We kicked off the day with an excursion to Hearst Castle. It was fun to learn the history about how it was built and the countryside views were amazing.

Aniya managed to hold her bladder through the entire tour. We were afraid she might pee on one of the million-dollar rugs. Guests are forced to use a port-o-potty: what a stark contrast to the luxurious castle!

We stopped for gas at a pier that Dustin’s great-great grandfather may have helped build. After admiring the dolphin statue, we were lucky enough to spot three dolphins swimming past the pier (they escaped our pictures)

Next stop was the San Simeon beaches to see elephant seals. This time of the year the younger seals dominate the beach – we can’t imagine how big the older adult seals are (5k pounds).

Then we continued our trip up the windy, rugged coast through Big Sur. Unfortunately it was very foggy, so cool rock formation sightings were few & far between.