How do I get DW excited about California?!

[ORDisneyfans]

Just have to say Thank you OP'S for the beautiful pictures! I have been to CA many times through out my life and never tire of the diverse landscape!

 

[smiley_face2]

I wish everyone would keep posting pictures of the beautiful, awe inspiring state of California! I can't even begin to explain how many amazing hours we have spent exploring... some of the very best memories we have come from there! Our best trip so far was a good 10 days spent in Disneyland, followed by 10 more days of slowing meandering along the coast all the way up to northern Oregon. But the best bit was the Big Sur stretch. I know I don't want to get older, but seriously, we are already planning our retirement with the plan being buying a truck and camper or small trailer and spending at least 4 if not 6 months of the year in California!! the thought of being able to just go where you want there, exploring the redwoods, both types!... for days and days...wandering those miles and miles of sandy beaches, driving through the miles and miles of fields filled with all the amazing produce we are so lucky to get up here in BC within 24 hours of it being picked!.... finding little out of the way vineyards to sample the mouthwatering California wines... afternoon nap back in the camper or trailer to follow.... waking up to find some awesome little retaurant to have an amazing meal of all that good produce, succulent beef, or fresh seafood on the coast! exploring the desert at the right time to see the flowers bloom... finding old ghost towns...exploring antique shops in San Francisco.... It's going to take us those 4-6 months every year for as long as we can do it to be able to see it all!! One of my favorite memories is when we were driving along the Big Sur... we had bought a giant succulent orange flesh honeydew from a farm stand... we stopped on the coast at a look out area, and had a picnic, and a nap...such a simple thing but such a truly wonderful time! that's not even touching on all the fun to be had at all the various theme parks, aquariums, zoos, etc.... we LOVE California!!

the beach at Huntington Beach

me peeking out of one of those giant redwoods!

Hearst Castle

me on the beach near Cambria

Our current vehicle for our road trips...we call it "The Black Pearl" lol...sadly due to the evil thing called work, we can't be away from home for more than a couple of weeks or so at a time, so for now, we drive the pearl and stay in hotels. Here the Pearl is parked on the coastline along Big Sur somewhere

 

[smiley_face2]

Hubby driving our car through a redwood

Really cool old Victorian houses in Eureka

Hearst Castle

fields of I think strawberries near Salinas

that's it for now..I could fill the boards with pictures here as I'm sure lot's of us could! but I'll try not to duplicate ones already done like San Francisco and San Diego.....

 

[xipetotec]

Well we're booked anyway. So the trip is a go!

I talekd to her about this thread and she concedes that even though she has her doubts, she's on board! *thumbsup* I can't wait!

 

[KCmike]

Have fun! You will enjoy every minute of it!

Remember Dreams Come True

 

[KCmike]

I wish everyone would keep posting pictures of the beautiful, awe inspiring state of California! I can't even begin to explain how many amazing hours we have spent exploring... some of the very best memories we have come from there! Our best trip so far was a good 10 days spent in Disneyland, followed by 10 more days of slowing meandering along the coast all the way up to northern Oregon. But the best bit was the Big Sur stretch. I know I don't want to get older, but seriously, we are already planning our retirement with the plan being buying a truck and camper or small trailer and spending at least 4 if not 6 months of the year in California!! the thought of being able to just go where you want there, exploring the redwoods, both types!... for days and days...wandering those miles and miles of sandy beaches, driving through the miles and miles of fields filled with all the amazing produce we are so lucky to get up here in BC within 24 hours of it being picked!.... finding little out of the way vineyards to sample the mouthwatering California wines... afternoon nap back in the camper or trailer to follow.... waking up to find some awesome little retaurant to have an amazing meal of all that good produce, succulent beef, or fresh seafood on the coast! exploring the desert at the right time to see the flowers bloom... finding old ghost towns...exploring antique shops in San Francisco.... It's going to take us those 4-6 months every year for as long as we can do it to be able to see it all!! One of my favorite memories is when we were driving along the Big Sur... we had bought a giant succulent orange flesh honeydew from a farm stand... we stopped on the coast at a look out area, and had a picnic, and a nap...such a simple thing but such a truly wonderful time! that's not even touching on all the fun to be had at all the various theme parks, aquariums, zoos, etc.... we LOVE California!!


