On the road again...

SOLD

$11,700,000.00

CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE -  2012
PEBBLE BEACH

Clark Gable's 1935 Duesenberg
MODEL JN Convertible Coupe

Gable's love for this platinum blonde
(one of only four of the convertible model ever made) 

was rivaled only by his love for platinum blond actress Carol Lombard

CAROL LOMBARD 

1908-1942

Listed as one of the greatest film stars of all times by

The American Film Institute, Lombard was a smart, sassy and timelessly gorgeous

During a break in the filming of GONE WITH THE WIND, 

Lombard became Gables third wife in 1939 after a three year affair

The car's history was a significant factor in  fetching such a high bid

at the car auction in Pebble Beach

Clark Gable- always very mechanically inclined -

had the car modified with his own design additions- often tinkering on it himself.

He also had the car repainted from the original pale green to  the creamy luminescent platinum 

In 1942, Gable and Lombard embarked on an epic road trip in the Duesenberg...

from Encino, California 1,300 miles to Vancouver British Columbia. 

Did they overnight their first night at San Simeon- with friends William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies ?  

We were not as fortunate- a motel in neighboring Cambria had to do...

SAN SIMEON

Imagine Gable navigating the elegant 18 foot long convertible up the winding road from the beach to the top of the hill, Lombard at his side. 

Today tours begin with a 20 minute bus ride up that same road. 

Plan ahead and get a group of six together,  you can make special reservations for a private tour which makes it possible to visit without crowds and to linger in each space and really take in the amazing details. 

One way or another you must make tour reservations and plan to spend the entire day or you will be miss out.   

DO NOT MISS THE MOVIE about William Randolph Hearst's life at the end of the tour.

LA CUESTA ENCANTADA

The Enchanted Hill

as Hearst called his creation, 

perched on the crest of the Santa Lucia mountains overlooking the Pacific ocean- 

Hearst had camped here as a child with his parents,  George and Pheobe Hearst

WR Hearst worked closely with California architect,  Julia Morgan to create

La Cuesta Encantada,  now known as Hearst Castle.  Built of re-enforced concrete

the many structures on the property were designed in Mission, Spanish Colonial and Moorish Revival styles .  

Dinner for just a few close friends...

The table set with Pheobe Hearst's Blue Willow china 

which was originally the set used for camping on the site

Ketchup and the mustard were status symbols 

as they were the very newest in packaged condiments

A souvenir postcard of William Randolph Hearst's study

The indoor pool built beneath the tennis court 

despite Julia's warning that it would have 

constant ceiling leaks

Morgan worked on San Simeon  from 1919 to 1947

JULIA MORGAN

1872-1957

The first woman to graduate from the Ecole des Beaux Arts- Paris

In her lifetime Morgan designed 700 buildings.  Because of her then unusual knowledge of working with re-enforced concrete , she was hired to redesign the landmark Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill which had been badly damaged in the 1906 earthquake.  It's sad to think that when Morgan died she was uncelebrated and overlooked because of the modernist trends that swept architecture in her later years. 

One of the guest houses surrounding San Simeon

MISSION SAN MIGUEL

Founded in 1797

I have to believe that Morgan paid a visit to the 

Mission San Miguel Arcangel, 

not very far from San Simeon.

You Should !!!

The original buildings, mostly burned down at the end of the 18th century 

but were rebuilt in 1806 as they stand today 

The interiors are original and the best preserved 

of all the California missions . 

The muted blues and terracottas are spectacular fading into

the oyster white of the old plaster.

On the road again.. 

Did Gable and Lombard also visit the mission 

or did they just whiz by on scenic Highway 1

past the little church at the foot of San Simeon 

"...seein' things that I may never see again" 

where Hearst's herd of zebras still roam freely

William Randolph Hearst had the world's largest private zoo

during the time he lived at San Simeon.  

Just south of Big Sur the  Lucia Lodge

perches high over the Pacific coastline.  

Make reservations -avoid dissapointment

Not everyone arrives in a Duesenberg

Lunch on the deck  of the Lucia Lodge

There's that ketchup again...

