My husband brought up the topic of going on vacation next year. We would have to go either July or August 2013. He is a very outdoorsy/nature type of person and I love relaxing with my Kindle on a cruise ship or beach. He wants to drive up and down the coast of California (we've both never been to CA). I want to go to CA but, I don't want to spend 7-10 days driving and in and out of hotels. He doesn't want to spend a week on a cruise ship (we've done 2 cruises together). We are trying to come up with a compromise. We don't have a ton of money to spend but a decent amount. I told him maybe we could spend half the vacation doing his stuff, and the other half something more my taste. We both agreed Northern California, such as San Fran and Red Wood area would be nice. (oh and we're not wine drinkers and wouldn't mind skipping Napa). What sort of relaxing type resort style thing could we do after the San Fran part. I don't mind driving a lot but only in one shot, not constant. I'm just having a hard time coming up with something. It also doesn't have to be California. He really wants to do some sort of National Park/Outdoors nature attraction. Once he mentioned vacation, my wheels started churning!! I'm a total planner and now I'm obsessed.
I'm with you on the vacation planning, but the only time I was ever in CA I was in a suburb of LA. How about Big Sur??? http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/
San Diego is beautiful...you can take short drives to La Jolla And Coronado and still enjoy the beaches. Check out: http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-sandiego/ http://www.seaportvillage.com/ Old Town: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=663 http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/sandiego/a/sdcoronado.htm http://www.lajollabythesea.com/visitor-resources/visitors-center
DH is out right now but my suggestion is going to be a cruise to Alaska. Leaves from Seattle and has a bunch of stops in Alaska as well as, British Columbia. I can have my relaxing days at sea, and he can have all the outdoorsy stuff that he wants lol. I've always wanted to see Seattle. Flying in a day or two early might have to be an option to enjoy it. Still searching though... this will be my new quest.
A cruise is our compromise vacation. I like to sit and read a book, watch a show, etc. DH loves to hike, etc. We love to cruise as DH gets to hike and site see all he wants. I often go to the cooking lessons, on ship auctions, and afternoon tea. We have been to Alaska and Mexico. It really doesn't matter--they all feed you and have lots of things to do.
Yosemite! I was in CA for a wedding a couple summers ago, and we got to spend a day there. It was a do-able drive from there to San Fran; we left late afternoon and got to our hotel in the evening. It was absolutely gorgeous, and even though we were there on a weekend in July, once we hiked along some of the trails we were able to find some quiet spots to sit and enjoy the beauty.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...27f3bc-f0c7-11e1-b74c-84ed55e0300b_story.html NO! I'd suggest that no one go to Yosemite National Park anytime soon! A second camper died from a rodent-borne disease & the park had to send out letters to almost 2000 park visitors informing them of exposure to the disease from their June, July, & Aug visit. (I just noticed that amakaye right above me posted about going to Yosemite...total coincidence that I posted this!)
Ms.I.... I had never heard of this until we watched Ice Road Truckers and one of the truckers got sick (he is still alive) and now there's been 2 deaths here.
That's what I was going to suggest. I think there is another national or state park nearby as well...King something? Yosemite is beautiful, and your hubby can get his fill of nature and outdoorsy fun. :thumb:
Thanks for all of the advice! I think we are starting to agree on the following: -Fly into San Fran - Stay 3 nights - visit Red Woods, possibly Yosemite. -Drive south 2-3 hours - find fun location - stay over 1 night -Drive south another 2-4 hours - find another stop - stay over 1 night - Drive to San Diego - stay at some nice relaxing resort for 3 nights - visit zoo and all that fun stuff down there. And fly home from San Diego He gets his outdoorsy, we break up the driving, and I get to end the vacation relaxing with my Kindle in a lounge chair lol. We just need to find those 2 spots between San Fran and San Diego we want to go to.
You might also think about taking the train: Amtrak's Coast Starlight runs between LA and Seattle, and once you're north of LA the scenery's gorgeous. I don't remember whether it's still possible to get a ticket that lets you make a couple of stops. First class buys you a sleeper, all your meals (which tend to be very good), and access to the Parlor Car, which has huge windows through which to admire the countryside, electronics, entertainment, and coffee/sodas/snacks available all day. I think the trains now also have Wi-fi. San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara are on the route, and you can take the Pacific Surfliner from LA to San Diego.
If you're driving down the CA coast, definitely stop and take a tour at Hearst Castle! It's really neat.
Here's a link on state parks with coastal redwoods: these would be Sequoia sempervirens, the long-lived redwoods. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24723 Yosemite can be a challenge to get into in the summer, but Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, a bit to the south, are fine alternatives. See http://www.nps.gov/seki/index.htm. It's worth mentioning that the drive from San Francisco may take longer than you think: California is kind of a big state. It's also worth noting that Highway 1 is the scenic route down the coast of California - but it's not a road to take if you're in a hurry.
Redwoods are a definite... Yosemite is just a thought right now... and we wouldn't be going until July 2013. TeacherGroupie.. thanks for the tip on Highway 1, definitely going to look into it.
Oh OK! I've never been to Yosemite yet & I've lived in CA my whole life. Yes, there was a time yrs ago when I wanted to go, but who knows now.
I read the article, and it seemed to me like it was a pretty rare occurrence (think of the thousands of people in the park every day over the summer!). If I was going to CA, I don't think I would necessarily avoid the park. It seems like they are taking actions to deal with the situation. I don't avoid driving just because there are accidents every day...
I think I've missed something. On another note, here are a few ideas for stops between SF and SD that you might like. If you are going to be inland, why not look into sights related to the California Gold Rush? I looked it up, and Hwy. 49 (east of SF) has some cool stuff. If you are doing the coastal thing, I would suggest Big Sur, Pebble Beach, Venice, and the Kings Highway and the Spanish Missions. SD, SF, and LA among others all had their beginnings as missions. LA of course has tons of stuff to do, and Coronado Island is just across the bay from SD. Happy planning!