I feel the same way.

 

[xipetotec]

Ha... Just as a funny sidenote, DW asks me yesterday
"So why aren't we going to San Diego?"
"Because we don't really have time"
"Oh, cause that's probably the one place I'd be really interested in going to" ( she's big on animal conservation and wildlife, and not only is the San Diego zoo there, but also some kind of wildlife conservatory ).

P.S. Keep in mind, this is all through texts and it makes her sound way more bratty than she really is she IS keeping an open mind about our trip... she's just not "thrilled" about it.

 

[GrandBob]

she's big on animal conservation and wildlife, and not only is the San Diego zoo there, but also some kind of wildlife conservatory

The San Diego Wild Animal Park is actually in Escondido, which is kinda half way between Anaheim and San Diego. Well worth a trip.

If she's into conservation, and you're going to/through Monterey, then you have to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. They're heavily into conservation and public education. Be sure to pick up a copy of their Seafood Watch pocket guide, which tells you which seafoods are sustainable.

(Disclaimer - I work for the sister organization, MBARI).

-Bob

 

[xipetotec]

The San Diego Wild Animal Park is actually in Escondido, which is kinda half way between Anaheim and San Diego. Well worth a trip.

If she's into conservation, and you're going to/through Monterey, then you have to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. They're heavily into conservation and public education. Be sure to pick up a copy of their Seafood Watch pocket guide, which tells you which seafoods are sustainable.

(Disclaimer - I work for the sister organization, MBARI).

-Bob

We are on a pretty tight schedule, so evne going that far south would be really out of our way. However, I will suggest the Monterey Bay Aquarium to the group.
Thanks!

 

[skiingfast]

We are on a pretty tight schedule, so evne going that far south would be really out of our way. However, I will suggest the Monterey Bay Aquarium to the group.
Thanks!

I would go to the Aqarium. For me it would be really tough to pick from the park and zoo in SD or the aquarium. They are all best of class for sure. But since you are going up hwy 1, you shouldn't miss the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

 

[xipetotec]

I would go to the Aqarium. For me it would be really tough to pick from the park and zoo in SD or the aquarium. They are all best of class for sure. But since you are going up hwy 1, you shouldn't miss the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Is it doable in a couple of hours?

 

[GrandBob]

Is it doable in a couple of hours?

Yep. You can spend anywhere from an hour to all day in the aquarium -- just depends how much time you have and how interested you are. The "couple hour" tour probably includes the sea otters (everyone's favorite), Kelp Forest tank, Outer Bay tank, and for the kids, the touch pool.

-Bob

 

[pixiewings71]

If she likes weirdness, stay a night at Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. It's a little pricey, but if you're into strange, it's great. The Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood is said to be haunted by movie stars. That could be an interesting place to stay too.

To be honest, the Winchester Mystery House is not that great. It's in the middle of a busy section of San Jose, which takes away from the atmosphere IMHO. I'd hate for your wife to come all this way with the Winchester House as the main attraction. She might be really disappointed.

I guess I can relate to your wife not thinking Calif. is that big a deal. I feel the same way about Cape Cod. My brother goes there every year and loves it. I visited him there once and that was more than enough. I just didn't get it.

I disagree 100% about the Winchester Mystery House, it's a really neat place to go. We enjoyed our tour very much and we wandered around a bit after as well. We even thought about getting a pass so we could come back later, we ultimately decided against it because we had DL AP's and Monterey Bay Aquarium passes as well but we really enjoyed the Winchester Mystery House.
We also very much enjoyed the Mystery Spot, it was so much fun and it felt so weird! lol We almost didn't do it but we were really glad we did in the end, it was well worth the stop.

Is it doable in a couple of hours?

