One of the Blue family goals for this year was to take a road trip and
see some parts of California that this Southern California girl has
never seen. When you live in SoCal, you think that the Bay Area is
Northern California. Well this trip showed me that there is a LOT of
Northern California north of San Francisco, and I love it! Boy, do we
live in a beautiful state! Blue Family Road Trip Essentials:
1. Cooler filled with snacks
2. Audiobooks: Bossypants by Tina Fey and The Informant by Kurt Eichenwald
3. Priceline app for iPhone (we booked our hotels about 30 minutes in advance)
4. Headwrap (ok, that was just for me because who wants to wash their hair on a road trip??)
5. In n' Out, several times
6. Comfy car (we heart you, Subie!)
7. Fanny pack (also for me-- essential for hands-free hiking)
This was our route for 7 days:
Yosemite ---> through Reno to Redding ---> through Mt. Shasta area to the coast ---> stop in McKinleyville for lunch ---> up the coast to the Redwoods ---> up further to Crescent City ---> down the coast to Trinidad Bay ---> down further to Ukaia ---> stop in Carmel for lunch ---> up and over thru San Jose area to the Grapevine ---> back home!
When we left home, all we had planned was that we would see Yosemite and the Redwoods, and we weren't sure of what we'd do or where we'd stop in between. I'm so proud of our spontaneity! (One of us was very nervous about spontaneous travel, I'll give you one guess who that was.)
Here are some highlights...
Most Challenging Excursion: climbing the Upper Falls Trail in Yosemite Park
view of Half Dome from the trail
At the top of the Upper Falls Trail, thinking "How am I going to get down from here??"
Favorite Spot in Yosemite: Tenaya Lake
Favorite Animal Sighting: a herd of elk lounging around a school house/museum
Favorite Adventure: Hiking in the Redwoods
Favorite Discovery: Trinidad Bay
Trinidad ~ population: 311 ~ used for commercial fishing boats ~ home to one of the oldest lighthouses in CA
Favorite Meal: Trinidad Bay Eatery ~ calamari, clam chowder, fish n' chips and blackberry cobbler, YUM.
Biggest Realization: Spending time together in nature, doing adventurous things, feeling vulnerable sometimes, and making quick decisions will all bring you closer to your partner. Loved it.
