Sunny West Coast

It doesn't take too much to inspire a weekend trip; a random event or must-see sight in a non-visited SWA city will do. But the chance to see one of America's grandest mansions - and get some CA sun after months of colder than usual temps - that qualifies for a must-do trip. After being planned, then rescheduled, and rescheduled again, a trip to the San Jose area...well, almost didn't happen again. All was well until the crew for the flight from Dallas was delayed in Tulsa, narrowing the layover in Phoenix from 40 minutes to negative 10 minutes. The image of this trip I did not capture was running through the Phoenix airport from gate C6 to gate C11 (despite their numerically close proximity, they are NOT close in physical proximity) only to see the plane pushing back. An unscheduled night in Phoenix is the result of non-rev travel adventures, and the main reason I don't check luggage.

Nevertheless, an early morning nonstop flight from PHX to SJC had us driving down Highway 1 by 10:30. I had been looking forward to the drive down this famed roadway almost as much as the destination to which it was taking us; however, it soon became evident that riding (and being able to enjoy the view) is much different than driving the coastal road. Not doubt, the views are spectacular but 2+ hours at 25 miles an hours, constantly winding back and forth...let's just say I was able to understand why driving on Maui's "road to Hana" wasn't my dad's favorite part of our family trip to Hawaii as it was for the rest of us.



Much later than I had planned, and just a few minutes prior to our tour reservation time, destination reached - Hearst Castle, home of William Randolph Hearst, newspaper tycoon and so much more. Wikipedia lists about 80 castles in the United States; while I cannot attest to the accuracy of the title for all of those - two of which I might add are on a Disney property and have never been lived in - this place is a Castle, in every sense of the word. From the sheer size (90,000 sq. ft., 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms) to the architecture (Mediterranean style, said to be inspired by a Spanish cathedral) one is transformed back a few centuries just by stepping foot onto the property.

Casa Grande - the main house

Massive entryway to the Assembly Room

Main Dining Room with tapestries and flags from the 14th century

Our tour (there are five) primarily covered the grounds and the main floor of Casa Grande. As impressive as the large rooms of the house were, my favorite parts of our tour were the two swimming pools, the Greco-Roman style outdoor pool and Roman indoor pool.

Hearst Castle was obviously the highlight of the trip, but we found some interesting things in San Jose as well, including a historic train ride, which was once part of the Continental Railroad's final leg.

Downtown had some fun sights, starting with numerous red belly warriors flying above. They seemed to come one after the other (I didn't realize we had that many SJC flights) so I finally caught a picture:

Downtown San Jose sights:

Historic Cathedral

Water fountains - The temps topped 90 degrees, so people were enjoying the water fun.

Really big shoes

World's Largest Monopoly Gameboard

Mom says this a lot, only in reverse, "Do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars..."

Supporting the transportation industry, I think Monopoly was pre-commercial airline days.

Chinese Gardens

Larger than life rubber ducky, behind our bright blue rental car. Somehow we frequently end up with a very noticeable car color, great for locating in a strange parking lot!