In April of 2024, after visiting the indescribable American treasure, the Grand Canyon, earlier this year; Christine and I decided to head west for an impromptu six-day trip in Northern California / Bay Area to see more of America’s gems. Side note: we considered a trip to Tokyo, but by the time we decided on Japan, flight prices had skyrocketed by 50%. In classic Shaun and Christine fashion, we drove almost 600 miles and visited Yosemite, Pebble Beach, Carmel-by-the-Sea, tried to go to Big Sur, Pacific Grove, Monterey [Lunch with Adam!], Santa Cruz, and Burlingame, overlooking the SFO runway.
Yosemite was the first part of the adventure, involving a drive up the mountain then descending into the Yosemite Valley, where we stayed at the Yosemite Valley Lodge. The park is simply breathtaking, with its stunning natural beauty characterized by dramatic granite cliffs, ancient sequoia trees, clear streams, and rich biodiversity. We took many pictures of El Capitan, a massive granite monolith that stands about 3,000 feet from its base, posing a challenge for experienced rock climbers. After returning back to Kennesaw, we watched the 'Free Solo' documentary about Alex Honnold, the first person to solo climb El Cap without ropes. The waterfalls are mesmerizing, from Yosemite Falls, the tallest to Bridalveil Fall and the Vernal and Nevada Falls. Plus, we hiked up to Mirror Lake, which was stunning. Check out our Yosemite pics!
After Yosemite, we headed to Carmel-by-the-Sea via Pebble Beach's 17 Mile Drive (with a $12 entry fee). Fortunately for Christine, the route was less intimidating than our way in. I am a recreational golfer, lucky if I break a hundred, and have watched tournaments at Pebble Beach Golf Course many times. The TV images and videos of Pebble Beach Links are both stunning and don’t do the area justice. Amazingly, Pebble Beach is a public golf course. Christine and I enjoyed lunch at the clubhouse overlooking the 18th green. Plus, we both got pictures with the iconic Lone Cypress, aka Pebble Beach logo. Check out our Pebble Beach pics!
In Carmel-by-the-Sea, we stayed at the classic La Playa Hotel, which is over a century old and recently renovated. We highly recommend La Playa Hotel. Carmel is simply storybook, with its town, beaches, and unique houses. Check out our Carmel pics!
After a full day in Carmel, we decided to road trip to Big Sur. Ironically, Waze informed us it was impossible to get from Carmel to Big Sur, but undeterred, Apple Maps showed it was only 20+ miles away, advising us to simply head south on Pacific Coast Highway 1. On our way out, La Playa informed us about a recent rockslide that closed PCH, but we went anyway. Waze was correct, however, we had to turn around just before the famous Bixby Creek Bridge. With this detour, we decided to hike along the coast in Garrapata State Park, which was so worth it. The hike was so close to the coast that I got nervous walking along the side of the cliffs/ocean. Check out our PCH pics!
After Garrapata State Park, we headed to Pacific Grove. Downtown Pacific Grove and the cliffs are so worthwhile. Check out our Pacific Grove pictures, including Christine visiting with seagulls!
After Pacific Grove, we headed back to Carmel-by-the-Sea and had an old-school Italian dinner at Enzo’s. We ate at the bar, and Enzo Pagano, himself was our welcoming host! The next morning, we checked out after enjoying to-die-for homemade waffles with fresh berries at La Playa and headed to meet Adam in Monterey.
Adam is an interpreter and linguist in the Army. Not only is Adam the son of my high school classmate / bestmate, Justin; he is the son of the impressive Sue and the brother of my god-daughter, Sarah. Christine and I loved our lunch with Adam, at the Fish Hopper. Adam, thank you for serving our country, and we hope to see you again soon. Check out our Adam/Monterey pics.
After lunch with Adam, we headed to the Santa Cruz boardwalk. By the time we got to the Santa Cruz boardwalk, we were so exhausted from our travels, we decided to head to the Burlingame Marriott. What an end to an amazing trip! The Marriott restaurant overlooks the San Francisco [SFO] runway, with Christine and I simply enjoying even more amazing views before we flew out the following morning. Check out the picture from the Marriott lobby.
If you've made it this far, thank you for letting us share our trip and pictures! Two final pictures on the Carmel-by-the-Sea Beach!
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