “Gracias, blah blah blah…”  I got stuck on the word “gracias.”  It means “thank you,” but if you drop the “s,” it means “grace.”  I thought about the connection between the two, about how sometimes it requires grace to be grateful.  I enjoyed this idea and tossed it around in my head a little as the countryside turned drier and more mountainous.

Starting to feel a little road-fatigue, I sailed through Santa Barbara, dead set on making it to Los Angeles as quickly as possible.  I stopped in Oxnard again, this time just for In & Out, and promptly returned to the highway.  Considering I was driving into Los Angeles during Friday afternoon rush hour, I made pretty good time.  I had one more night in California before getting on a plane back to Denver the next morning and I planned on spending it with my good friend, Vince, who had the balls to move out to La-La Land in hopes of making it big.  He’s got the drive and talent; it’ll only be a matter of time before I’m calling him up to congratulate him on his Oscar nod.

It had been before I got married since the two of us had spent any considerable amount of time together, but we fell back into our old repartee effortlessly.  He was one of the very few people from high school with whom I still maintained contact.  Happy to be catching up with my old friend, I was reminded of something that Jacob had said on our drive.  He told me that as people get older, they only become more themselves.  I found this comforting and saw how it could translate to friendships, how little pretense there was between the Vince and I, how honest we could be with each other.

He took me on a walk to a local farmer’s market for some amazing hole-in-the-wall Mexican and great people watching.  I told him all the details of my journey and discussed the awesomeness of land meeting sea.  I shared my perspective on the sailors who explored the shores.  He shared another view.  He like the idea of settlers crossing the Mississippi, the Great Plains, the Rockies and Sierra Nevadas before finally making it to Paradise, Shangri La.  Vince had a love-hate relationship with the city that was supposed to rocket him to stardom.  On one hand, it was paradise; on the other, it was superficial and artificial, made all the more poignant as we stopped and stared together at the Beautiful People hired to stand out in front of the Abercrombie & Fitch store we passed.

Back at his apartment, we opened the bottle of wine I’d bought in Santa Barbara and smoked a bowl, together for the first time.  It seemed that California had turned my vodka- and wine-swilling friend into a pot head.  We talked and laughed well into the night, past my ability to keep my eyes open for long periods of time. We said goodnight and good-bye all at once since I would be leaving around sunrise.

I slept well on his couch and woke up earlier than necessary to pack up, amazed at how much can accumulate over a week’s worth of travel.  I drove east out of Los Angeles and into the sun.  The drive would take a little under an hour and I was about forty-five minutes ahead of schedules.  When I started seeing signs for the airport, I took the nearest exit right into a Denny’s parking lot.  I ate my breakfast, catching up on Harry Potter and left the server a hundred percent tip.  At the airport, I met a nice Puerto Rican woman and her tween kids, who were flying alone through Denver to North Dakota to see their dad for the summer.  She was worried about them making their connecting flight, so I offered to make sure they found their way.

I was feeling rejuvenated after this trip.  I’d spent most of June away from home and I was feeling the signs of travel ware, but I was mostly just pleased with myself.  On the flight home, I reflected on the entire week, training, Jacob, getting lost, Vince.  I felt balanced, calm.  Even when I hit bumps in the road, I made the best of it and enjoyed every single moment of my trip.  With my twenty-sixth birthday approaching, I prematurely hoped that the second half of my twenties would be more smooth sailing than the roller coaster of the first half.

“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

With the kids officially on summer break for the next six weeks, we decided to take a family vacation. Since there is so much right here in the beautiful state of California that we haven’t seen, we are dedicating the next eight days to the northern half of our home state. I have heard Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway,  is one of “America’s Best Road Trips” so we’ve decided to drive.

The plan is to break the nine hour drive up into two days, so we can enjoy the gems along the road; Monterey, Santa Cruz, Hearst Castle and Big Sur. We hit the road at a bright and early 7 a.m. and start with the familiar drive between San Diego and Los Angeles. Once we’ve come through Los Angeles, the views become brand new. Around Santa Barbara, we are finally driving along the beautiful coastline. Regardless of the fact I live in a coastal city, I don’t think I will ever get tired of gazing at the ocean. Unfortunately, I’m driving…so I try to keep my gazing to a minimum lest I plunge us all into that beautiful…and freezing… Pacific Ocean.

Lovely contrast

I’m surprised to see how drastically the scenery changes upon exiting Santa Barbara. Suddenly the dry hills, deserts, and sandy beaches of Southern California  have transformed into soft rolling hills, with bright green trees studded among the endless miles of golden grass. The contrast of the sporadic green trees on the gold grass catches and keeps my attention. I feel like I have ventured into another state since the landscape is so completely different, but no, I am only now in Central California. As we continue driving, I am reminded of back home, the Midwest, with herds of cows grazing everywhere. The memory stops short when I realize unlike the Midwestern cows that are corn and prairie-fed, these lucky Cali cows enjoy a view of the ocean, while they graze grass on hilltops under the sun.

After a quick lunch, we continue the drive along the coastline to San Simeon where Hearst Castle is located. I have been wanting to see Hearst Castle since moving to California, but didn’t realize how far north it was. We turn into one of the many view points along the road to admire the beach, which is rockier than in San Diego and the waves are bigger too! Turning up the road to Hearst Castle, suddenly we reach the sprawling parking lot, dotted with tour buses, and hoardes of people. Ah, yes…the peace and quiet of nature recedes as we suddenly become not road trippers…but tourists. I’m disappointed to learn that they are no longer accepting people for the remaining tours of the castle and we’re told we will have to come back tomorrow. More than disappointed, I’m irritated. Not only is it far too early in the day to be “full”, but they have no option to wander the castle on your own. *sigh* I resign myself to the fact we will have to take this longer coastline drive back home at the end of the week now instead of zipping down the 5 Fwy like I had planned.

I get over my frustration, when I remember that the gem of Highway 1, Big Sur, is coming up next.

San Simeon coastline

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