Category: California

San Diego to Joshua Tree National Park

Took the morning slow, showered and caught up on posts. Hugged our lovely hosts farewell for now, and wandered to the beach. Enjoyed California burritos and a guava juice from La Perla. Laid in the warm white sand at Pacific Beach and watched the kite boarders pace through the teal surf. Waved adios to the ocean, we won’t be seeing it for quite awhile. Got on the road bound for Joshua Tree National Park! Cruised through the breathtaking Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, mountains of boulders that look like a child’s stack of rocks on the playground, from an ant’s perspective. Luckily, arrived at the look out as the sun set over pink hills and the vast valley below. Eventually settled into our campsite among Jumbo Rocks and Joshua trees. Climbed the giant granite boulders with headlamps and blankets to star gaze the night away.

San Diego Zoo

Woke up rearing to seize the day! Kyle got to take us to work, bet you won’t guess where…. The one and only San Diego Zoo!!! What a treat, we even got to ride along for the VIP tour of the whole zoo, it was AMAZING! Kyle is a superb host and tour guide, funny and charming. We got to feed the Okapi, relatives of the zebra and giraffe, they feel like velvet. The remainder of the tour explored the lions, tigers, bears (oh my) elephants, exotic birds, PANDAS (even a baby hanging in a tree), koala bears, reptiles, antelopes, flamingos, insects, monkeys, gorillas, you name it we saw it!!! They have two beautiful Aviaries with winding paths lined with tall trees and loads of exotic birds flying in every direction, a bird watchers dream! Last stop was my personal favorite, we got to pet and feed a fuzzy camel named Mango. He was very fond of Mitch and gave him a loving nuzzle when he went to take a picture! The cutest thing ever! The whole experience was overwhelmingly wonderful and a definite highlight of the trip so far! After “work” we went out with Kyle, Courtney and her friends for Tuesday Taco Night, enjoyed a margarita with San Diego Fish Tacos! Check that off my bucket list! Slept like a rock from the amazingness of San Diego!!

Los Angeles to San Diego

Woke to a cloudy day in LA. Carson made a tasty hash for breakfast. Walked the Venice Beach Pier and felt the wind whip our hair, well maybe not Mitch, he had a hat on. Visited an awesome motorcycle shop called Deus, and had a scrumptious croissant and latte at the Handsome Coffee Roasters. Hit the road toward San Diego. Drove along the coast and spotted dolphins playing in the water and a flock of pelicans in Carlsbad! Arrived in San Diego to be graciously greeted by Kyle and Courtney. They even made pulled pork sandwiches with fresh strawberry short cake for dessert!

San Luis Obispo to Venice Beach Los Angeles

We woke up in sunny slo. Ate a delicious breakfast made by our lovely hosts… carmel banana pancakes, fresh cut pineapple and pears with blueberry yogurt. Headed south toward Los Angeles along hwy 1. Wound into Malibu to hike through the beautiful Solstice Canyon with Carson Leh and his friend, Sandra. What an exotic feeling place! Birds of paradise growing amongst other rainforest-esc plants. As we hiked, two parrots with shinny green feathers called and flew from tree to tree, honestly felt like paradise! The highlight of the trail is an old blueprint foundation of a building that burnt down twenty or so years before. The house was a mansion with swimming pools, waterfalls, and swinging bridges! All that remains today is the cement foundation, brick chimney stacks, brick oven and a scattered outlet here and there. We explored the ruins before climbing over rocks near a sweet little waterfall to enjoy snacks and refreshments before the hike back down. Drove to Carson’s home in Venice Beach, you can see the ocean and pier from his roof deck, spectacular! Ate Carson’s Famous Jambalaya and hung out before bedtime. What a treat to explore the beauty in this big city!

Got up excited to embrace the day in San Luis Obispo! Mitch and Andrew spent the morning fixing up the van, a new oil change gave her a spring to her step, or roll. Spring roll, ha! For lunch we headed into their sweet downtown to eat the most mouthwatering BBQ sandwiches at Old San Luis BBQ (Kaylie’s workplace) Stuffed full of good food we headed into the country side, rolling hills of vineyards on all sides, it is breathtaking! Enjoyed hoping from winery to winery for a slo wine tasting tour. Andrew is particularly knowledgable and has awesome connections at the cutest and nicest wineries in town! Sat in the sun amongst gardens and flowers enjoying good conversation, sipping wine and gazing at the landscape. Later that evening ate flank stake (marinated perfectly, I might add), salad, and asparagus sautéed with roasted tomatoes. How special it was to rekindle a friendship to find that friendship as wonderful as ever! The best of friends are those you have not seen in years but can pick up right where we left off! I love you miss Kaylie Whalen!

