You're offered three levels of luxury at California's San Simeon State Park campground.

Up at Washburn, there's undeveloped area, which means there's a tap somewhere and pit toilets. There's open area that's close to beach with a tap right at your site and flush toilets just a minute away from your tent. Lastly, top-level sites offer a paved parking pad for your car or RV, hookups, and proximity to showers. Guests camped on open area can use showers, which are nearby. Those up hill in undeveloped sites are discouraged from using them, though I don't think they're actively prevented from doing so.

In spite of this class system, campground is pretty nice. It's wedged between Highway 1 and slough, which is a wetlands preserve and you can walk under freeway to a spectacular and uncrowded strip of beach. I was hesitant to pitch tent so close to freeway because of noise, but once night fell, it really quieted down. Except for noise from a mid-night run-in that neighbor's dog had with a raccoon.

This was probably not sensibility that "The Chief" had in mind when he built his little folly up hill, but it's not far off. He wanted a place to get away from city, a place to entertain friends, a place to play outside. He had good sense to have it built above fog line. Had we been contemporaries, we'd have woken up to damp Gore-tex and cold, wet, air, while The Chief and his guests were watching sun break over hills to East, light filtering through Moorish-style shutters. While we were firing up Coleman stove to boil enough water for tea, The Chief and his guests would be wandering down to dining hall in response to breakfast bell.

Actually, it was William Randolph Hearst's weariness with camping that led him to build magnificent palace on hill known as Hearst Castle. He telegraphed his architect, Miss Julia Morgan, to request that she design for him a more comfortable place to spend his days at his ranch on California Coast. Co-conspirators in execution of this spectacular private folly on hill, they worked together for 25 years designing, building, redesigning and sometimes rebuilding, magical place that's now open to anyone who's willing to pay price of admission.

It's worth noting that I'm not a guided tour kind of person. I prefer to poke around on my own and while I appreciate insight that a tour guide so often has to offer, I'd just rather not. I'll read plaques and flip pages in guidebook, but I want to be left to my own devices. However, upon completion of Experience Tour (one of several tour options available), I was ready to pay for whole thing all over again, just to see rest of place. I'd have gone up and down hill all day, if that's what it would take to get in as many nooks and crannies of Castle as possible.

We arrived a little too early for our tour. Tours leave every 30-45 minutes from visitor center and tickets are time stamped. We took our time dawdling around museum, which presents life of William Randolph Hearst and showcases a few choice gems from his extensive collection of art and furniture.

Mass tourism began in Victorian age (the Industrial Age) when Thomas Cook packaged rail tickets along with guest house stays fpr Londoners who traveled to breath clean air in Scottish Highlands. There were few luxurious hotels or resorts at end of rail lines or scenic stopovers. Thomas Cook, still in operation today, and a leading travel supplier, made a fortune. It was era of adventure and discovery, and railroad companies took notice of Cook’s success by building huge limestone and granite monumental hotels along their rail routes.

One such hotel was regal Railway Hotel built in Galway, Ireland, opening its doors in 1852. Queen Victoria of England had been in power for about 15 years and travel was in full swing. Ireland at time was part of British Empire and hotel, today called Great Southern Hotel, still stands, beckoning adventurers through its revolving doorway.

The hotel was completed at a cost of £30,000 for Midland and Great Western Railway Company. The architect, John Skipton Mulvany, also designed Galway railway station. Just over entrance on façade of hotel is Mulvany’s favorite motif, wreaths. The hotel is built of limestone ashlar, just like many of ancient Celtic castles in region, and there is a cornice over heavily rusticated ground floor. The ground floor also has recessed architrave windows and a heavy string-course, making morning breakfast light natural in Oyster Room Restaurant. Prepare to be spoiled on a grand scale, enjoy good things in life in Oyster Room Restaurant, and sample delights of afternoon tea to sound of resident pianist. The original facade was topped by a shelf-like Doric cornice. Among surviving internal features in present majestic hotel is a beautiful marble fireplace incorporating a pair of bronze discs, emblazoned with Midland and Great Western Railway coat of arms, and it is dated to 1845, about same time Thomas Cook began his tours in England.

While waiting for my new found Irish friends, fireplace was most popular spot on cool autumn evenings, and with Oyster Room Restaurant and Bar not far off, it often means sitting warmly with a stiff drink in hand to ember interior regions as well.

It must have been a magnificent era for those that traveled to Galway a hundred and fifty years ago. The Galway Subscription Ball was held in 1855 by Lady Clanmorris and Lady Redington, a notable early historical event when Galway Militia paraded in Eyre Square, a square block of city park green, but not so green when I visited. It was all torn up for a complete renovation, but due for quick completion. President John F. Kennedy,of Irish descent, spoke in Square in 1963, and park within Square is now called Kennedy Park. I stopped to talk to archaeologists who were digging in an ancient Irish housing unit, complete with bars, on top end of park. The most evident relics they found were whiskey bottles and beer casks.

The local Galway residents got a real shocker one day in July 1857, when Prince Louis Napoleon of France sailed up Galway Bay on his steam yacht La Reine Hortense, and had lunch at hotel. The bureaucrats in Dublin and England were fearful of yet more French Imperial expansionism, but I think Louie was here just for superb lunch and high tea that are still served!

At end of World War I, in 1918, hotel was requisitioned by British Army and then later handed over to Irish National Army after signing of Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1922, year of Ireland ’s independence. But during Irish Civil War of same year, Renmore Military Barracks was taken over by Republican forces and set ablaze, along with Officers Mess and accommodations blocks. So they occupied hotel, but later Republicans retreated and hotel fell into hands of Free State troops. Sandbags were erected on front entrance and troops guarded hotel until calm prevailed.