sis- :
TRAVEL
California dreaming
The landscape of the Big Sur coast, where the Santa Lucia mountains meet the Pacific Ocean, boasts some stunning views and has become a popular tourist destination
Ben Connor pulls down the top of his (rented) Chrysler convertible and goes on the road, from Venice Beach to San Francisco
he car rental clerk has me sussed. '()f course. for only
an extra L'SSllN) you can
have this.‘ Turning the page of his display book. he taps invitingly on the upper corner of a photograph. There. glistening in the Californian sunlight. is a Chrysler Convertible »- curvaceous. silver and black and oh. so beautiful. Too much of a victim of contemporary life to resist its lure. l virtually get down on my knees and beg my partner to agree that. yes. it is reasonable that we rent this thing. Amazingly. it works. It is a gorgeous day. the sky is blue and having soaked up the carnival atmosphere of Venice Beach (all synchronised roller- bladers. hippie drum fests and bohemian street stalls). and woven through the Hollywood hills. we drive north with the top down. bound for San Francisco. The California we‘re coming to know is everything I‘ve imagined and more: there are few places in the world where such gorgeous geography combines with such a phenomenal concentration of wealth. Making occasional side trips off Highway 10]. a fresh breeze on our laces. we cruise down tree—lined roads. past cliff-side mansions overlooking the
94 THE LIST I’ll Ma, r' .Jtiv i/‘iibi'
vast blue of the Pacific Ocean. liverything is just too perfect: the physiques of the sauntering surfers and beach babes. the glossy. exotic cars lining the roadside and the mansions themselves. where a fresh coat of paint must he a monthly obligation. lintropy. it seems. just has no place here.
Our first stop is Jalama Bay. an idyllic camping site where lush green hills meet a white sand beach. We are soon befriended by Keith. an amiable. middle-aged. gay Californian. who invites us for dinner in his massive mobile home — a very Californian phenomenon.
GARY COOPER, CHARLIE CHAPLIN AND GRETA GARBO WERE REGULAR GUESTS AT HEARST'S CELEBRATIONS OF ROMANESOUE DECADENCE
There are buttons that make it expand and contract. and everywhere we look there are mod cons. He offers us sandwiches with a choice of five different meats and ten different sauces. I feel like a culinary dyslexic. Soon. with beers in our hands. we while away the hours talking economics. culture and travel. Later that night. after setting tip our little yellow tent beside his behemoth. we fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing in the bay.
William Randolph Hearst. a Californian and the inspiration for Citizen Kane. was one of the most powerful newspaper magnates of all time. At his zenith. in the mid to late 1920s. his empire spanned 28 newspapers. a publishing company. a movie studio and multiple periodicals. But. not content with merely wielding influence over the hearts and minds of the American people. Hearst decided to build a really. really big castle.
Continuing northward. up Highway 1. we turn inland and there it is. the most extraordinary mishmash of aristocratic architectural decadence. a kitsch Californian boyhood dream. perched on the top of coastal hillside. Walking around Hearst‘s 127 acres of gardens. Roman pillared pools. terraces. walkways and l65 rooms. all constructed from the imported remains of exotic. ancient structures and filled with the fittest in liuropean art and every possible indulgence of the rich and powerful throughout history. is a truly bizarre experience. The overall effect is frequently jarring. but thoroughly entertaining. In its heyday. this pleasure dome housed the biggest private zoo in the world. and was a notorious playground for the rich and famous. (iary Cooper. Charlie Chaplin and (ireta (iarbo. to name a few. were regular gallivanting guests at Hearst‘s celebrations of Romanesque decadence.
With a brief look back at the castle. framed by blue skies and a palm tree halo. we put the top down and accelerate northward. Passing over San Carpoforo Creek we begin the l45km stretch of coastline that is Big Sur. This is one of the most scenic drives in the world. The Santa Lucia mountain range clings to the coast here. plummeting dramatically into the ocean. And