Category Archives: Central Coast

By Lauren Williams, Staff Writer  Orange County Register November 27, 2016 Pristine coastal expanses and rolling hills characterize the Central Coast, and for me, this stretch of our state epitomizes everything that is wonderful about California living. Upon leaving Southern California, travelers pass through Ventura’s farmlands that butt up against the coast. In Santa Barbara, tall trees shade the 101. Should you continue on, the rolling hills of the Los Padres National Forest give way to more gentle slopes covered in vineyards. My blood pressure drops just thinking of these sights. On a recent weekend, in the dead of Southern California’s toasty Indian summer, my family woke early to make the six-hour journey to the Central Coast and Hearst Castle – dogs and all. We left while the sun was still low in the sky and decided to casually make our way to San Simeon, visiting favorite haunts and stopping for lunch along the way. More...