Took a road trip this weekend. Where did I go?

[MichaelRW]

This might be too easy but here it is. It's not the name the city type, it's name the area.

[MichaelRW]

A few more pics.

[Brock Samson]

hearst castle
last yr. when i was collecting photos, i got a few snapshots of Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford lounging around on the hills and steps there. I don't think anyone previous realized who was in the pictures... They're dressed to the nines and really make a handsome couple.

[MichaelRW]

Right you are! The waterfall picture was taken about 50 miles north up Hwy 1 at the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. It's photo numbered 101 but is difficult to see due the resizing of the photo. But what I was looking for was the "Big Sur" area.

We took tour #3 this time having seen 1 & 2 in previous years. The tour guide showed us the suite David Niven always stayed in because he could hide his booze under the bed. The beds in the other guest suites you could see under too easily. Apparently WR Hearst served a cocktail before dinner but that was it. The movie star crowd liked their drinking and therefore smuggled it in.

[Brock Samson]

 those are great shots you took BTW:
Any chance you could enlarge that second to last shot of the beach with the Blue color?.. It's fantastic!
I know some of the old Hollywood moviestar history having heard stories from old southern Californians and movie people and reading a few books about the great directors like De Mille and such,.. Those folks literally got away with murder because they were basicly royalty and rich and connected.
I think it's notable that so little history or collective memory remains from the early film days, the "kids" today know nothing about it and echo the doctored up press releases if they think they know anything at all. Sometimes Hollywood willscratch the surface of their own background with a film like Chinatown or Citizen Kane but The real stories are too raw for public consumption. I should scan in those shots I found, they really are quite exceptional they really were quite photogenic and on top of the world.  

[MichaelRW]

I'd be happy to email you the full size file (5MB) if you would like, e.g., if the email websites don't put limits on it too. I tried to resize it again but the lame software I am using is too limited. The next resizing option I have puts it over 200k which the site won't allow. Let me know. The full size files look really good if I do say so. 

[Brock Samson]

 Yes if you please, I have a pic of waterfall "101" actually in my bathroom,.. looking at it helps me pee,  it's a 6x9 signed print a friend gave me for a present,.. in anycase i would love to have/see larger versions of those two in particular,.. 

[Shakey]

Great photos!

I've been up Hwy. # 1 a few times.  Way back in 2004 my 8 month old Daughter threw up from the winding roads about 15 miles South of Big Sur.  A blessing in disguise as we pulled into the Ventana Hotel, cleaned her up and had a fantastic lunch over looking the ocean.

[MichaelRW]

Yes if you please, I have a pic of waterfall "101" actually in my bathroom,.. looking at it helps me pee,  it's a 6x9 signed print a friend gave me for a present,.. in anycase i would love to have/see larger versions of those two in particular,.. 

Email just sent to you with those 2 photos attached. That's a good idea about that waterfall picture in the bathroom.

[MichaelRW]

Great photos!

I've been up Hwy. # 1 a few times.  Way back in 2004 my 8 month old Daughter threw up from the winding roads about 15 miles South of Big Sur.  A blessing in disguise as we pulled into the Ventana Hotel, cleaned her up and had a fantastic lunch over looking the ocean.

Ventana is quite the place. Rooms start at $500 per night with a minimum of 2 nights. Too rich for my blood. We stayed at the Ragged Point Inn at the other end of Big Sur from Ventana. Our room was literally about 40 feet from a 300 hundred foot cliff at the ocean's edge. The temperature variations are amazing. Near sea level it was 62 degrees with some light fog. 15 minutes later (driving north on Hwy 1) at a few hundred feet it was 89 degrees.

[Brock Samson]

 I printed out your Pics Michael, 8 1/2 x 11 and they came out perfect. did you do any color correction or was the water actually that shade of blue?..  Thanks again!
  Somewhat near the subject, Back-packing inland from Big Sur via Pine Valley/Pine Ridge has go to be one of the best routes imaginable,.. I took a three day trip from east to west ending in Big Sur at the sulfer/mud/hot springs and actually spent the entire last night in the mud baths partying with approx 30 other backbackers from around the world.

[MichaelRW]

The files I sent you are just as they were taken with my Nikon D80. No adjustment of any kind. In order to get to that spot to take those shots we had to enter the park and then hike about a 1/4 mile and also going thru a pedestrian tunnel under the highway. I was surprised as to how "Caribbean" the water looked as I have never seen that blue elsewhere off the California coast.