Road Trip 5

We are nearing the end of the journey. Every day was packed with things to see and do and many things we didn't have time for. I was constantly amazed at all the State Parks and reserves and other sights there were to see so close to each other.

One of the highlights of the trip was hiking five miles around the Point Lobos Reserve. Every section of the trail was filled to the brim with beauty. Hillsides covered with trees and wildflowers, seals and otters feeding, swimming or resting.

Lots of Poison Oak to avoid.

Bird Island.

The fog was following us but we managed to keep ahead of it until the last moment.

The Big Sur coastline is stunning. The road winds in continuous twists and turns as it hugs the cliffs. We stopped at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to see McWay Falls which falls onto a beach below.

An added treat was to see several California Condors. Huge birds just 25 feet away from us.

A walk through Limekiln State Park.

Keep an eye out for snakes on the trail.

Getting my feet wet crossing a creek was worth it for this waterfall.

The Piedras Blanca Elephant Seal Colony.

Play nicely please!

Morro Bay.

Otters.

Surf at Morro Bay.

Next stop Pismo Beach.

One of the rare beaches you can drive or ride on. We decided to forgo the opportunity.

Ventura.

Our last day was marked by very heavy coastal fog close to shore. Even so I wanted to stop at Venice Beach in LA as I had never seen it in person.

It looked less glamourous in person than it did on TV.

Our original plan had been to drive all the way down Highway 1 till we got home but the visibility was so bad we decided to get home sooner by taking the freeway - and promptly got caught in Holiday weekend traffic!

I hope you've enjoyed following in our tracks and perhaps inspired you to take your own California road trip one day. 

There's just one more road trip post to come where I feature the California Missions we visited on the coastal portion of our trip.

Road Trip

I have just returned from a road trip around California seeing some very beautiful scenery and old buildings associated with the California gold rush.

Part of our route was determined by the location of friends we wanted to see along the way. 

This is a shopping mall we passed as we drove through Los Angeles. It reminds me of something you'd see in Las Vegas.

After visiting friends our next stop was...

We saw many changes of landscape during our trip. This flat farm land soon gave way to mountains.

And trees. Lots and lots of trees. 

There are a lot of deer in this area but you have to concentrate to spot them among all the trees. This curious youngster co-operated so I could get this picture.

The scene at some of the vista points was hazy because of a wildfire burning across the way.

We could see a lot of waterfalls from our vantage point.

We didn't see any but there are bears in them there hills so all the rubbish bins have to be bear proof.

There are dramatic views around every corner (and since the roads are very winding, there are lots of corners).

The wildfire causing all the haze.

A view from Glacier Point down to Yosemite Village. The GPS says it is only 1.8 mile away from here but that is as the crow flies. By road it was 30 miles away.

Half dome which people can hike to and climb (not by me).

Did I mention there were lots of trees?

Down in the valley was this beautiful lake and view of another lovely waterfall.

It was time for a hike.

Sorry about the out of focus picture but these blue jays don't stay still for long enough to get a good picture.

After a very steep hike we arrived at Vernal Falls.

It was time to move on. The section most visitors see of Yosemite is a relatively small area in the south-west of the National Park. Since there are few roads through the Park, we headed to Tioga Road which runs east to west.

We traveled east eventually rising to almost 10,000 feet at Tioga Pass.