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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,707 posts, read 58,042,598 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MAK802
Actually, it appears we will be starting from Reno, .. it works out well.
EXCELLENT, as I was going to recommend a southbound trip for the left coast, More scenic and much safer to pull off and on. (I do NB on east coast)
Quote:
Originally Posted by MAK802
Trust me, Muir Woods is perfectly fine for us! A tree is a tree, I really don't need to see the really tall ones!
Some great trees in the Presidio SF (great place to go BTW.) SF city walking tours are GREAT (free, library sponsored).
I stayed at the Ft Mason Hostel last time and had a nice view from a private room. FREE parking nice pleasant walk to the wharf, very quiet and peaceful setting.
Of course the Lighthouse Hostels are popular.
Monterary Aquarium is pretty spectacular.( But I am partial to it, having been able to do some invention / prototype work while at my former employer, who was the father of the principle founder of the Aquarium)
I 3rd the stop at Solvang (take home a fresh pastry to bake, or order to have it shipped to meet you at home)
Enjoy this great adventure, and congratulations on the CHEAP one way rental car !!! That is great news. (currently Stuck in Tucson due to high price of a one-way rental) I will try hitchhiking to a cheaper location.
Some great trees in the Presidio SF (great place to go BTW.) SF city walking tours are GREAT (free, library sponsored).
I stayed at the Ft Mason Hostel last time and had a nice view from a private room. FREE parking nice pleasant walk to the wharf, very quiet and peaceful setting.
Of course the Lighthouse Hostels are popular.
Monterary Aquarium is pretty spectacular.( But I am partial to it, having been able to do some invention / prototype work while at my former employer, who was the father of the principle founder of the Aquarium)
I 3rd the stop at Solvang (take home a fresh pastry to bake, or order to have it shipped to meet you at home)
Enjoy this great adventure, and congratulations on the CHEAP one way rental car !!! That is great news. (currently Stuck in Tucson due to high price of a one-way rental) I will try hitchhiking to a cheaper location.
I've been to SF more times than I can count so I've seen most of the things there. I've seen the Monterey Aquarium as well.
Will definitely stop at Solvang, I love any and all baked goods! Yea, I couldn't believe the one way rental price. We normally use Priceline, but they don't participated in these routes so I had to go through the company directly. We rented a one way from NJ to TX a couple of years ago and got an amazing deal on Priceline. It makes no sense for San Diego and SF to not participate, it's the same state!
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Will definitely stop at Solvang, I love any and all baked goods! Yea, I couldn't believe the one way rental price. We normally use Priceline, but they don't participated in these routes so I had to go through the company directly. We rented a one way from NJ to TX a couple of years ago and got an amazing deal on Priceline. It makes no sense for San Diego and SF to not participate, it's the same state!
If you are starting off in Reno, head down to Carson City to Paul Schaat's Bakery, on of the best you'll find.
Have driven between Santa Barabara and Eureka during several trips and I would be hard-pressed to pick which area is "better" than any other. You really can't go wrong, though the costal drive along Big Sur is obviously more water orientated and not as developed.
Besides the obvious (Redwoods, Monterey Aquarium, Hearst Castle) Some highlights I recall...
A wonderful late lunch-dinner-sunset at the Nepenthe Resort along Big Sur just a few miles south of Monterey at the Nepenthe Restaurant. http://www.nepenthebigsur.com/
and of course, the miles and miles of wonderful driving that never fail to take your breath away around each and every bend in the road.
After more than 2 years of living in San Diego, we are finally going to do the obligatory drive up the coast. We've driven from SD to Santa Barbara. Flew to Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur/Santa Cruz, been to SF/Napa/Sonoma. And of course, have the entire coastal LA area covered, pretty much seen all the beaches up to Malibu, as well as SD/Orange county.
If you've done this, what were your favorite stops? We plan on taking the coastal route the entire time, so it will probably take a bit longer than it should. I should mention, we really have no desire to go past SF and will most likely do a one way car rental and fly home.
I've always dreamed of a road trip mostly on CA 1 and then US 101, San Diego to Olympia, Washington. How much time do you have? If you have three weeks and $4,000 (no camping, excludes car rental fees), you could probably comfortably (with long stops) go do "my" dream trip and maybe even continue into Canada.
I've always dreamed of a road trip mostly on CA 1 and then US 101, San Diego to Olympia, Washington. How much time do you have? If you have three weeks and $4,000 (no camping, excludes car rental fees), you could probably comfortably (with long stops) go do "my" dream trip and maybe even continue into Canada.
We're not interested in going north of SF, just no interest in that area. We've driven around OR/WA plenty of times and didn't particularly care for that area.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,707 posts, read 58,042,598 times
Reputation: 46172
Quote:
I've always dreamed of a road trip mostly on CA 1 and then US 101, San Diego to Olympia, Washington. ... three weeks and $4,000 (no camping, excludes car rental fees), you could probably comfortably (with long stops) go do "my" dream trip and maybe even continue into Canada.
The variety of coastline in CA is quite complete for Left coastline of lower 48 USA
BUT, much is inaccessible, as is WA Coastline.
OR Coast is completely open to public access, and very nice and varied as well.
Canada and AK coast is best access by boat, as long bays and fjords mean for very limited highway access to coast (east coast of Vancouver Island in BC is pretty decent to drive). Ferries and bicycles are the mode to travel & see in WA and CDN inner waterway islands.
You can do a CA, OR, BC coastal trip in 3 wks and for about $2k(+car) if you are prudent.
I would suggest buying a reasonable and resellable car in CA and selling it in Seattle, Bellingham, or CDN (with import fees to buyer). Personally I would buy a quality inexpensive RUST FREE car that can be easily imported to Cdn (older than 25 yrs I think). Then sell it on Vancouver Island (Nanimo) where the cars are REALLY RUSTY and expensive to get used. Better yet, get a Roadtrek or similar Class B travel van in CA / AZ and bring it to CDN and sell (free lodging / cooking enroute + VERY ATTRACTIVE resell on Vancouver Island, They LOVE class B's there, cheaper to ferry, economical, good heat for camping). You will most likely make enough profit to pay for your entire trip. and Class B's are quite inexpensive and readily available in southern CA and AZ.
It's time to turn that dream into reality before gas goes to $5/gal.
If you want to go *inside* Hearst, go online for tickets. There are several different tours. I can't remember what they all are, but I wanted one that included the swimming pool. I was not disappointed. That place is simply mind-boggling.
Everyone has given you some great ideas. I especially second Morror Bay. A note about Hearst Castle (a must see IMO): I've known people who have taken the tours off-season when there aren't many people in the group. Those lucky dogs were taken on what is, basically, the behind-the-scenes tour of areas that aren't on the main, advertised tours. I don't know if it was because the guides get bored or what but I've been driven mad with jealousy over their descriptions.
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