Cambria Ca Landmarks

Some here say the crumbling castle called Nitt Witt Ridge hangs onto the hillside with the same stubbornness that marked its creator, the late garbage man and artist Art Beal. Its walls and archways are peppered with lightbulbs and abalone shells, car wheels and toilet seats. A ceramic baby shoe shares a stairway handhold with an iron claw foot from an old tub.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is going to take over the historic Piedras Blancas Lighthouse north of Cambria, and that could lead to public access to the famous coastal beacon. The landmark has been in the care of the Coast Guard. The BLM wants to help preserve the lighthouse and open it to at least some public visits, said agency field manager Ron Fellows. Several government agencies use the site for communications.

For a piece of junk, this place is pretty darn artistic. For art, well, it looks an awful lot like junk. And there you have it: the paradox of Nitt Witt Ridge. That's the name of this tottering, rambling, oddly exuberant mock castle carved into a sharp rock cliff high above the antique stores of Cambria's West Village.

Some here say the crumbling castle called Nitt Witt Ridge hangs onto the hillside with the same stubbornness that marked its creator, the late garbage man and artist Art Beal. Its walls and archways are peppered with lightbulbs and abalone shells, car wheels and toilet seats. A ceramic baby shoe shares a stairway handhold with an iron claw foot from an old tub.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is going to take over the historic Piedras Blancas Lighthouse north of Cambria, and that could lead to public access to the famous coastal beacon. The landmark has been in the care of the Coast Guard. The BLM wants to help preserve the lighthouse and open it to at least some public visits, said agency field manager Ron Fellows. Several government agencies use the site for communications.

For a piece of junk, this place is pretty darn artistic. For art, well, it looks an awful lot like junk. And there you have it: the paradox of Nitt Witt Ridge. That's the name of this tottering, rambling, oddly exuberant mock castle carved into a sharp rock cliff high above the antique stores of Cambria's West Village.