Part III: Desert Sands and Little Denmark.

And guess where we stayed that last night? 

The Madonna Inn. Yeah, we thought it would be a one time thing too, but when I realized it would probably be best to stay somewhere closer to San Luis Obispo our last night, we couldn't stay away from the tackyness. Our room was not that exciting this time. I booked it the morning we left and this was all that was left - Desert Sands.

How is that Desert Sands? Oh well, the giant piece of black forest cake we ate in bed after dinner in the steakhouse made up for it.

Delicious, delicious cake.

That morning we ate breakfast in downtown SLO. Which is so pretty. After living in Hawaii and Southern California, I love NOT seeing palm tree-lined streets once in a while.

Then we checked out Bubblegum Alley. Pretty disgusting, huh? But pretty fun to see nonetheless.

Our last stop was Solvang. It's the Danish capital of the U.S. Or so it says. It's a cute and fun tourist destination.


We ate danish... obviously. And we bought a magnet (we collect tacky magnets from everywhere we go) that's a miniature pair of clogs. Totally worth it. 

We also noticed this burger place, The Habit, all throughout northern LA and the central coast that had lines out the door at every location.

Tried it, loved it, wish it was in San Diego. It's a step above fast food and dare I say, better than In-N-Out? I mean, I was able to add avocado! But Matt disagrees.

Basically the intent of our trip was to see everything on the California coast that we missed the first time, and I think we met our goal. At least on our map we got to fill in all the bare spots.

Now we can focus on the inland destinations - Napa, Yosemite, Palm Springs, anyone?

And I can focus on finishing my guest room!

Part II: A castle and other sights.

The next morning we woke up early and headed north. We discovered Highway 154 when we drove back from San Francisco and I love it. It is impossible to describe how beautiful and expansive the views are and of course, pictures don't do it justice.

We made sure to stop in Morro Bay to get another view of this rock that I swear must have been placed there by aliens.

We also stopped in Cambria which is the cutest little town, but this time we had one destination in mind: Nit Wit Ridge.

It's a house made entirely of trash, built by a garbage man with his own two hands over a few decades using materials he found on his trash runs. I can't decide if it's gross or awesome, but it's actually a California historical landmark. Just a very bizarre historical landmark.

Nit Wit Ridge is sometimes called Poor Man's Hearst Castle. Which we saw next.

Oh don't worry, this is just a side entrance to a guest house.

Gorgeous pool and views.


Gorgeous grounds.


Some guest quarters. Love the Morrocan tile.


The main entrance to the main house, Casa Grande.


The dining room was probably my favorite.


Or the indoor pool, literally tiled with gold.


Actually, as dorky as it may be, my favorite thing(s) about the whole castle were the ornate ceilings. Should I say it again? Gorgeous.

It's amazing what money can buy.