Day 7: San Francisco and Muir Woods National Monument

Jessie: Our last day before flying back home began blissfully at 9 o'clock in the morning. We planned to spend our time walking around the city before driving to Muir Woods National Monument for a quick hike. After a quick breakfast we walked to Union Square and started our shopping visiting many stores in the area including Uniqlo, an up-and-coming clothing store wanting to be #1 in the world. Getting good reviews on a 60 Minutes story we were initially quite excited only to have it end in disappointment. We left Uniqlo and instead went to Old Navy. Our next stop was China Town. This was perhaps the best part of the day for everyone. The ornate architecture of the buildings was amazing. Nearing lunchtime we found an out of the way Chinese restaurant that was very popular with the locals and sampled the delicious cuisine. This ended the day of shopping for Dad and I. Alli stayed in the city shopping while Dad and I took a long, traffic-jammed, drive to Muir Woods.

The Golden Gate Bridge and headlands were mostly fogged in, making for a pretty eerie crossing. Muir Woods was beautiful and quite similar to Henry Cowell Redwoods. We walked the level loop path for about a mile. The highlight of the evening was when we took pictures of our shadows climbing trees. Deciding we should get back to the city and meet up with Alli we left the woods and, with another traffic-jammed car ride over the Golden Gate Bridge, made it back to the hotel. Knowing all the great restaurants and getting good reviews we ended the day with a nice dinner from Jack in the Box like true city folk

Day 6: Yosemite National Park

Alli: Though our vacation days were winding down, we still had one more National park to visit: Yosemite. Having already visited this park on 3 separate occasions, we were no strangers to the area. However, that did not make sights such as Bridalveil Falls or El Captain any less breathtaking. We only had one hike planned: a 5 mile loop trail in the Glacier Point area to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. The trail to Sentinel Dome was quick, but rather strenuous - Jessie and I both agreed that it's classification as "moderate" was an understatement. Regardless of its difficulty, the view at the top was well worth it. The surrounding mountains, cliffs, and distant waterfall were absolutely incredible - there are simply no words to describe the landscape; you have to be there to get the true experience. The Pahona Trail over to Taft Point trail was the exact opposite of Sentinel Dome. Easy, but seemingly endless, we wondered more than once if we had made a wrong turn and ventured onto an adjacent path. Fortunately, just as we considered turning around we came across the sign that told us we we're nearing our destination.

After walking another half a mile or so we came upon Taft Point. I think it goes without saying that this was hands down one of the coolest, if not slightly nerve-racking, views we've ever come across. Able to walk right up to the edge, we could peer over the side of the cliff and behold the 1200 foot drops. Not a fan of heights, I stayed near the edge long enough for Dad to snap a few pictures, before moving away and allowing my heart rate to return to a normal speed. Being the brave, adventurous man that he is, Dad decided to hike a little further to a neighboring ledge and stand on a balcony-like portion of the cliff for what I assume will be some new profile pics.

After taking plenty of pictures, we grabbed our bags and began the last part of our hike back to the car. We then concluded the day with a long and beautiful drive to San Francisco, making a quick stop along the way to buy some fresh fruit.

Day 5: Mono Lake

Alli: With day 4 consisting mostly of driving, day 5 would inevitably contain hiking. As fate would have it though, we only ended up doing two of the four hikes we had originally planned. Because of a spontaneously cracked windshield, and our car's inability to navigate sandy roads, we unfortunately found ourselves having to leave the early. However, the two hikes we did were certainly worth the trip. 

Our first hike was more an extended overlook. Following a short path out to the south shore of Mono Lake, we got to see the Tufas left behind from an extinct volcano that had once dominated the area. The structures looked really cool - like giant, pale termite towers. Maybe they secretly were, given how many bugs were flying around them…

The main attraction of this hike was definitely the Nautilus - a Tufa that was supposed to resemble the infamous ship of Captain Nemo. I didn't really see it, but hey, it was all still pretty neat.

Jessie: The second hike was called Black Point Fissures. This was a hike up a sand/ash hill (it looked and felt like a mountain) that had no official trail; we had to pick our own path, weaving in and out of thorny bushes. After making it about a third of the way up the hill my dad gave my sister and I a choice. Considering we didn't have any sunblock he gave us the option to go back to the car. Alli chose to take that deal but I was willing to finish the hike. I didn't know what I got myself into.

This hike was perhaps one of the most difficult hikes I've ever been on. The ash was particularly challenging, and it took so long to get to the top. More than once I told Dad that I was going back to the car and more than once he said, "Just to that rock, it'll take five minutes." He said this like 10 times. I'm pretty sure that I looked like a zombie walking up the hill. My arms quite literally were hanging limp, I was hunched over, and I didn't look happy. I must've been completely out of my mind as well because I remember wearing Dad's hat for protection from the sun! For those of you who don't know, his hat is weirdest looking hat I've ever seen, my sister and I have grown to dislike this hat very much. 