I would absolutely stop at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, it's very much into conservation and education and she would probably enjoy it very much. They have a great seahorse display and a great pink flamingo display right now too. Absolutely worth the detour, especially if you're heading down 1 anyway. I would say the bare minimum you need to really see the aquarium is at least 4 hours, it's not a small aquarium so you should allow some time to see it. While in Monterey have some good food! And perhaps visit A Taste of Monterey (which GrandBob has suggested to me a time or two, we have yet to visit tho, our timing is off every time) to sample some Monterey area wines.
Does your family enjoy wine? If so while you're in SF you'll be about 30 minutes from Napa County, Napa has some really great (I have at least 12 bottles of great CA/Napa wines on my counter right now) wineries that you can visit. If you've got a favorite it may even be in CA. There is also the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield (just about 15 minutes farther then the Napa turnoff, about 45-60 min depending on traffic) that has free tours and samples, it might be fun for the kids. Just a few extra thoughts for when you're in the SF area. Suisun City (next to Fairfield, I live in Suisun and am currently on my couch about 15 min. from the JB Factory) also has some good wineries, DBF and I went out and about a few weeks ago and bought some wine from our local wineries, excellent wines here too.

Beaches in CA are beautiful, all up and down the coast they are beautiful so do enjoy those while you're here as well.

I hope you love your trip to our state......I really do love living here, I just wish the rest of my family would move here. lol

 

[xipetotec]

I disagree 100% about the Winchester Mystery House, it's a really neat place to go. We enjoyed our tour very much and we wandered around a bit after as well. We even thought about getting a pass so we could come back later, we ultimately decided against it because we had DL AP's and Monterey Bay Aquarium passes as well but we really enjoyed the Winchester Mystery House.
We also very much enjoyed the Mystery Spot, it was so much fun and it felt so weird! lol We almost didn't do it but we were really glad we did in the end, it was well worth the stop.



I would absolutely stop at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, it's very much into conservation and education and she would probably enjoy it very much. They have a great seahorse display and a great pink flamingo display right now too. Absolutely worth the detour, especially if you're heading down 1 anyway. I would say the bare minimum you need to really see the aquarium is at least 4 hours, it's not a small aquarium so you should allow some time to see it. While in Monterey have some good food! And perhaps visit A Taste of Monterey (which GrandBob has suggested to me a time or two, we have yet to visit tho, our timing is off every time) to sample some Monterey area wines.
Does your family enjoy wine? If so while you're in SF you'll be about 30 minutes from Napa County, Napa has some really great (I have at least 12 bottles of great CA/Napa wines on my counter right now) wineries that you can visit. If you've got a favorite it may even be in CA. There is also the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield (just about 15 minutes farther then the Napa turnoff, about 45-60 min depending on traffic) that has free tours and samples, it might be fun for the kids. Just a few extra thoughts for when you're in the SF area. Suisun City (next to Fairfield, I live in Suisun and am currently on my couch about 15 min. from the JB Factory) also has some good wineries, DBF and I went out and about a few weeks ago and bought some wine from our local wineries, excellent wines here too.

Beaches in CA are beautiful, all up and down the coast they are beautiful so do enjoy those while you're here as well.

I hope you love your trip to our state......I really do love living here, I just wish the rest of my family would move here. lol

My mother does want to see one or two beaches, but they seem so COLD that time of year! ( Feb/March ) 55-62F sounds like some cold swimming. That being said, I was thinking of checking out Santa Monica and Santa Cruz. I think my kids would get a kick out of the latter also because they are big fan of The Lost Boys

 

[skiingfast]

My mother does want to see one or two beaches, but they seem so COLD that time of year! ( Feb/March ) 55-62F sounds like some cold swimming. That being said, I was thinking of checking out Santa Monica and Santa Cruz. I think my kids would get a kick out of the latter also because they are big fan of The Lost Boys

Those beaches will be fun to visit. But you are right you probably won't want to spend a day laying on the beach and swimming maybe just get your feet wet unless it happens to be during a really nice day. Hopefully see some surfing too, and they will be wearing wetsuits.

 

[smiley_face2]

The San Diego Wild Animal Park is actually in Escondido, which is kinda half way between Anaheim and San Diego. Well worth a trip.

If she's into conservation, and you're going to/through Monterey, then you have to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. They're heavily into conservation and public education. Be sure to pick up a copy of their Seafood Watch pocket guide, which tells you which seafoods are sustainable.

