Trip to San Luis Obispo Part 2

On the second day of our San Luis Obispo (SLO), we had to leave the hotel by 7am in order to make it to the 9am tour at Hearst Castle. The ride to Hearst Castle was pretty nice as there wasn't much windy roads and there was beach views, but me and my friend both didn't talk to each other the whole ride because we were kind of mad at each other. I almost wanted to stop and take a few minute break at the beach a few times, but didn't want to risk being late. We ended up arriving at Hearst Castle before 8am. I really believed that it was going to take longer. Maybe it was because I GPS the directions during a more busier time.

When we were finally let in the building, I went to get our tickets and I was the first person to do it that day. We decided to watch the movie before taking the bus to the castle. I really thought that the movie was going to be dry, but still wanted to see it because I didn't see it last time. I thought it was actually pretty good. It told me some interesting details of Mr. Hearst and his dream. My friend also found the information to be pretty interesting.

For this tour, we visited the Grand Rooms. It was definitely glamorous.

We walked around a bit after our tour, but not for too long since we were both hungry. We went to Brickhouse BBQ for lunch. My friend didn't like it too much, but we finished our meals. Just wished the tri-tip had more flavor.

After lunch, we headed back to our hotels and watched some shows and played a game. We walked around the area and looked at some shops and grabbed milk. We also enjoyed the cookies that were offered at our hotel. For dinner, we decided to grab sushi, so we headed to downtown SLO.

When I parked, my friend noticed a game shop called Captain Nemo Games & Comics, so we checked it out. I thought that the place was very huge with a impressive locations. I was able to find a House of Cards Cards Against Humanity deck there, which I did not see online, so I had to get it. That also reminds me that Cards Against Humanity recently released a new pack relating to dump Trump, which sold out before I even had a chance to buy one!

We were fortunate that there was a night market going on during that time, so there were several amounts of food booths and entertainment going on. We also visited some shops. I tried some samplers of tri tip from Old San Luis BBQ and it was pretty good. I'm definitely heading there next time. Before we left, we noticed a huge crowd watching a performance. It was a performer who was juggling with fire and throwing knives. He was doing some pretty risky stuff, which was kind of frightening to watch.

We ended our last night there by listening and watching the waves from the sundeck. It was really nice. Oh, and I also noticed a few nicely made spiderwebs in the hotel area, which I don't see too often.

I wasn't so happy on the way back because I realized I was going to be far away from a vacation anytime soon. But, I know I will come back to SLO one day and go to more places I enjoy in the future.

Trip to San Luis Obispo Day 1

I was very fortunate to return to San Luis Obispo again for 2 years in a row. I really did not anticipate coming back for at least a few years, but I was very happy I made the trip there. San Luis Obispo is one of my favorite places to visit in California. I know a lot of my friends love to visit Las Vegas or Disneyland, but I prefer San Luis Obispo.

Morro Rock, Morro Bay, CA

 I decided to go there a month before I made the trip. After deciding to go, I immediately booked the hotel and began to plan out the days. While planning, I also ran through some interesting places of interest to visit around that area. I also made sure to add Cal Poly SLO since I been wanting to go there for the longest time, but unfortunately I still wasn't able to make it to there that day. But, there's still next time!!

Morro Bay, CA

Morro Bay, CA

 When me and my friend made the trip to San Luis Obispo we were both very tired. I actually had to stop driving a hour into the trip because I felt exhausted. I guess I should have skipped worked that morning. After a short nap, I felt rejuvenated and managed to get about an hour or so farther. During my gas stop, I took that time to rest some more before making it to our first destination, which was Morro Bay. I've been there before, so I thought it was a good idea to eat over there and look at the rock. I thought that my driving directions there would be the same, but this time my GPS showed me a whole new way to get to Morro Bay and I did not like that path. I dont like windy roads, instead I prefer straight paths. Well, I guess from that experience I know which road not to take to Morro Bay next time.

