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While checking in at Long Beach, we were checked out by the locals . . .
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We don't often see another Aerbus on the roads we travel
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Two Aerbuses - the only RVs in the lot at the Tillamook Cheese Factory
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Moooey Christmas
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Tillamook Dairy's Christmas Tree
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A sunset at Sunset Bay State Park
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Jumping dolphins at the entrance to the Shore Acres Holiday Lights
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An "official" Holiday Lights picture, courtesy of Shirley Bridgham
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The jumping Orca light sculpture is a crowd favorite
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The life-size grey whale is one of the first light sculptures at Shore Acres
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The lights often emulate the actual blooms that grow on the plants
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There are nearly 300,000 lights in the gardens, almost all long-lasting LEDs
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Probably our favorite view
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Reflections make the lights around the pond extra special
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Holiday magic
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It takes hundreds of volunteers most of a month to get all the lights out each year
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The light sculptures are scattered throughout the gardens
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The butterflies hang in the trees
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Hot cider and yummy cookies are always available
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Only place we've ever seen Santa in the tub
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The "Ultimate Bed & Breakfast" is raffled off every year - this is the bed part
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The pictures don't begin to capture the experience
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Some of the best views are from the Garden House bedroom
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The view from in front of our rig at Crescent City CA
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We've never parked so close to the ocean before
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Of course, sunsets are always picture opportunities
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The lighthouse at Crescent City is accessible at low tide
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The guy next door enjoys his view
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This Redwood Grove is along US-199 just north of Crescent City
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The redwoods are awesome
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And large . . . .
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Even trees that have fallen provide photo opportunities
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Just a few yards from the highway, the peacefulness is wonderful
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There aren't a lot of Old Growth redwoods left - some are over 1000 years old
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Some tree traumas result in impressive burls
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Yes, they're big
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Really, really big
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Fallen trees provide nurture for others - in this case, a hemlock
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There's a quiet majesty in a forest like this
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This tree must have had an interesting childhood
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Yep - that's a big tree
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Judy liked the decor of the Crescent City Curves
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When we were here three years ago, the mural was just being started
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Entrance to our RV Park near Cloverdale CA
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The Russian River near our RV Park
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The signs said "Swim at your own risk". We didn't
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Almost like a rainbow in the clouds - must be ice up there
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Cool - the contrail leaves a shadow on the cloud
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Two bald guys at the Charles Schutz Museum
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The museum is fun for adults and kids alike
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This mural is made up of over 3,500 strategically-placed Peanuts comic strips
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An enlargement of Charlie Brown's mouth from the mural
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Inside the ice rink Shultz built so he could play hockey
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The bench is actually where you pose for the SnoopyCam webcam
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Famous skaters who've used the ice rink sign their names in cement
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Schultz would underwrite an annual ice show for the town
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Many of the world's great skaters would perform
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There are many, many signed cement patches around the plaza
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This little cutie was posing for anybody interested
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A duplicate of the one on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
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Even some stained glass Snoopys
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The gift shop is filled with special exhibits, including this Sopwith Camel
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Yum
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A happy place to sit
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Woodstock the ref
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Fall colors in wine country often means brown leaves in the vineyards
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There aren't a lot pf barn-side signs left these days
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There's some fog ahead . . .
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Heading south, a quick stop at the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield. Neat motorhome
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Must be fun to work at a place where all the customers are so happy
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Something's burning west of US-101 south of San Jose
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First we saw this herd of cattle - and noticed something trailing the herd
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Surprise - some of the Hearst Ranch zebras! Leftovers from the Hearst Castle heydays
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That's the Piedras Blancas lighthouse in the distance
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But we came to see the elephant seals
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And this one apparently came to see us
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A face only an elephant seal could love . . .
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Mostly bulls, a few pregnant females, and some yearlings on the beach
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She'll probably give birth within a few days
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A yearling from last year - she'll soon have to leave
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The bulls stake out a territory and warn the others to stay away
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Awwww . . . .
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California Dreamin'
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Hearst Castle is one of a kind
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All tours begin at the visitor center
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They call it a castle, but it's patterned after a cathedral
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Great view - snapped from a transparency in the museum
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Hearst collected - or accumulated - almost everything
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One of the remaining livestock sheds on the ranch property
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Quite a view - and we're not yet at the top
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The grounds are loaded with fruit trees
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A pomegranite or two . . .
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Statuary and antiquities everywhere
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That's a guest house
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Holiday cheer
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Decorative metalwork
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The glass light globes were originally hand-carved alabaster
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The Neptune Pool
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So many views, so many photo ops
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The pool isn't heated these days . . . .
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A Greek temple facade on a Roman-era pool.
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Our guide and some of the group
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Many of the statues are cast concrete, duplicates of genuine antiquities
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Looks modern, probably isn't
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Inlaid tiles on the plaza
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Another view of that spectacular pool
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Hearst once owned all the land you could see in any direction
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Ornamental grillwork around a children's playroom
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Spectacular ceiling in one of the guest houses
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One of the guest rooms . . .
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In the gardens
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It was and is a fantasyland
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There were two of these gilded backsides visible from the terrace
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One of the two towers on the main house
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No-one knows the exact cost of the castle complex. Probably $10-12 million in 1930s dollars - that includes the art collections
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All construction stopped when Mr Hearst died. The grey wing remains unfinished
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Over the front door of the main house
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Holiday finery
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Inside the "Great Hall" - tapestries everywhere
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They say the Harry Potter movie set designers made lots of visits to this dining room
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Over-the-top ornate
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Now that the castle is a state park, the decorations are not nearly as lavish
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The ceiling in the game room is slowly being restored. It's a multi-year project
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Kind of looks like a church, doesn't it?
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The uber-romantic indoor pool
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There are rumors - none confirmed, of course - of numerous dalliances happening in and around this pool
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There's gold in them thar floor tiles
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One of the original alabaster lamp shades
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The high diving platform
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The Hearst Family still operates a beef ranch on some of the original estate
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Whenever you eat outdoors, there are beggars. These are cuter than most
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The remains of the pier at Hearst Beach as sunset approaches
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The sunset over Morro Bay was spectacular
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US-101 through Southern California mostly follows the "Kings Road" that connected all the missions
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Oil drilling platform off Santa Barbara
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Some day we'll know more about this island at the end of a pier near Santa Barbara
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Old-style McDonald's sign . . . .
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Passing by Six Flags
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Finally, we saw this elephant sculpture along the Antelope Valley Freeway near Acton, CA. Must be a story somewhere . . .