Those who know me well know that I am not a great car-rider. After about two hours I get fidgety and and uncomfortable, so a “road trip” is not an appealing idea to me. Christian and I knew we wanted to visit my brother and his family this year while they were living in San Francisco and I initially thought we would fly in and split our time between San Fran and Napa.
Christian had other ideas.
He wanted to take his Wrangler on a road trip up the Coast. I had heard how beautiful the drive was and my parents had actually just made the drive last summer, so I agreed to go along with Christian’s plan.
The drive far exceeded my expectations. We spent a day in Los Olivos and Solvang (shared here), drove through Big Sur and stopped to see the Julia Pfeiffer Burns waterfall and Hearst Castle and stayed in Monterey. We then spent several days in San Francisco before hitting Carmel on our way home for an evening. Below you’ll find some photos from our drive. To pull over on the side of the road to this beauty…wow. Christian and I pulled over on PCH on the way to San Francisco and climbed on a rock to whale watch – unbelievable! I fall more in love with this beautiful state everyday.
So bummed the famous Neptune Pool (featured here in Lady Gaga’s G.U.Y music video) was temporarily drained for repair. Of course it was still gorgeous – can you imagine attending a pool party here?
I’m already brainstorming for our next vacation…Hawaii! Neither of us have ever been and I can’t think of a better reason to visit.
Thank you so much for reading and for sharing all your tips and recommendations via instagram along the way!! XO –
I loved living in California so much! I miss it every day (sorry NYC!) Hawaii is a must since you are so much closer from SoCal! It’s like flying to the East Coast and flights aren’t super pricey! Def go to Maui!!
Ok I lived in NYC for a summer and miss it ALL the time! I would kill to go to Maui!!
Gorgeous pictures, Kathleen! Looks like an absolutely wonderful trip…I think I need to convince my man to do it 🙂
Shannon
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It’s such a fun trip to do as a couple – seriously, you would love it! XOXO
I’m the same way with road trips – but when the views are that beautiful sometimes a little time being uncomfortable is worth it!!
Road trips are not my thing but beautiful views make you less stir crazy for sure!
I’m doing the same drive this Friday with my roommate! Super excited 🙂
We did this drive earlier this year and I loved it! We didn’t take a tour of Hearst Castle (although I did when I was younger) but I’d love to go back for another tour with Andrew. That place is so beautiful and I love learning about the history! It seems like you had such a wonderful vacation/road trip!
I know this is an older post but I am a long time-reader and am currently planning a trip down the coast when I remembered you had posted about this before! Just wondering if you remember how long your tour of Hearst Castle took? I’m trying to see how much I can cram into a day and if starting the day in Big Sur, doing Pfeiffer Beach, and the Hearst Castle is reasonable. Thanks!
Hi Kelli Anne! I’m so honored that you thought to come to CBL for tips for your road trip! I asked my husband to see if he could remember and he said a few hours. You buy your tickets, take a bus to the top of the mountain, tour the house, etc. But I would call the Hearst Castle and they can give you the exact time!