Epic Road Trip Extravaganza Winter 2010 Gala Celebration Party Oh-Ten Day 13

I awoke in Pismo Beach not much more refreshed than any other day on this trip. The rain forced me awake, but it luckily stopped before I was done getting ready. I hit the road running hard...ly (ooh, how do I mean that? Am I hardly running or am I just being reluctant to use an adverb?).

Today was, for all intents and purposes, the General's last ride. I am as sad as you are. Probably more sad. Perhaps I don't want to talk about it. Anyway, Rt. 1 from San Luis Obispo to Big Sur is really spectacular. In fact, (Kristen knows) it was reminiscent of upper Arizona, with hairpin turns going up and down a mountain. The only difference was that wherein Arizona you can plunge off a cliff to your death into a ravine of sharp, jagged rocks, here in California (to be said with an Austrain accent) you can plunge off a cliff to your death into the Pacific Ocean. Here's a poor example of one time when I got out to look over the edge:
Anyway, really spectacular views when you're not fearing for your life and when it's not raining (which was about 20% of my trip up Rt. 1). Also in the aforementioned span lies Hearst Castle. You all may know William Randolph Hearst as a newspaper robber baron (captain of industry!). He built a gigantic house out on the Pacific coast. It's open to the public now that he's died, all for the low low price of $24 for a tour. That being said, I didn't go. But I did get a picture of the house from really far away for all you folks to get a gander:

The visitor center is in the foreground with the castle being the little mansion on the hill. That's not even half of it. Anyway, it's huge, but I didn't go in. I don't need to pay $24 to see some dead jerk's (captain of industry!) house. So, I continued on, having an expensive lunch at Big Sur.

It's kind of weird going to some nice resort type lodge and having lunch by yourself while all the European tourists and hoity-toities chatter around you. Good people watching is what I call it.

Anyway, to sum up today, I went up the coast to San Francisco and beyond it to Moraga. The most noteworthy beach I stopped at was Seacliff(?), where the beach had a dock that had a partially sunken ship on it:
Pretty neat.

I got into Moraga a little after 6, completing General Mosby's last ride. It's a little heartbreaking, actually. She put so much into it going across the country, and now she's just about done. I am going to do a tribute to her soon. Mark it. Mark the words. I guess bookmarking the page will mark the words pretty well. I hope to see everyone bookmarking my words soon. I'll wait.