Big Sur State Park to San Luis Obispo

Started the day off with a chilly morning bumming around camp. Loaded up around 10 and set off to hike Valley View and Pfiffer Falls trails within the Big Sur state park. Hiked through Coastal Redwood trees (furthest south they are found) shadowing the trail. Watched our step as little lizards scampered into the near by bushes. Collected wildflower photographs of eleven different species. Broke above tree line to a stunning view of Big Sur valley. Found a sweet waterfall gliding down a moss and fern covered boulder. Finished the hike around noon and clambered back into our rig to head south. Halfway to our destination we noticed things lying along the beach, a lot of things, really big things, SEALS! Hundreds and hundreds of elephant seals lined the shore for about a half mile. Sunning themselves, flipping sand onto their backs, and playing in the water! We stopped to take a closer look at the boardwalk known as Elephant Seal Boardwalk. I have never seen anything like it! Headed further south to another jaw dropping experience as we toured the gorgeous Hearst’s Castle on the hill. Walked amongst intricate gardens with tiled footpaths I would die for! Walked through antique rooms filled with items preserved for hundreds of years! A hodgepodge of details from different cultures, architecture styles, and eras, an honest dream come true, so inspiring. Around sunset we drifted into the spectacular San Luis Obispo, excitedly greeted by our dear friend Kaylie Whalen! She toured us all around the sweet town, ate dinner at a delicious Thai restaurant, and ended the night at Ciopinot, a beautiful little restaurant (Andrew’s workplace) sipping wine and savoring the BEST blueberry cobbler ever! What a treat to be welcomed into such a wonderful home, to do LAUNDRY, take warm showers and be with amazing friends!

San Luis Reservoir to Big Sur

Getting up was easy knowing we had warm showers awaiting us. Mitch headed to investigate before breakfast and returned with the disappointing news that the pay showers were out of hot water (pay for a cold shower, I don’t think so) but as a consolation the campground was offering free hot showers in the second loop that was closed for the season. It was obvious no one had been over there in awhile. Piles of dead bugs laid like dirt clumps on the path. Mitch checked the first stall, a dead decomposing bird seemed to have exploded its feathers everywhere, gross. But the second stall seemed clean and the hot water worked!!!! He jumped in the water cleaning and scrubbing a week of no shower away, but then halfway through he noticed something in the corner by the door, another dead animal? No this one was coiled and very much alive! He watched it and the snake watched him, he quickly finished the shower, stood up on the bench to gather his things, then simultaneously jumped and opened the door at the same time to pass over the snake who was blocking the escape. Hurriedly he changed outside then rushed to find me before I too encountered the same fate. He found me back at the van still tucked in warm blankets, and recounted his story. Now how was I supposed to shower? But Mitch remembered there was a third stall he had not yet checked since the second seemed clear. We fearfully walked back to the site of the incident and sure enough the snake now poked its head from the shower door, toward the third shower. I entered the dimly lit room shaking and worried that something would pop out at any moment. Mitch stood guard to be sure the snake didn’t get any bright ideas. Rushing through my shower I could hear a truck pull up on the gravel. The rangers walked over to Mitch quickly mentioned the snake. Visibly afraid herself, one ranger, returned with the long handled clamper things, opened the door and picked it up while identifying it as a young rattler!! I’d pay for a cold shower any day over showering with a rattle snake!! Quickly we decided perhaps it was our cue to leave. Headed west to Monterey Bay, stopped at a beach access to watch the wild waves rush the shore. Ate some lunch in Carmel-by-the-Sea, cruised on highway 1 along the breaking waves and turning cliffs, finishing our day at Big Sur. met an awesome gentlemen, Nicholas who has Robin’s twin 81′ same stunning color and everything! We got a primo spot along the river shaded by Redwood trees. Rock hoping over huge boulders up stream was fun and beautiful, we sat on a rock between two baby waterfalls and rested awhile. Wandered back to the van for dinner and books before bed.

