California Road Trip

[BLEmom]

Sooooo, we’ve decided we want to visit the west coast for the first time and take in mostly natural sites. Our trip would be the beginning of November. Thinking of flying into San Francisco and doing a loop through the parks and back up highway 1. 
Advice? Tips? Warnings? 
I may just scream from the excitement of even thinking this may happen. 

[New World Explorer]

I drove from San Francisco to Yosemite.

Yosemite National Park is amazing, don't miss it. 

[pnutts]

Don't  feed the bears nor other critters. They like small pets for a snack.

[Dustparticle]

Gas is expensive, so prepare for this.

[Tortuga]

47 minutes ago, Dustparticle said:

Gas is expensive, so prepare for this.

True. Currently between 3.99 - 4.69 a gallon.

[pnutts]

Use gas buddy app.

[BLEmom]

8 hours ago, New World Explorer said:

I drove from San Francisco to Yosemite.

Yosemite National Park is amazing, don't miss it. 

Absolutely. One of the main reasons we are going 

2 hours ago, Tortuga said:

True. Currently between 3.99 - 4.69 a gallon.

Yep. Way more than here. 

[Tortuga]

Don't forget to stop at Napa for a little wine tasting...🍷

[Miss Bea]

If you get this far north, we have the redwoods and some Bea beaches. (November, the beaches may be a, “look only”. But, maybe not.

[pnutts]

2 hours ago, Tortuga said:

Don't forget to stop at Napa for a little wine tasting...🍷

Sure it is not brandy now from all the fires?

3 years ago we saw all the nice new vineyards, however there have lots of fires since then.

[Tortuga]

28 minutes ago, pnutts said:

Sure it is not brandy now from all the fires?

3 years ago we saw all the nice new vineyards, however there have lots of fires since then.

There are a lot of vineyards..

[BLEmom]

5 hours ago, Miss Bea said:

If you get this far north, we have the redwoods and some Bea beaches. (November, the beaches may be a, “look only”. But, maybe not.

I’ll have to look where the redwoods are. I don’t remember. Lol. 
Can’t wait for the new system when time and money isn’t such a constraint to travel. 😊

[Hanah45]

Your trip sounds wonderful.  Perhaps consider a couple of things. One thing that Yosemite is known for is its thunderous waterfalls, which come from snow melt in Spring and Summer. In November there may be some trickle from seasonal precipitation, but there won’t be much. 
Also at that time of year, there may be winter storms, which may require chains.  Toga road, 120, and Glacier Point road will probably be closed for winter.  Yosemite is definitely a 4 season park which means different experiences in those seasons.  I love Yosemite at any time of year, just do your research. 

[Shannie]

Please do not go in the National Forests..so many people disappear in those places ..

just be careful 

[BLEmom]

We haven’t done a family trip since 2018 when we spent two weeks doing the MEt tour, all of US bethels, Niagara, Canada bethel and Toronto. 
We didn’t get to throw my 18 year old a grad party because of Covid.  He’s going to apply for bethel in December and even if he doesn’t do that he wants to be involved in ldc.  
So we want to do a cool trip for him, us too, that isn’t just a local thing. 
Looks like the crowds are gone the beginning of November and right now the airfares are pretty cheap. Gas will be a bigger deal. 
 

4 minutes ago, Hanah45 said:

Also at that time of year, there may be winter storms, which may require chains.  Toga road, 120, and Glacier Point road will probably be closed for winter.  Yosemite is definitely a 4 season park which means different experiences in those seasons.  I love Yosemite at any time of year, just do your research. 

I will look into that. We want to sort of plan. Lol. I don’t want a bus tour itinerary but able to be flexible and not feel rushed.  We just want to enjoy the beauty of nature there. A lot of it is like nothing we’ve seen in person. But I definitely will look at weather stuff. I think when I looked it didn’t seem the temps were freezing temps but I will check it out more. 
 

Thanks for all and any other tips!!!

[New World Explorer]

13 hours ago, Tortuga said:

True. Currently between 3.99 - 4.69 a gallon.

Those are normal prices for us Down Under .... 

[Tortuga]

44 minutes ago, New World Explorer said:

Those are normal prices for us Down Under .... 

We use to run some Gippsland crude at the refinery, it's a light sweet crude and was perfect for blending with heavier sour crudes, so I'm sure you have good quality gasoline and it's worth every penny..👍🤣

[Ishaya]

13 hours ago, BLEmom said:

Can’t wait for the new system when time and money isn’t such a constraint to travel. 😊

I may want to add 'good health' to that list if you allow me.

you really can't enjoy going places if motion gets you sick.

 

and kindly remember to share photos please,thanks in advance.