(Disclaimer - I work for the sister organization, MBARI).

-Bob

Don't want to hijack your thread xipetotec, but want to ask GrandBob a question which kind of pertains to your topic as well!
We are driving back from DL on or about Dec. 5. We want to make it to San Francisco and plan on leaving fairly early, like 9 ish.... from Hojo's. We have in the past driven many times, usually just the I5 straight up, but have driven through SF a couple of times as well both going south and north. In 2008 we did the weeks long trip, meandering up the #1 all the way up and through SF, but we took days to do it, stopping here and there. This time, we want to head over to the coast from the I5 at either Lost Hills, or Kettlemen City, on either the 46 or the 41. What we thought would be quickest is taking 41 to where it forks and switching to the 46 going to Paso Robles, then carry on the 46 to the coast. the 41 just looks straighter on the map for the beginning part.
Second part of the question....based on leaving Hojo's about 9am, zipping up the I5 cutting the shortest way possible to the coast, then driving up the #1, will there be time to stop in Carmel for a quick, like maybe 1/2 hour visit, and will there be time to stop in Monteray also for a quick maybe 1 hour visit, and still get to SF at a decent hour? We wanted to get to SF for dinner, but could maybe do that in Monteray as well, then just go to the hotel in SF and get to bed early for our big day in SF (it's our 30th anniversary on the 6th and we are going to leave our hearts in SF... ) Lol...
Any tips will be greatly appreciated.

 

[GrandBob]

Don't want to hijack your thread xipetotec, but want to ask GrandBob a question which kind of pertains to your topic as well!
We are driving back from DL on or about Dec. 5. We want to make it to San Francisco and plan on leaving fairly early, like 9 ish.... from Hojo's. We have in the past driven many times, usually just the I5 straight up, but have driven through SF a couple of times as well both going south and north. In 2008 we did the weeks long trip, meandering up the #1 all the way up and through SF, but we took days to do it, stopping here and there. This time, we want to head over to the coast from the I5 at either Lost Hills, or Kettlemen City, on either the 46 or the 41. What we thought would be quickest is taking 41 to where it forks and switching to the 46 going to Paso Robles, then carry on the 46 to the coast. the 41 just looks straighter on the map for the beginning part.

I'm not sure I understand. You're talking about heading north from LA to Monterey, right? I don't understand why you would want to go all the way north to Kettleman City, just to pick up 41 and head back south. If you're trying to get from I5 to 101, 46 is the way to do it.

Alternatively, you could just take 101 all the way from LA north. I usually prefer I5 to 46, but others prefer 101 for the scenery. It's not much different in time either way.

Second part of the question....based on leaving Hojo's about 9am, zipping up the I5 cutting the shortest way possible to the coast, then driving up the #1, will there be time to stop in Carmel for a quick, like maybe 1/2 hour visit, and will there be time to stop in Monteray also for a quick maybe 1 hour visit, and still get to SF at a decent hour? We wanted to get to SF for dinner, but could maybe do that in Monteray as well, then just go to the hotel in SF and get to bed early for our big day in SF (it's our 30th anniversary on the 6th and we are going to leave our hearts in SF... ) Lol...
Any tips will be greatly appreciated.

Yep, you can spend 1/2 hour in Carmel. Not sure you'll see all that much, but it will give you a chance to wander about town. It's a really small little town. Advice - drive down Ocean Ave, which is the main drag, and check it out. If you feel like window shopping, park on a side street and just wander around. Personally, I prefer visiting its sandy white beach. In that case, just drive to the end of Ocean Ave, where it ends in a small parking lot. Take off your shoes and head down the (slightly steep) sand dune to the beach. Great views of Pebble Beach, too.

Ditto an hour in Monterey. The main drag in Monterey is Alvarado St. Alvarado dead-ends at the Portola Hotel (formerly Doubletree), but it continues as a pedestrian walkway through the plaza and past the historic buildings to Fisherman's Wharf. It's a nice stroll.

It's about 2 hours from Monterey to SF, so you can plan accordingly.

