We Have Two Teenagers!

 Our trip inspiration was to celebrate our boys turning 13 and hit all the spots they wanted to see! They both picked California and Zach’s dream was to see the Golden Gate Bridge. They love being outdoors so we knew we’d end up in Yosemite for the longest stretch. Big Sur was on our personal bucket list and we knew they’d love the beach and that drive up the coast.

Here is our itinerary. I planned this by calling local Outfitters and talking to locals about their favorite must see spots. All of these book out 6 months in advance so you'll have to book early enough to stay at all of them.

873 mile road trip:

Day 1- Atlanta to Fresno (layover in LAX)

Drive from Fresno to Hwy One, started in San Simeon to Big Sur

Night 1- stayed in Big Sur

Big Sur to San Fransisco

Night 2- stayed in San Fransisco

San Fransisco to Yosemite

Night 3 & 4 in Yosemite

Day 5- Yosemite to Fresno Airport, layover in LAX, then Atlanta
My friend Jane told me about these and they cured car sickness on some patches of this trip:
Eyes on Board

Tuesday- we flew out of Atlanta at 7am to LAX. Layover and small aircraft to Fresno. When booking this flight, select Atlanta to Fresno and it will automatically layover to switch aircrafts in LA. We landed in Fresno at 11am and I booked a mini van with Alamo. We freaking loved our minivan and made it our mini home for the trip to keep supplies we didn’t need just yet in the back. We also purchased 3 out of 5 of our flights and the rental car with points…. FREE! Set you rental car time an hour before you land so it will be ready. The Fresno airport was small, friendly, and you are in and out. We drove straight to San Simeon to start our adventure up Highway 1, the most iconic drive in America. This was roughly a 3 hour drive from Fresno to San Simeon, we did not stop. Travel light! For this type of trip, everyone brought a carry-on and personal bag of favorite things/stuff to do, do not check bags. We packed in layers, one pair of tennis shoes and chacos, swimsuit, and small bag of mini toiletries. I carried one back pack full of protein bars and snacks and empty Nalgene bottles and we filled up at airports, gas stations, and restaurants. On the west coast, just double what you’d normally spend on food and that is what it costs. We tried to eat out at one big meal a day and do snacks and fruit for the rest.

San Simeon to Big Sur- we took about 5 hours and stopped at many of the vista points. Hearst Castle is visible from the road, but we did not stop and tour (figured our recent visit to Biltmore would trump that anyway ;) We stopped at the Elephant Seal observatory and also pulled off before the cliffs started to let the kids run into the Pacific ocean for the first time. It is COLD, but really beautiful and deep blue water. We spent about 20 minutes with the seals and that was a really good stop. Close to Big Sur, be sure to pull of the road to McCays Waterfall. It was a 30 minute stop and really gorgeous at sunset. We stayed the night at Big Sur Lodge and ate at a luxury hotels restaurant, Ventana. Its pricey to stay in Big Sur and the accommodations even at a rustic place, but worth it. Lodge is $300-$400 a night. Keep in mind there is no AC, Tv, and really no cell phone signal during most of Highway 1 and not in our lodge. Ventana would be an amazing splurge if this is a anniversary/celebratory trip, but I think rooms start at $800 and is adults only for accommodations. Dinner at Ventana was a gorgeous view and again, double what a normal place would be.

Highway One, San Simeon to Big Sur

 Big Sur Lodge in the heart of Big Sur

Big Sur Bakery, a must!!

Wednesday-  We woke up to the most amazing woods smell in Big Sur and went across the street to Big Sur Bakery. It was incredible. The bakery, smell of the woods, and coastline are so imprinted in my mind forever. The most beautiful parts of the drive are from San Simeon to Monterey. We stopped at the Monastery Beach right when you get into Monterey. Its advised to not get in the water because of the rip currents and temps, but it is beautiful to sit on the beach at the most perfect temperature. After an hour or two at the beach, we went to the downtown Monterey Wharf and ate some amazing seafood. We would have stopped at Carmel By the Sea and also included the 17 mile sight seeing loop, but we needed to make it to the Golden Gate bridge for sunset for Zach. We drove through downtown San Francisco, saw the cute townhomes and hilly city streets, and went straight to the bridge. There are vista points everywhere and we did them all. We stayed that night on an Airbnb boat in Oakland, which San Fran is not not a super safe place in general, but inside the marina we were in was great. We were full from seafood in Monterey so we ordered milkshakes and went to bed in the boat from the restaurant in the marina! The owner has several boats and it was a heck of a deal staying somewhere so cool for $100-$200. A splurge would be the Kimpton Sir Francis Drake hotel in downtown San Fran, but we were up for a night on the boat since it was so different.