[Ishaya]

10 hours ago, Shannie said:

Please do not go in the National Forests..so many people disappear in those places ..

just be careful 

you are correct,Sister Shannie.i have realised that no place is completely safe as long as it is under satans world.

so we have to be careful always as everywhere in this world have its own peculiar dangers.

 

[BLEmom]

16 hours ago, Shannie said:

Please do not go in the National Forests..so many people disappear in those places ..

just be careful 

Lol thousands go to national parks every year. Very few disappear.  As, last I knew, none of my family has murderous intent, I think we’ll be ok.  😉

 

maybe the news is giving you the wrong impression on the parks. 

[carlos]

Yosemite is an absolute must. You can spend there as many days as you wish, but even if you only have one day it's very worth it. The last time we went there we came from Nevada and crossed Death Valley. That's an impressive trip too, and what a huge contrast in the same day. We stayed for the night in the Mammoth Lakes area and were so sorry that we didn't have more time to explore the zone because it was wonderful too. We entered Yosemite from Lee Vining and went out by Mariposa. But depending on the time of year road 120 from Lee Vining may be closed.

 

The Redwood National and State Park was breathtaking too, as was all the way up there.

 

As for cities, besides San Francisco, we loved Sacramento. Maybe it doesn't impress an American so much, but for someone coming from Europe it was like being in a Western.

 

I think the way from Sacramento to Los Angeles took us some nine hours. Most of the landscape is quite dry and desert-like, and the last part until you reach Lancaster and Palmdale is a real desert. A different kind of beauty.

 

Not sure how far you plan to go, but we went to San Diego and spent one day at the most famous zoo in the world. We could have spent a couple more days and wouldn't have seen everything.

[BLEmom]

On 9/23/2021 at 10:08 PM, Hanah45 said:

Your trip sounds wonderful.  Perhaps consider a couple of things. One thing that Yosemite is known for is its thunderous waterfalls, which come from snow melt in Spring and Summer. In November there may be some trickle from seasonal precipitation, but there won’t be much. 
Also at that time of year, there may be winter storms, which may require chains.  Toga road, 120, and Glacier Point road will probably be closed for winter.  Yosemite is definitely a 4 season park which means different experiences in those seasons.  I love Yosemite at any time of year, just do your research. 

Based on your helpful comment, I moved our trip up a week. We will travel to Yosemite the las week of October. Here’s hoping the pattern of the last several years holds and Tioga Pass is still open!

[BLEmom]

On 9/24/2021 at 3:38 PM, carlos said:

Yosemite is an absolute must. You can spend there as many days as you wish, but even if you only have one day it's very worth it. The last time we went there we came from Nevada and crossed Death Valley. That's an impressive trip too, and what a huge contrast in the same day. We stayed for the night in the Mammoth Lakes area and were so sorry that we didn't have more time to explore the zone because it was wonderful too. We entered Yosemite from Lee Vining and went out by Mariposa. But depending on the time of year road 120 from Lee Vining may be closed.

 

The Redwood National and State Park was breathtaking too, as was all the way up there.

 

As for cities, besides San Francisco, we loved Sacramento. Maybe it doesn't impress an American so much, but for someone coming from Europe it was like being in a Western.

 

I think the way from Sacramento to Los Angeles took us some nine hours. Most of the landscape is quite dry and desert-like, and the last part until you reach Lancaster and Palmdale is a real desert. A different kind of beauty.

 

Not sure how far you plan to go, but we went to San Diego and spent one day at the most famous zoo in the world. We could have spent a couple more days and wouldn't have seen everything.

Sounds like we are traveling backwards to you. We will go from San Fran to Yosemite, then Death Valley.  Unless fires, oil spills or earthquakes change our plans….😂 oh California… Don’t think we’ll make it to San Diego. I have an adult son with autism and we want to give him his day at Disneyland as a surprise.  Then we’ll head up the coast.  We don’t travel much but when we do w seem to do these major road trips. LOL 

You live in a beautiful part of the world yourself!  My husband would really love to get to Spain one day. He got a little visiting in when he was in the marines. One of our paradise to dos is for him to play flamenco and me to dance it. That will require the 1000 years. 😜. I do love listening to the Gypsy Kings!  A brother I work with is from Portugal. Maybe one day we’ll do an epic road trip through the Iberian peninsula! 😁

[Hanah45]

After all the storms, there is water in the waterfalls now. Hope your trip is going well. 
https://abc30.com/yosemite-falls-california-storm-weather-park/11167191/

 

[BLEmom]

Just passed the Kingdom Hall in 29Palms. It’s the biggest sign letters I’ve ever seen!!