Mark Dizon Photography - Hearst Castle

Author: Mark Dizon

May 16-31, 2022

It has been a crazy three years being stationed at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Mayra and I have experienced so many changes and events in a very short amount of time. It's finally time for us to pack our bags and move on to our next adventure in the Netherlands. The last two weeks have been nothing but busy. Our movers came and packed our house hold goods to get shipped overseas but the experience this time was anything but smooth. It took them four days to pack, crate and pick up our stuff. While dealing with the movers, I had to make sure my base out processing was getting completed to ensure a smooth transition to my next assignment.

With all the moving and admin items done, we at least had some time to enjoy our last few days in the Central Coast of California. For Memorial Day weekend, we took a final road trip up to San Simeon, California to visit Hearst Castle. California State Parks recently reopened the Hearst Castle for tours after being closed for the last two years due to COVID. Mayra and I booked the Grand Rooms Tour and the Upstairs Suites Tour back to back. It took us about an hour and a half to drive from Vandenberg SFB to Hearst Castle.

La Casa Grande

Mayra lounging in the sun

La Cuesta Encantada

Hearst Castle is built on an estate known as La Cuesta Encantada, Spanish for "The Enchanted Hill". It is located in San Simeon, California and was built by William Randolph Hearst from 1919 to 1947 with the help of Julia Morgan. She was a prominent architect and engineer during this time period and her collaboration with William Hearst produced an amazing landmark. Hearst Castle is a must see in the Central Coast and we are so glad they opened up again right before we had to punch out of Vandenberg. William Hearst was an avid art collector and he had art pieces from all over Europe. He had artwork from early Greek vases to bronze statues and massive tapestries. All the art he accumulated can be found all across the estate.

The Central Coast is a hidden gem in California and William Hearst picked a great spot to build his castle. Despite the large group we had for the Grand Rooms Tour, Mayra and I still enjoyed the grounds and we can still feel the serenity of the place. With new rules due to COVID, the tour guide cannot let us walk the grounds freely on our own like they did before COVID. So I had to take photographs as we went and I tried my best to capture images without making it look crowded.

The Upstairs Suites Tour was less crowded (there were twelve of us compared to almost thirty people during the Grand Rooms Tour) but it felt more rushed due to the amount of rooms we had to cover in the sixty-five minute we had. We still enjoyed it and our tour guide gave us a wealth of knowledge about the history of the Hearst family and of the estate. We finished up our visit walking around the visitor center and purchasing some souvenirs at the gift shop.

The images below are some of the highlights of our visit. I think this was a great preview of what is to come for Mayra and I in Europe. Seeing all the European art and architecture made us feel really excited of what we are about to live through. We just hope we do get enough time to travel and see the continent. A lot of changes in that part of the world have been happening and we hope the war in Ukraine does not escalate any further. I hope you all enjoy these images of Hearst Castle.