Road Trip Part 2

The drive from Monterey to San Francisco had a stop that we just had to do. Having 2 avid Lost Boys fans with us meant we had to stop at the famous Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Be aware that parking can be expensive in an RV, but there is parking in the bus car park at the end of the pier. Santa Cruz Boardwalk is everything you imagine a US boardwalk to be, lots of rides, game stalls, shops and food. This one is famous for being the boardwalk used in Lost Boys, and other films. I hadn’t told Paul and India this fact before hand and it was great to see their faces when they realised where they were. It did also mean that they then kept quoting lines from the film????? Also the shopping here is fantastic if you have teenagers. It is the home of the Santa Cruz clothing line, and all the shops sell the whole brand! The beach is lovely and soft sand, and it had a real family holiday vibe to it. Well worth an afternoon stop.

San Francisco We met the 6 lane freeways again as we entered the San Francisco area, which was a shock after the 2 lanes we were used to. Our stop was Pacifica, which is about 10 miles from SF. We really did not want to tackle the hills in an RV!

Our RV park was by the sea and we had a fantastic evening whale watching from the cliff. The Pelicans flying by were a sight to see, and we were lucky enough to see the whales as well. What we learnt quickly the next day was that within that 10 mile zone from Pacifica to SF the weather changes dramatically. We left the camp in cool and foggy conditions and arrived in SF in sunshine!

Paul and I last visited SF about 20 plus years ago, and my first visit was 30 years ago. We always vowed to come back and are so glad we did. We had Alcatraz booked for day 2, so that first day we decided to walk from Union Square to the Golden Gate Bridge, and then across it! This was fantastic, but hard work. We fully covered the city, discovering amazing buildings, lovely coffee stops and the majesty of the bridge. You can imagine our disappointment after glimpsing the bridge to then not be able to see it due to the mist. You have to have patience as the most changes ever few minutes. The walk across the bridge is a challenge with the wind blowing and we all came off with windburn ?????

Fisherman’s Wharf when we last visited was a lovely small area with Sea lions, pier 39 and a selection of shops and restaurants. Now it is a street full of souvenir shops, Madam Tussauds and other tourist traps. There are still some lovely places like the Franciscan Crab restaurant, where you can eat whilst looking at Alcatraz. But be aware it is a busy area with lots going on.

You must book Alcatraz before you go. There was a 10 day wait for the next available slot when we was there. It was the only thing we had booked apart from camp sites for the whole trip. It is a fantastic and interesting excursion to do. You can take an audio tour round the prison and it really gives you a feel for how prisoners felt. There is also now an exhibition about when a group of native Indians took over the Island in the 70’s in protest of how they had been treated and had land taken from them. There are lots of personal stories which make it a powerful exhibition and makes you think. Apart from the isolation of the Island there is a lot of beauty with the birds that now inhabit it and the gardens that are maintained on it. As well as the views of the city, harbour bridge and Bay Area.

Our final day was spent walking again. We went to see the painted ladies houses, used in so many films and tv shows. The kids wanted to find the Fuller House, which was also in Pacific Heights. From here we went to Lombard Street, to see the world’s most crooked Road, finally finishing of with the famous trolley cars and the turning circle. We had planned to travel in each day by train, but Uber worked out cheaper and easier and also gave us a different view of the city each time. It is a city of have and have nots. There is a lot of poverty below the Union Square area. It is a city with a lot of traffic, but it is still somewhere that we hold dear and will always look on with fondness.

Nobody warned me about the drive from San Francisco to Yosemite!

Firstly we had to cross the very long San Mateo Haywards bridge, which crosses the SFO bay. It is the 25th longest bridge in the world and measures 7 miles. It is awesome to look at. The drive up to our camp site, which was 20milesoutside of the park entrance was winding and steep. I think it went to 4000 feet, with amazing scenery and long drops!! Yosemite Pines was a great campsite, with a lovely pool to escape the heat, it was hot! As well as lots of trees for shade and no light pollution, so the star gazing was fantastic.

We were up early the next day to get the bus to Yosemite valley and the chance to do some walking. Boots at the ready, we set off and soon was in awe at the scenery. Prior to this trip all I had looked into was the giant redwoods, I was not really prepared for the beauty of the rocks and the waterfalls. The glaciers at the peaks are still melting which means we were lucky enough to see Yosemite Falls at its gushing best. You could hear the roar and feel the spray well before you saw it.

We went walking, I strongly recommend walking boots or good solid trainers. There are lots of hikes you can do. The boys set of at a good pace, whilst India was with me, to different destinations. The boys did a good 8 mile circuit to Mirror Lake, whilst we did an 5 mile circuit to Happy Isles. Whenever you turn a corner the scenery blows you away and with lots of squirrels and blue Jay flying around it was a really satisfying experience. We just didn’t get to see any bears??

There are lots of different accommodation options, both in and out of the park, depending on what you are wanting. It was a great experience and I would love to visit again to see other parts of the park.