A Californian Adventure

The half way point at Glacier Point, Yosemite

This was one of my favourite holidays, for all sorts of reasons. We flew into Las Vegas, hired a car, and drove through Death Valley, to Yosemite, to Sonoma, and San Francisco, before driving down Highway 1 to San Diego and, finally, flying home after a few nights in LA. I had the BEST time. Each place we visited had it's own landscape, food and atmosphere and our daily routine changed with each city. 

Here are some of my favourite memories:

• Stargazed in Death Valley and Yosemite
• Watched the sunset over the Grand Canyon
• Drove an automatic car on the 'wrong side' of the road
• Pulled a one-arm bandit in Las Vegas
• Cycled along Venice boardwalk
• Scuba dived in La Jolla's magical underwater kelp forests 
• Hiked until my feet blistered in Yosemite National Park
• Screamed on the Giant Dipper in Santa Cruz, followed by a snacking on a corn dog 
• Escaped from Alcatraz National Park
• Visited Hollywood Bowl to watch an anniversary screening of Back to the Future, with the original score played by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
• Got a parking ticket in Venice for parking facing the wrong direction
• Spied a little brown bear eating his dinner from brambles in Yosemite
• Watched Cirque du Soleil's Mystere  
• Cycled across the Golden Gate Bridge 
• Posed next to Route 66 signs in Seligman, Arizona
• Cheered for San Francisco Giants at their bayfront stadium, against San Diego Padres
• Kissed at the top of Santa Monica pier's Ferris wheel
• Paddled in the Pacific Ocean at California's beautiful beaches
• Slipped on rock at Huntington Falls in Golden Gate Park (and walked around with a soggy bum)
• Ordered expensive steaks which were carved table side at Carnevino in Las Vegas
• Stumbled upon an in-store (mewithoutyou) at San Francisco's Amoeba Records
• Watched dolphins jumping in and out the water from Carmel beach
• Shopped in Beverly Hills and squealed a little in front of the Beverley Wilshire 
• Cracked open a rock crab on Santa Barbara's Stearn's Wharf
• Ordered off-menu Animal fries at In-N-Out Burger
• Celebrated 4th July with San Diego's Big Bay Boom fireworks display
• Went to a gig (Soak, The Echo in Los Angeles)
• Snacked on dim sum in San Francisco's Chinatown
• Mixed a souvenir cup cocktail at the Purple Zebra in Las Vegas
• Toured a vineyard (Sanford Winery, from Sideways!)
• Walked down Bubblegum Alley in San Louis Obispo
• Ordered dinner at some of San Francisco and LA's amazing food trucks
• Admired McWay Falls
• Toasted marshmallows for s'mores under the stars at El Capitan Canyon
• Ate a burritto in San Francisco's Mission District
• Sampled some of Sonoma county's pinot noirs and chardonnay... and pinot gris... and sparkling...
• Queued to see the pandas at San Diego Zoo
• Scoffed doughnuts at San Diego's 'Donut Bar' (Creme brule, maple bacon, and boston cream. Fit.)
• Watched waves crash into the cliffs along Big Sur's coastline 
• Ate BBQ food at LA's 97 year old Grand Central Market
• Laughed at seals, sealions, and elephant seals
• Stood on the outside of an historic cable car up and down San Francisco's hills 
• Camped in Panamint Springs, Death Valley, after day time temperatures of 120F
• Watched surfers ride the waves, including my very own surfer on his first lesson in Venice
• Took in the views at the top of Mammoth Mountain in Mammoth Lakes
• Guzzled local craft brews and visited breweries and tap rooms
• Snapped a photograph of Bixby Bridge
• Explored the International Surfing Museum in Huntington Beach
• Saw the lone cypress on Pebble Beach's 17 mile scenic drive
• Posed in front of the Hollywood sign in Griffith Park

The Big Birthday Road Trip

So, it's booked. The big birthday USA road trip will definitely be happening this Summer. I am EXCITED. We'll fly over to the USA for three weeks, starting in Las Vegas and working our way across through Death Valley National Park, Yosemite National Park, Sonoma wine country, San Francisco, down the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) over a few days to San Diego, before heading back up the coast for our final stop in Los Angeles.

Image source
(I'm a bit in love with all of the cute place illustrations on suitcase-heart.com)

We've researched each place and booked each of our overnight stops independently, which has afforded us lots of flexibility in price and location. We toyed with the idea of booking as we travel but given the popularity of the PCH route, especially in the Summer months, we decided against it. The scenery, our itinerary and our bed will change drastically with each place we visit. We'll sleep in a room in one of the themed casino hotels in Vegas, sweat it out in a tent in the middle of the desert, hide food from bears in a forest tent cabin in Yosemite, guzzle wine by a fire pit at a tranquil bed and breakfast in Sonoma, head down to the beach from our private room at an airbnb.com apartment in Santa Monica, and swim in The Chamberlain's rooftop pool in 'WeHo'. I'm especially excited to spend two nights in this safari tent at El Capitan Canyon, just north of Santa Barbara. We're big fans of the film Sideways and plan to head to Bulleton and visit the Hitching Post!

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Daily question at the moment: 'What are you most excited about RIGHT NOW about our holiday?"

At this very moment, here are my top five: 

• hiking in Yosemite
• food trucks
• sunset over the Grand Canyon and remembering when I shared the view with my Dad in 2001
• wine tasting
• 4th July fireworks in San Diego 

If you want evidence of quite how distracting planning this trip has become, you can find my ever-growing Pinterest board here!