Crossing our Midway Point!

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Hi folks, I think Carrie skipped my turn last time! But I was busy with some stuff. Anyway, its my turn! Do you ever go on a vacation, and then realize its time for a slowdown or break from it? Welllll, if you take a roadtrip, you better throw that out the window... pun intended. There's too much to see and too much to do!




After heading out of Yosemite, we headed South towards the Sequoia National Park to check out some trees. Yep, trees. 300 foot, 2.5 million pound trees with diameters of up to 40 feet! Some of the trees' bark was thicker than 2 feet. What an amaing forest to see. We were able to visit the largets tree (by mass) in the world, The General Sherman Tree before headed over to the road that was tunneled through a fallen Sequoia. Because of construction on the road systems, we didnt really want to stick round longer and left towards our touring reservations at Hearst Castle north of Los Angeles. The castle is one of several homes previously owned by William R. Hearst in the early 1900’s. He was a newspaper media magnate/millionaire playboy. It turned out we weren’t going to make it in time for our reservations that day so we moved them forward one day, and searched for a neary place to stay. then we could just drive toward LA early after Hearst the next morning. Rather than getting a motel or using AirBnB, we researched beach camping in the area and came across Morrow Strand State Beach. It was a good spot for $35. It was also both Carrie's and my first time putting our feet in the Pacific Ocean, which Carrie saw fit to dance around in celebration. We hung out on the beach during sunset partaking in some wine induced conversation about where each of us fit, or don't fit, in life until the famous west coast fog rolled in queuing us to leave.




The next day at Hearst we were amazed to see the intricacy and variety of worldly artifacts throughout the home. We toured the Upper Suites and were shown guest bedrooms, libraries, restrooms, and various other spots. In total, I believe we covered 8-10 rooms of 100+ total in 40 mins. We stuck around to enjoy the outside views of the castle as well as the landscaping around the buildings. One extremely impressive feat was the two pools that are maintained. Using sand filtration, there is both an indoor (Lined partially with Gold) and an outdoor pool. It is something that I recommend other folks seeing. It’s convenient because it is right off of the famous California coastal Route 1. Which brings me to the next spot we hit on our tour. Instead of immediately driving south after Hearst, we shot north for about 5 miles to stop off and see Elephant Seals! There’s a spot on the route that comes right along a beach area where the seals come seasonally. They act just like they are on vacation at the beach, too- Some will be sun bathing/napping on the beach, a few of the younger ones are playing in the water, and then there’s one or two wannabee studs trying to pick up the ladies. We're glad we continue to come across various experiences that we hadn't planned or expected.




We’re finally on our way to LA. Carrie and I kind of brainstormed for what we wanted to do there. After some thought, we realized that there’s really only two things that you hear about doing in LA- going to the beach or sitting in traffic. We opted for checking out the famous beach areas on our way there and decided to stop in Malibu. When we hit Malibu we started to see a “beach access” sign every 10 meters. We kept missing them, and finally turned off on a residential street to turn around and head back towards what we had passed. Instead, while on this street, we found a small opening with about four parking spaces nearby and a sign that said “beach access.” We helped a couple jump start their car and they informed us that this spot was a hidden gem that they drive for over an hour to visit. It seemed our luck was pulling us in the right directions. The entrance was a long flower canopied tunnel that abruptly opened up to the beautiful Pacific Ocean. After taking 6 steps down sandbag fashioned steps, the rocky cove opened up to the sand and finally waves. It was a half mile long unoccupied stretch of peaceful paradise. We spent about two hours there taking photos and waiting for the bright orange sun to approach the horizon until only a sliver remained...reminding us to be grateful for the memories created today, and that we have another chance to make tomorrows even better. It's something that can’t be forgotten. I give Carrie full credit for our stopping there.




Determined not to deal with LA’s traffic, we decided to avoid downtown, but we did go into the outskirts to visit the Griffith Observatory. It’s a great spot that gives you a viewpoint over the entire city, the Hollywood sign, and several telescopes to show you just how small we are. We stuck around long enough to enjoy ourselves and headed toward our KOA (Kampgrounds of America) camping spot further out of the city. Of all of the places we stayed on this trip- this was by far the worst sleeping experience we’ve had. Our campsite was less than 10 feet from an entrance/exit area of the fair, expo center and raceway. On top of that, the campsite we were at had sprinklers. Picture, if you will, a large tent next to a couple trees. In those trees would be a guy relaxing in his hammock, typing up a blog for the next day (since it was impossible to sleep until after 2:00am). Now directly beside the guy would be a gal in a tent with open windows trying to sleep. They both decided to have the windows open and no cover since the weather forecast was a beautiful and clear 75 degrees. Now, imagine the sound of a snake hissing under they guy and him slamming his laptop closed. Followed by a scrambled attempt to escape the impending disaster. At the same time, the gal has no clue why the guy is racing away from the hammock until the tent had become a rainforest. That was me and Carrie...at 1:15 am after a long day of driving and little sleep. Sprinklers...it was a sprinkler system! Somebody told me we shouldn't be angry since rain may have been just as likely... To you, I say, "Compared to what!?" I think the 1:15am timed sprinkler system was much more likely than the 0%!c(MISSING)hance of rain. A warning sign would have been welcome. Maybe it could read, "Free nightly tent cleaning service. 1:15am, be there, or be dry!"




I digress. On to happier times!! Most of you know, Carrie and I met while working for The Walt Disney Company two years ago. In a strange way, that sticks with you. You compare every customer service interaction with Disney's and you look forward to the next time you visit the House of Mouse. Our friend Bradley, from Florida, very kindly got us into Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. We are grateful because our trip budget wouldn't have allowed us to go, otherwise. We spent the day riding some new rides (California Screamin, Cars) and some familiar ones (Soarin' and Haunted Mansion). We also checked out some local beer while we were there. As we finished up our day playing we also searched for lodging in our last California destination, San Diego.




We truly appreciate the great responses we've received thus far from family, friends, and strangers. Keep up with us on here and feel free to comment, ask questions, or share our stories. There are a few pictures up here in the text, but you can scroll down below for more.




Remember to look for our next post!




Cody

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Photos

KOA Los Angeles
The dark areas of the ground are where it is wet...basically the tent's surrounding area...