Yosemite National Park to Los Banos, San Luis Reservoir

Woke up slow and enjoyed every bit of where we were, tucked in Yosemite Valley. Shared a pot of tea over a late breakfast in the sunshine. Loaded up the van to head out when check out time neared. We were joyfully surprised to be greeted by a beaming man and his two boys who inherited his radiant smile. Over the past couple days we had been stalking each other, our first interaction was climbing the road into Yosemite, Robin happy to roar up the mountain going 25 mph, and the O’dell’s van pulling their camper seemed the perfect pair taking the mountain on together, but Chris pulled his van over and happily waved us passed, later he told us he had only been passed by a VW once in his life and intended to keep it that way, we laughed and laughed. Meeting them in person felt like being welcomed by old friends as well as a part of ourselves in the future. Their family takes two months every year to adventure and travel and explore the world! The boys are homeschooled allowing their folks to work and save up money at their jobs to adventure every year! What a wonderful gift their presence was for us to know our potential family in the future can work exactly as we hope! To live on the edge makes life that much more real! After leaving our camp site we finished the loop around the valley. Sat in the shade under a huge ponderosa pine to enjoy lunch in a meadow at the foot of El Capitan. A half mile later, we stopped to gaze at Bridalveil Falls as the wind blew its mist to the side, the movement mimicked a bride’s veil. It is a tradition that if a man and woman walk to the base of the waterfall, they will soon be wed 😉 haha you never know! The last stretch of the road to Yosemite boarders the Merced River, each bend in the river is a bend in the road. Leaving Yosemite was hard, knowing how much more there is to see and do, but that will be left for different adventure, because the ocean is beaconing us to find its shore. Rested for the night under the stars at the San Luis Reservoir after sunset streamed rainbow colors across the sky. Drove down to Fisherman’s Point by the lake to watch, spotted three jack rabbits on the way, their ears are the length of their body! Twenty minutes later climbed back into the van to pick a site and we were startled to hear what seemed like a hundred high pitched buzzing sounds coming from inside, but we had closed all the doors! How could this be?? Oh no a window was left fully down! So a hundred little mosquito flies that don’t bite (thank God) joined us for the ride, then Mitch had an idea. If we turn just one light on in the night they will flock to it, then we can kill them. And so a massacre broke out, hundreds of little bug bodies, we felt bad but couldn’t share dinner and sleep with them too. Slept with the curtains open but windows closed to the sky and the night, felt like we were the only two people in the world, or at least in the state park.

Yosemite National Park

Welcomed the chilly morning with hot cereal, apples and a steamy cup of tea. Chatted with super friendly rangers who advised us to explore a few waterfalls on this summer like sunny day (quite amazing weather, they noted, as the day before we arrived the road we came on was closed due to snow!) Decided to change campsite locations because our noisy neighbors could not seem to resist use of their generator. Lucked out on snatching one of the high demand sites, far from RVs and along the creek bordering the forest, plus a quick walk to the trailhead! Checked out the visitor’s center and learned all about the surrounding life in Yosemite, as well as its history. Made our way back to camp for a bite of lunch. Embarked on the coolest and most spectacular hike up Mist trail. It led to a fierce waterfall spitting mist out on the trail, drenching us. The sun beaming down painted rainbows at the base of the waterfall, I cried with joy and awe. 600 stone and root steps later we reached the break before the water flows over the cliff. Gazed into the etched valley below and warmed ourselves on the slab of granite that shaped the waterfalls decent. Monoliths surrounded us, staggering out from above the trees to shine their faces in the sun. Back on the trail we stood in disbelief at the gushing Nevada Falls, showering the world below with its snowmelt waters. Left Mist Trail at the conjunction to John Muir Trail (the man made famous for loving Yosemite so much it became protected by the federal government as a National Park, as well as our idle for how to love nature with every piece of your soul) Hiked up and down with blissful views at every corner and in every crevice. We finished the hike minutes before sunset, finding a cozy place on the river we rested our feet, enjoyed a beer, and for the second time in two days, watched as Half Dome flamed deep orange before being swallowed into darkness. Devoured our dinner and cuddled into bed for a deep sleep as the creek bubbled its lullaby.

Indian Grinding Rock SHP to Yosemite National Park

Woke up sappy eyed after a stormy nights sleep. Admired the Chaw’se Museum, wow what a history, beautiful and devastating. Joined the sunshine as we headed south to Yosemite! Climbed the tallest and windiest road we have ever taken and almost didn’t make it, thanks for the short cut, Siri 😉 Left the tree scattered hill sides to be enveloped in a mountainous landscape. Turned a corner along a cliff to be blown away by views Yosemite Valley, Half Dome perched perfectly, waiting for us to explore it. Several stops to view the glory later we descended into Yosemite Valley, graciously welcomed by none other than El Capitan and several jaw dropping water falls. Found a sweet little spot to camp. Wandered along the river and into a meadow to watch the sunset on the flat face of Half Dome. After dark we searched for our camp but ended up stopping in at the Lounge room of a resort to warm up and catch the last quarter of the basketball championship finals. Eventually found our site, made dinner and fell asleep with smiles of excitement and anticipation for the next day!