Tia Ofelia came out to visit us for the first time (my mother-in-laws sister)! Stella was born and raised in Colombia. She came to the US before Dan was born, but her whole family is still back in Bogota. In the 20 something years Stella has been here, this is the first time one of her sisters has been able to visit! Ahhh it was wonderful getting to meet Tia Ofelia for the first time. She’s lovely. There’s a bit of a language barrier between us, but it doesn’t matter…she is a gorgeous and loving Auntie. She gives the best hugs and lots of “ay que linda” and “mi corazon”. She’s pretty awesome. And I love getting to see Stella with her sister. ^^^Here we are on Our CA road trip…show Tia Ofelia all of the best! This was at Morro Rock in Morro Bay. Dan loved surfing here whenever we would visit our friend Evan at Cal Poly.
^^^A little further down the road we stopped at Pismo Beach to drive along the shoreline and show her the dunes.
^^^Then we went to check out the lazy elephant seals in San Simeon.
^^^We got tickets to tour the Hearst Castle guest houses, wine cellar and kitchen. “William Randolph Hearst, the man who conceived Hearst Castle, was a media genius whose influence extended to publishing, politics, Hollywood, the art world and everyday American life. Hearst Castle’s history begins in 1865, when George Hearst purchased 40,000 acres of ranchland. In 1919, William Randolph Hearst inherited what had grown to more than 250,000 acres. By 1947, Hearst and architect Julia Morgan had created Hearst Castle: 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways—all built to house Hearst’s specifications and to showcase his legendary art collection. Hollywood actors, influential politicians, notable historic figures, Hearst has hosted them all. To name a few: Winston Churchill, Calvin Coolidge, Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo and Cary Grant were a few guests at the castle.”
^^^Invitations to Hearst Castle were highly coveted during its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s. Here is a guest room just as is was in the 1920’s.
^^^Stella and Ofelia enjoying time by the lily pond <3
^^^Day Two: We stopped off at the most magical campground in the middle of Big Sur called Riverside Campground. You follow a steep road down into the thick forest. Each site has their own stone fire pit and a twinkly ewok bridge runs over the little river that cuts through the camp. We’re definitely coming back here! So cool.
^^^And of course no CA road trip would be complete without seeing McWay Falls
^^^The bottom of Ragged Point.
Day 3: We made it to San Francisco! It was a gorgeous time to visit! View from Telegraph Hill with Lombard Street and the Golden Gate in the distance! I just love this city.
Dan and I drove Stella and Tia Ofelia off at the Pier for a bay cruise while we went Tea tasting at Vital Tea Leaf! Angel Green, Eastern Beauty, Rose, Jasmine Pearl and Blue People Ginseng Oolong.
3 Fun facts:
Rinse loose leaf tea before steeping to rid it of any impurities from the shipping process.
Most quality teas only need 20 seconds to steep…leaving it in hot water for too long will make it taste bitter
You can re-steep tea a few times… 3rd steep is usually the deepest flavor with optimal health benefits.
Yay that was fun! Thanks Vital Tea Leaf
^^^Washington Square Park. It was a record breaking beautiful summer weekend.
^^^Exploring Chinatown. Dessert from the Eastern Bakery “Jian Dui” – crispy sesame seed treat with a chewy rice and sweet red bean center.
^^^The BEST coffee in town! Philz Mint Mojito Iced Coffee. Awww it’s so good!
Day Four: We left San Francisco and started our drive back home through Yosemite.
What a fun Trip!