Monastery Beach in Monterey, Ca

Thursday- We slept great on the boat, woke up pretty early because of time change, and drove straight to Yosemite, about 3 hours. We stopped and got hot sandwiches at Panera. The drive to Yosemite was really great, rolling fields of gold, low growing trees, farmland, a few wineries, and the grand drive entering Yosemite. Enjoy the drive in, Brideveil falls is on the right, El Capitan will be on the left, and you will get a pass where you can go in and out of the park if you leave, which we didn’t. We checked into Housekeeping camp, around $150-$200. Book a tent/yurt by the river and get there early to get a good one. You can check in and set up, go take a shower at the bath house, ect. There is electricity, bunk beds, double bed, and they have a store, groceries, bedding packs you rent for $10, ect. Glampy camping, really. A lot of people flip out about bears, but the park is on the ball. There is a bear patrol, there are bear canisters everywhere, and we never saw one. The biggest rule is to keep food and anything scented in the bear canister and not in your car or most certainly not in your tent. After we checked in, we had the latest time for a lunch reservation at Ahwahnee Hotel. It is the nicest place in Yosemite and apparently Obama stayed there last year, ha! The dining hall is beautiful so you could even eat a late dinner and go back and crash at your tent. You need reservations to eat!! If you are on a splurge, you can book a night there, I didn’t even look at the prices. We explored the valley and Yosemite village, you can walk, shuttle for free, or rent bikes for $30 a day to see the valley. There are lots of supplies in the valley in you need something. Housekeeping camp for us was just a place to sleep for us, don’t think of it like weekend car camping. The bridge within the camp is one of the most beautiful sights of Yosemite Falls and you are just surrounded by the granite rocks, you can’t beat the location and price. The falls are only running a few times a year, we did not see them, but we also had the advantage of less people here.  Most people crash and you don’t even see many who come in late and leave the next morning. A few bring Christmas lights, set it up like a house, ect. Make sure to walk around early and go take a look on the bridge for a perfect mirrored reflection of the mountains.

        Housekeeping Camp             

Friday – We loaded it all in the minivan and ate protein bars and I bought some fruit and the camp store. We drove straight to Mariposa Grove which was well worth the 1 hour drive within Yosemite. It is the largest sequoia grove in Yosemite and hosts some of the largest sequoias in the world. It is a scenic drive through Yosemite to the grove and you take a shuttle at the top to the entrance of the 2 mile loop through the grove. It’s a easy loop. There’s another store in Mariposa grove for restrooms, water, and park rangers to help. After Mariposa, there is a golf course pro shop at the Wawona hotel and we stopped and grabbed a sandwich and sat out in the beautiful lawn of the hotel. We went straight to Glacier Point / Sentinel Dome trailhead and parked there. A great 2-3 mile loop takes you to a breathtaking view of Yosemite. All ages can do this loop. After, we drove another mile or two to the top of Glacier Point. Another store, lookout, and restrooms. We stayed for the sun starting to set, ate ice cream, and left Yosemite for the hostel for the night, about a 2 hour drive from Glacier Point, which put us closer to the airport for the following day. I’m not sure what I thought a hostel would be like, but this place was brilliant. Its actually called Yosemite Bug Rustic Mountain Resort. It houses private cabins, a group dormitory, full restaurant that is incredible, and a spa and hot tub for $12 a person. I think our private cabin was $200 and we had 2 queens and a small rollaway for Mackenzie. This place was just fantastic. You drive by on the way in to Yosemite so you could even stop and eat lunch here. I think staying and driving back and forth would eat your time, but I sure wish it was in the valley. We went to the spa before bed and they have a private mineral soak I would do next time and grab a glass of wine upstairs.

Saturday- Had a great overnight at the hostel. Just a cool vibe there. Clean and we really enjoyed the food. We ate breakfast and toured around and headed to the Fresno airport for a noon flight.  Landed back in Atlanta at 11pm.

Highlights for us were for sure Big Sur and that amazing drive. Yosemite is like nature on steroids and truly incredible to see giant granite rock walls surrounding you and some of the largest trees in the world. If you’ve been skiing, that’s what it feels like out in the wilderness. A blanket of quiet, stars so bright, and your kids in awe of what’s around them. I liked our pace because we were constantly moving and seeing something new. It leaves little room for teen/tween fighting because everyone is entertained and eager to see the next thing. Snacks, water, and then the kids kindle fires with game apps or bag full of items kept them occupied while we were making our next move or crashing for the night. Get off the grid with your family and see the sights together. There is something so calming about just what God has made on this Earth and letting that be the entertainment. This trip was about sight seeing and not spending time in a hotel room. Part of the fun was staying in really different places and showing the kids all different types of experiences. My kids aren’t getting cell phones until right before high school, so this year David got a drone. I love it channels an electronic into something creative and he has become quite the photographer. Zach is one of those kids who wants to draw so I don’t have that battle, and Mackenzie might be a fairy from nature with her desire to create. It’s a battle to keep their eyes open to the world and not let them be molded by what’s “normal”. I want to get them outside, drive their creativity, and experience God.