HTH,
Bob

 

[pixiewings71]

My mother does want to see one or two beaches, but they seem so COLD that time of year! ( Feb/March ) 55-62F sounds like some cold swimming. That being said, I was thinking of checking out Santa Monica and Santa Cruz. I think my kids would get a kick out of the latter also because they are big fan of The Lost Boys

Santa Cruz will be cold, your kids may want to put their toes in the water but that's about it, you'll probably be swearshirts and long pants when you go but it's worth it. Go to the Boardwalk, ride the carousel, try to grab the ring and throw it in the clown's mouth, you get all kinds of bells and whistles when that happens. Most of the Boardwalk rides are just standard fare, nothing too spectacular but the girls did enjoy the sky coaster and the carousel very much. And they love to sit on the beach and put their toes in the water, no matter how cold it is. I don't know anything about the Santa Monica beaches, never been to any of them. Cold or not, they will still be beautiful to see.

Smiley, Carmel is beautiful!!!! Absolutely positively love it there. Follow Bob's advice, he's spot on about Carmel & Monterey. And personally, I'd do dinner in Monterey and then head to the hotel in SF.

 

[sndral]

The aquarium is located in 2 buildings right on the bay. Both buildings have 2 stories. The newer building houses the currently closed Outer Bay tank (to reopen 7/11) and 2 exhibit areas with multiple tanks/exhibits - Hot Pink Flamingos and Secret Lives of Sea Horses. The original building, next door, is @ the end of cannery row and opened in 1984, it houses, among other things, 2 large exhibit tanks - the Kelp Forest and the Monterey Bay Habitats tank. The Otter exhibit is also in this building as are 2 touch pools, a penguin exhibit, the auditorium (which has several programs a day) and a casual place to eat & a restaurant/bar. There's also an exhibit/room about MBARI (the research arm - where GrandBob works.) It's worth checking out the MBA site and the webcams to get a feel for it.

 

[smiley_face2]

I'm not sure I understand. You're talking about heading north from LA to Monterey, right? I don't understand why you would want to go all the way north to Kettleman City, just to pick up 41 and head back south. If you're trying to get from I5 to 101, 46 is the way to do it.

Alternatively, you could just take 101 all the way from LA north. I usually prefer I5 to 46, but others prefer 101 for the scenery. It's not much different in time either way.



Yep, you can spend 1/2 hour in Carmel. Not sure you'll see all that much, but it will give you a chance to wander about town. It's a really small little town. Advice - drive down Ocean Ave, which is the main drag, and check it out. If you feel like window shopping, park on a side street and just wander around. Personally, I prefer visiting its sandy white beach. In that case, just drive to the end of Ocean Ave, where it ends in a small parking lot. Take off your shoes and head down the (slightly steep) sand dune to the beach. Great views of Pebble Beach, too.

Ditto an hour in Monterey. The main drag in Monterey is Alvarado St. Alvarado dead-ends at the Portola Hotel (formerly Doubletree), but it continues as a pedestrian walkway through the plaza and past the historic buildings to Fisherman's Wharf. It's a nice stroll.

It's about 2 hours from Monterey to SF, so you can plan accordingly.

HTH,
Bob

Thankyou Bob! my confusion is exactly why I asked you yes you had it correct, driving north from LA to SF, wanting to drive some of the coast and through Carmel and Monteray. We did the 101 and 1 on our last big trip in 08 and it seemed to take a loooonnnng time to get out of LA that way. We want to get out of the LA area asap, cover some ground, then enjoy some coastline starting about Cambria. So as I am chief naviagator, I will tell hubby "turn here" when we get to the exit for #46
actually after I posted I remembered we drove down to Newport Beach and drove right up the #1 all the way when leaving LA, going through Malibu etc. that's probably why it took so long. So you think going the 101 would not take much more time than the 5? the girls with us have not been that way before and it would be more interesting for them than the 5. But our main consideration is to save as much time as possible leaving LA and getting to Cambria.
Also edited to add: "drove" down Ocean ave. in Carmel on Google street view....that beach is stunning! we will make a quick stop there for sure!