We flew into San Francisco and made our way to our AirBnB. We had planned to go to Muir Woods that night, but we were warned at our lunch spot that you needed to make parking reservations to get in. So needless to say we did not hit up Muir Woods that day. But we immediately booked our time for the next afternoon!
Instead we decided to hit up the Golden Gate Bridge. It was quite a site! We were there late enough in the day that the fog had lifted from the top of the bridge, but we also got to see it with the fog and there is something just magical about that.
After the Golden Gate Bridge we did our own little tour of Chinatown and enjoyed some dim sum at a local little restaurant. Dim sum just means bite-sized portions of food, so we had lots of different dumplings, steamed buns and rolls.
The next morning we were headed to Alcatraz! A short ferry ride across the bay and we were on the island. I knew enough about Alcatraz to know what the island was about, but actually being there gave me a whole new perspective on the island and the people that were imprisoned there. The worst of the worst stayed there, and they were teased every day with the sights, smells and sounds from the city. We were able to learn about the most famous escape attempts and walked the halls like a typical prisoner would have. If you're ever in San Francisco, this is one stop I wouldn't leave out!
The next morning we started the drive south on Highway 1. Once we were finally out of the city, it didn't take long for the beaches to turn downright gorgeous. The rocky coastline, the bluest water, the crashing waves, we spent literally the entire day stopping at all the beaches to get out of the car and stick our toes in the sand.
We had planned on stopping at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, but after driving by and seeing the mess that was the parking situation and how incredibly packed it was, we decided a drive-by would be just fine for us!
By that evening we made it down to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. We stopped by China Cove, which people used to be able to go down to and get in the water, but is now off limits. It was still beautiful regardless, and we got to see some harbor seals basking on the beach.
On our way back to our house for the evening, Mara and I said we should drive through the 17-Mile Drive. All we knew was that it was supposed to be a scenic drive. Apparently it's known for Pebble Beach, a famous golf course. The boys were blown away when we drove past the golf course and asked us how we didn't know that it was there. Sorry boys, golf is not my thing! We were able to see some sea lions feeding and the Lone Cypress Tree, as well as some beautiful views.
The next day we were Big Sur bound! And man does this drive live up to the hype! You are literally on the edge of the cliffs driving by the ocean, so if you're afraid of heights you might consider sitting on the driver's side so you're a little farther away from the edge. That morning we found a beach that we had all to ourselves for at least a half hour, and it was magical! I could have listened to the waves crashing all morning long.
We made a pit stop at McWay Falls, and then found some elephant seals before we made it to Hearst Castle. We had a great tour of the lower rooms on the main building (Hearst had three smaller buildings built to accommodate more guests to his home). On our way out, we even got to see some zebras that are decedents of the original zebras from the property's zoo!
That evening we made it to Morro Bay, where we admired Morro Rock, enjoyed watching some surfers, and collected lots of sand dollars!
The next day we ventured inland to Sequoia National Park- home of the largest trees by volume. Just like the redwoods, pictures do not do these things justice. They are WIDE. We were able to see the General Sherman Tree, which is the largest tree in the world. It's dead at the top, so it won't get any taller, but man was it impressive. The park was conducting controlled burns, so we weren't able to hike the Congress Trail like we had planned, but we were still able to see enough giant trees to remind us just how little we really are.
We unfortunately got home too late to do any of the wineries, so instead we enjoyed the beautiful scenery at our AirBnB on our own little olive grove. I think I could have spent all week at this place!
Los Angeles was our next stop! On the way we visited Huntington Beach to relax for a bit, and even stopped at Venice Beach to take in all the craziness there. We walked down the Walk of Fame, and that night we met a High School classmate Michael Benefiel and his wife Leah (where we majorly failed to take a picture!).
The Hollywood sign was our last stop in LA before driving down to San Diego. We naively thought that we would have some time to spend in San Diego before our flight the next morning, but we were sorely mistaken. The traffic was so terrible that we didn't arrive in San Diego until that evening. So we only ended up grabbing a bite to eat that night, and some delicious ice cream!
And that concludes our California Friends-cation! We ate way too much, took way too many pictures, listened to Eric's questionable music choices (and smelt his awful gas), and enjoyed all the scenery that coastal California had to offer. In short, we'd do this trip again in a heartbeat!
