December 1, 1999, Wednesday- Phil and his friend Geoff arrived just after noon. They had hoped to land at the little strip less then a mile from the coach- but the place was notamed closed for repairs until December 5. Since Phil didn't have enough fuel to circle for 4 more days, we picked them up at San Luis Obispo airport, 12 miles away. A nice lunch at the airport, and then a 4 mile walk along the beach. With a nice breeze and lots of sun- a perfect day to watch the surf lapping at our feet. It's really been since early July, when we left Newfoundland, that we've spent any real time together. Lots of stories to catch up on, things to ponder, and future plans to work on. Dinner was at the coach- wonderful steaks on the grill, topped with wonderful portabello mushrooms, and sprinkled with lively talk. Geoff shared some of his Canadian background with his stories and experiences.

December 2, 1999, Thursday- another full sun day. Perfect to go flying. So the four of us got into Phil's plane, and the others trusted me to have the left seat and bore holes in the sky. Off to Bakersfield for lunch, then to Paso Robles and then back to San Luis Obispo. On the last two we added some instrument practice approaches- and greaser landings- for a perfect day of California coastline, coastal ranges, and high desert. What more could one want? It felt good to get behind the control wheel. At two of the airports we spotted these black and white Cessna 185 tail draggers that had far too many antennas protruding from the roof to be a normal aircaft. So off we go to explore the "bears in the air", California State Highway Patrol spotted planes. They normally fly two officers to the plane, and cruise between 70 and 80 mile per hour (unless they are in the chase mode). The avionics panel was stuffed to the corners with every conceivable toy. But, the basic tool for the bears in the air, are still a stop watch and police band radio.

December 3, 1999, Friday- an early morning start- 6 am- so that we could get Phil and Geoff to the airport for an early flight back to the Phoenix area. Geoff had a tennis game at 2. Can't miss that!

About a week ago the washer/dryer started to fritz. The timer had to be manually advanced between functions. So I called the washer/dryer people and they gave me two options- one was to pick a place from their list, make and appointment, and kill a day or more getting the repair done. The alternative was for them to send me the part, and I could play repairmen. Heck- it sounded better to spend and hour or two and switch a part- and not kill a full day or more, and have to take the coach to a service area. Yesterday the timer arrived, and this morning was the perfect timing, (the 800 phone is manned weekdays by the manufacture, who could help me walk through the process). So off I go with tools in hand, to tackle anything that came in the way. Off with cabinet trim. Off with cabinet doors. Open the back inspection panel from the bath area, and remove, in the blind, four screws that hold on the washer top- and don't drop them in the space between the back of the machine and the 18" of no-man's land. Slide the machine out 6 inches, push back the top, remove a few screws, two electric wires, and 5 multi-prong electrical connectors. At the same time- watch out for the wire harness that are tie-wrapped firmly up to the 4"x4"x6" electrical timer. Whew- finally go the old one out, and the new one in, replaced unit, the top, the cabinet trim and doors. Must have been two dozen screws. Wha-la- turn on the breaker, and the washer is doing it's first load. What a hero! It goes through the full wash cycle- but now the dryer isn't functioning. Open it all up again- and one of the connections on the dryer knob, next to the washer timer- had pulled loose. Push it back on, and close it up, and wha-la we are in business, again. It did feel great to do something with the hands, and not head to the repair shop each time.

Susan and I then cruised the towns to the south. Each tour through this area has rewarded the eyes with magnificent homes, horse corals, wide beaches, and rich vegetable farms. These farms are perfectly level, have dark black soil, and are full of more diverse produce then the Safeway vegie isles.

Passing through a golf course area, we noticed some open house model homes. So- let's tour. Nice product- 2400 square feet for $315,000 with a three car garage. Typical California however, with one strange item, a free standing "guest room" with bath, sitting by itself, next to the home.

Hanukkah started tonight- so we needed to make the traditional latkas- potato pancakes, even though they aren't on our no carbs diet. They were wonderful! Happy Hanukkah to all!!

December 4, 1999, Saturday- everyone said- if you're in the area- you must see the Hearst Castle. We are often skeptical of such advice, but, we did make a reservation for a morning tour. The 68 miles up along California Route 1, as always, was magnificent. On the way we stopped at great a beach to get some exercise for Hobbes and us. Crashing waves over the rocks are always a sight to see. Finally, got to the castle- and everyone was right. The complex, which, at its height totaled 250,000 acres, is almost indescribable. Picture the 1920's and 1930's, and spending 3.5 million on artwork and artifacts, and another 6.5 million on structures. Imagine, at that time, having 80 phone lines into the home. Many of these lines were used to carry the radio broadcasts of the Hearst radio stations from around the country. Just push a button on the wall, and you could pickup New York, Pittsburgh, etc. Opulence and elegance are severe understatements. The architect, the first female licensed in the state, used state of the art steel reinforced concrete blocks to prevent against earthquake damage.

The complex was built before the international antiquities laws, and as such, many of the items here would be considered national treasures in their homeland today. So- these so-called stolen treasures date back thousands of years. Some, reportedly, predate Moses' wandering through the desert.

Naturally a newspaperman needed his papers- so daily their airplane flew into their private strip- dozens of newspapers and magazines.

Daily guests included the rich and famous from every walk of life, Their frolics in the outdoor and indoor pools, tennis courts, movie room, dining rooms, etc- are legendary. Actors and directors that Hearst liked were written favorably in his newspapers- and their careers were ensured. Powerful people in high places can certainly help.

On the lighter side- they served the ketchup and mustard in their original jars- alongside serving pieces hundreds of years old. Why?, because this was the "ranch", casual. Hearst had 6 other residences- including real castles.

After the 2 hour tour, we continued north on Route 1- and found this wonderful beach full of elephant seals. These mammals grow up to 14 feet long, and weigh in at 5000 pounds. A group of volunteers provided first hand insight into life and times of the these seals. We are still dumfounded as to how these animals can travel to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska for the summer, and return to the same beach that they were born on for the winters. Amazing!

A late lunch was enjoyed further north, at "Jagged Point", out on the restaurant's patio, overlooking the Pacific. What more could one desire on a perfect day?

December 5, 1999, Sunday- as our last day in the area we decided to do the beach again. This wonderful stretch of sand, surf and dunes was definitely the place to be today. Lots of people out with kids and dogs. Our two hour walk covered lots of ground, and with lots of sun, and no wind, a perfect walk. Afterwards we decided to see if the golf clubs still worked, so we each hit a large bucket of balls. Most of the balls had a proper education and knew where to go. For the rest, back to school.

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