There is no substitute for the Porsche of ketchup

The Lone Cypress 

17 Mile Drive

Pebble Beach

Carmel

The Salinas Valley north of Carmel famous for artichokes

PHOTOGRAPHY-FRED LYON

The Golden Gate Bridge

Mr. Lyon signs copies of his book of  work - 

A collection of black and white vintage and historical 

photographs of San Francisco

To Order Contact

Mr. Lyon

"..Goin' places that I've never been"

Just a few exits north of the Golden Gate the Stinson Beach exit leads back to Scenic Highway 1

via Muir Beach- home of 

 THE PELICAN INN

built by an English innkeeper in the 1970's

the building is a wonderful recreation of 16th century English architecture

Cozy accommodations - pub fare -afternoon teas-

Prime rib and Yorkshire pudding crowning a full dinner menu

Carol and Clark would have loved it - both were of British heritage

The only give-away that you are not really in England 

is that the beers and ales are

COLD

There's that Heinz again for the Fish and Chips  

DUH!!

An old farmhouse along Highway 1

- boarded windows stare blindly onto unkept fields

Were the lights still on when that Platinum Dusenburg roared by ?

"Mr. can you spare a dime ?"

At Nick's Cove on Tomales Bay

the wires are cut in the old phone booth

Death by  Cell Phone

McLoud, California

Did Gable and Lombard stop in McLoud to visit Hearst and Davies 

at Wyntoon- the Hearst family enclave built at the bend of the McLoud River ?

The town is located at the foot of Mt Shasta

Gable was a guest at Wyntoon on several occasions - 

DRAWING OF WYNTOON by JULIA MORGAN

William Randolph Hearst contracted Julia Morgan to design a Bavarian Village

at Wyntoon in 1931 at the same time she was still working on San Simeon

BEAR HOUSE at WYNTOON

The quaint humility of the structures is due to the Great Depression 

having vastly diminished the Hearst fortune, 

much of which was still being lavished on San Simeon.

Wyntoon remains the very private and exclusive retreat of the Hearst family and there

are no tours available.  

The only way to see Wyntoon is by private invitation 

or 

floating down the McLoud River

In the 1930's and 40's McLoud was a bustling logging community

with a thriving railroad,  but with the demise of the lumber industry the town

is withering 

The old safe,  rusted and abandoned

The rairoad  shut down

I completely understand the Hearsts wanting to maintain their private retreat but it would be a huge boon to the town if they would open WYNTOON even on a very limited basis to outside visitors.  

"..and I can't wait to get on the road again"

Crab Trap

Anywhere along the Pacific coast 

between San Francisco and Seattle

is a great place to have fresh Dungeness Crab

A perfect beach picnic

The Oregon Coast along Highway 1

I love the graphic rythm of this old wooden railroad bridge

Not on the general road trip itinerary

a stop just south of Portland, Oregon 

Acres and acres of every variety of boxwood

Field dug and available in full grown sizes

pruned in a range of shapes

Available through landscape contractors and design professionals

On the northern border of Oregon, Astoria

reflects a town that prospered in the early 20th century

Granite pediments

and elaborate movie theatres 

There is no question that Gable and Lombard 

both had their names on the marquis of The Liberty

...and you can still get a good old fashioned malt with your burger

Responsibly harvested logs still make their way

from forest to lumber mill

...but evidence of other times is everywhere

RANIER CHERRIES 

at a roadside stand at the foot of Mt Ranier, Washington

Reflection Lake in Mt Ranier National Park

PARADISE INN at

Mt Ranier National Park

Built in 1916 with weathered timbers salvedged from a 

building that burned down in 1888, the inn is built in the 

National Park Rustic Style

I love the roof lines

The great Room at The Inn is

 furnished with Old Hickory Furniture 

You know you have crossed the US border when the foam 

on your Cappuccino is in the shape of a maple leaf

This is the Vancouver that greeted 

Carol Lombard and Clark Gable when they drove into town

and pulled in across the street at The Hotel Georgia 

now operated by Rosewood

Contemporary architecture interprets the older structures

and pierces the skyline

A beautiful and vibrant city where life revolves around living

on the water

This is where we part company with Gable and Lombard.  They had reached their destination

The Duesenberg was put in storage and the two mega stars returned to Los Angeles by train. 

Carol Lombard was killed in an plane crash in 1942 .

The distraught Gable lost interest in the car and it remained in storage in Vancouver until it was sold.

                                                             ... and the rest is history

BUT WE...

                       "just can't wait to get on the road again"