Central Coast

We are just back from a long weekend at the Central California Coast, staying at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo (SLO for short), and visiting Hearst Castle in San Simeon. I visited Hearst Castle with my folks, brother, and sister as a teenager many years ago, on a road trip down the coast from Seattle to Southern California; my husband and son had never been. The Madonna Inn was a first for all of us, though we had heard about its legendary style from friends!

Golden hills surrounding San Luis Obispo

We traveled from the San Francisco Bay Area on Highway 101, through the fertile Salinas Valley. What a pleasure to see the productive farms and ranches all along Highway 101, and the golden, rolling hills in the distance. According to Sunset, the Salinas Valley is mostly Climate Zone 14, where “marine air moderates parts of Zone 14 that otherwise would be colder in winter and hotter in summer”. Here, fruits that need winter chill do well, as do shrubs that need winter heat. We were grateful for our air conditioned car, but experienced the full force of the 97 degree temperature during several rest stops.

View of the Central Coast and distant fog bank near San Simeon

As we approached San Luis Obispo, the temperature dropped fairly quickly to 77 degrees as we came under the cooling marine influence of Climate Zone 15. Here the heat is tempered with refreshing offshore breezes, fog, and refreshing moist air. According to Sunset, an afternoon wind is prevalent in summer, which can be mitigated in the garden by planting a windbreak on the windward side of the garden. The heat of the Salinas Valley and the cooling breezes off the Pacific Ocean stirred up many happy memories of living near Southern California beaches.