Sea lion sleeping

 When we arrived we had to wait a bit before the restaurant open, so we decided to walk around the area. Luckily, the area is very scenic. There's Morro Rock right across from the restaurant and some shops. There's also sea otters and sea lions. We were fortunate enough to watch a few otters swim by, but not lucky enough to get a good picture of one. We were able to spot a sea lion sleeping on rocks, which was pretty neat. It was nice seeing a sea lion so close to me. We didn't visit Morro Beach this time around, but I definitely think it's nice beach with a wonderful sunset view.

I decided to eat at the Galley Seafood Grill & Bar at Morro Bay because it had really good ratings and it has a view of Morro Rock. I like their selection of fish, so I decided to order one that was local to the area. We also shared calamari and french fries. I was pleasantly surprised that they had 3 different sauces that we can try with our fish. I believe one of them was tartar sauce. Unfortunately, I don't remember what the other two were though. The fish was good, but it wasn't the best fish I've ever tried.

Our next stop was to the Point San Luis Lighthouse for a tour. I discovered that I was able to visit the lighthouse through searching online and ultimately decided to go after reading someone's blog. I also considered going to the Avila Sea Caves, but decided not to go there since there was already so much I already planned for the trip. I was so glad that the lighthouse tours was only about 20 minutes away from Morro Bay. I did not feel like driving much further that day. When I arrived at the tour area for the lighthouse, we explored the beach that was right across from the tour area. When the tour was getting started we all loaded up on a tour bus that drove up the the lighthouse. When we were riding up on the mountain to go to the lighthouse, the bus tour guide told us about Diablo Canyon Power Plant. I was very surprised to hear about it because I never expected to be in the same city as a nuclear power plant. The bus driver also pointed out a whale mom and child together and some small islands. He also mentioned how you can do tours around that area but you have to sign up at PG&E's website. I was just so shocked that PG&E owned so much of the land around that area.

When we finally arrived at the lighthouse, I noticed a swing and I had to get a photo with it. I must say it's one of the best swings I've ever been on. It's definitely better than those ones at park or beaches because those are meant for younger people. It felt more comfortable and it also has a great view. I want a swing like that someday.

The view at the lighthouse is gorgeous. It's a nice place to relax and live. But, it seems too lonely and deserted at the same time.

It's too bad that the lighthouse is no longer in operation.  I really enjoyed that tour and thought it was educational and really like what I saw.

After finishing the lighthouse tour, we checked into our hotel, which was about 10 minutes away. Then, we headed to Pismo beach to walk around the shops.

We also ended up eating at Cool Cat Cafe and Sunsplash Cafe. Lastly, we saw the sunset even though it felt kind of cold that day.

That first day at San Luis Obispo was amazing. I really wish I was back there again. But, I'll likely to be back in a few years or sooner if I'm lucky.

LeLand Stanford Mansion in Sacramento

I was fortunate enough to make a trip to Leland Stanford Mansion twice this month. I never been to the state historic park before. I actually never heard about it until my first trip there, which was organized by my volunteer outing. I believe there was at least 15 of us at the volunteer tour. When I went on the tour with my friend, the group was only 4 people total. What I found most surprising about the tours are that they are free of charge. I just find that incredible.

I was so surprised that we were able to walk to the Stanford Mansion from the California Museum. It was less than a 10 minute walk! I was surprised that I didn't notice the mansion before. I probably drove past it a dozen times and didn't really think of it as a place to tour. Also, the mansion isn't anything very extravagant, so it didn't strike me. I also never heard about it from any friends.

When we arrived at LeLand Stanford Mansion we were shown some videos to understand some context and history of the mansion and the Stanford family. Afterwards, we headed inside the mansion and saw the ball room first. I couldn't take any photos inside, but I'd definitely say the tour was worth a visit. Afterall, I did go to the tour twice. We didn't get to see every room in the building, but I'm glad that we got to see the majority of the rooms. I been to Hearst Castle before, so Stanford Mansion reminded me of it in a more modest form. I love seeing the interior of old buildings and priceless or very old items. I love that every room in the mansion told a story.

Visiting the Stanford Mansion made me feel quite intrigued. I grabbed one of the brochures in the visitors office of sightseeing places in Sacramento. If I missed out on Stanford Mansion all these years I might be missing out on more hidden gems around the area. Now, I'm quite excited to visit Stanford University even more. I'm also anxious to go back to Hearst Castle.