Eventually though we made it to the top and it was like Christmas. The fissures were shady, cool, and awesome. They were up to 75 feet deep and 2 feet wide at some points. We spent about half and hour in there scrambling up, down, and around rocks and boulders. Eventually we figured we should head back. We took a different path back to the car hiking along the top of the fissures. More than once we decided to jump the three foot gaps in the rock. We hiked down and met up with Alli, who was sleeping in the car. For the reasons listed above we had to cut our day short but at least the first half of the day was good, and filled with beautiful views.

Day 4: Red Rocks State Park

Mark: Today was mainly a travel day, about 400 miles to our hotel in Bishop, CA. We did make a couple quick stops along the way. First was Carrizo Plain National Monument. This consisted of an overlook and a short walk to the boardwalk along the lake. The lake is basically a salt flat this time of year. We walked a bit into the lakebed and then back to the car as it was a very hot day.

Our next stop was about 200 miles away. The scenery along the way was quite beautiful. I don't think any of us would want to live in this part of California but it was nice to visit.

After a long drive we reached our second stop where we all needed a break to stretch our legs. Red Rocks State Park was quite hot. Again we didn't stay long as the park was open but had no staff due to state budget constraints. We also didn't know that most of the park was accessible only with a four-wheel-drive vehicle. We had a Ford Focus. We did one short hike at the Red Cliffs and attempted another but decided not to be that family that stupidly got stuck on a back country dirt road in the middle of a desert.

Day 3: Pacific Coast highway

Mark: While day three was mainly a driving day down the Pacific Coast Highway from Monterey to San Luis Obispo. No hiking of any significance but plenty of stops along the way. First stop on the list was the Bixby Bridge. You may not know what this is but you have all seen this bridge. If you have ever watched a car commercial with a car crossing an arch bridge spanning a coastal gorge you've seen the Bixby Bridge. We stopped just long enough to get some photos of the bridge and a video of me driving across. I may put together my own commercial featuring the stylish Ford Focus we rented.

Along with many stops at various overlooks we stopped at Mill Creek to scramble on the rocky shore and look for sea life in the tide pools. We spotted several crabs and anemone. We skipped Sand Dollar Beach and drove directly to the Elephant Seal beach. Here we observed hundreds of seals lounging on the beach, fighting, and doing what can only be described as "the worm" as they moved their blubbery bodies all over the beach.

Our next stop was the overlook of McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer State Park. This is one of two tidal falls where the waterfall spills directly onto the beach. The other being Alamere Falls in Point Reyes National Monument. We also got to see an older man doing his best Captain Morgan pose while looking at the falls. His pose entertained the girls so greatly they had to do a few of these poses themselves.

Finishing up our drive of the PCH we ended the drive at Morro Bay and Montana de Oro State Parks. At Morro Bay we walked along the beach under Morro Rock, a volcanic plug, collecting sand dollars and shells. At Montana de Oro SP we did a short hike to Hazzard Point which was popular with surfers as it had substantial waves breaking on the point. After that we went to Spooner Cove where Jessie and I collected more shells and enjoyed a nice walk along the beach.

On the way back to the hotel I took one last detour to Perfumo Canyon Road. This was something I saw on the show Motion that I like to watch. It was a 30 minute drive that got you high above the coast with some stunning views of the hills and fields below. This was also the first time all day where we got above the marine layer which hugged the coast all day. All in all a good days travel with many memorable stops.

Day 2: Pinnacles National Park

Jessie: Day 2 of our vacation started at 7 o'clock with a hearty breakfast. Though, being the only park we would visit that day, Pinnacles NP was not an easy walk in the park. It wasn't even a hard walk in the park, it was in its own category all together. Alli and I dreaded the hour long car ride into the park, knowing beforehand that we were to hike 6 miles, one four-mile hike and one two-mile hike. 

The mileage however did not deter Dad, who claimed that 6 miles would be easy and kept exclaiming how the host of the Motion show hiked the same trails we were about to and how well-marked they were. But at a stop at the visitor center we all realized how challenging the hike was going to be as the Ranger told us that the elevation gain in the first 1.6 miles was 1200 feet. Perfect.

We arrived at the trailhead and after getting ourselves packed and ready we prepared to start the more strenuous 4-mile High Peaks hike. The only problem: we didn't know which trail was which. We searched the trail map only to realize that it was below par and didn't tell us anything. After asking someone which trail was the High Peaks trail we began our hike up the mountain. Here we go.

Just kidding. Turns out we were on the wrong trail, which we figured out after hiking a tenth of a mile. Muttering angrily about how the guy from Motion said the trails were excellently marked and sarcastically agreed with that statement we started our actual hike. I preferred the first trail. The high peaks trail was, well challenging to say the least. The views up the trail were beautiful throughout the hike, the distant mountains providing the perfect backdrop for the reddish rock formations soaring out from the green brush. The hike up was the trickiest part and everyone was happy to put it behind us. The loop around the top of the mountain was the best part for me. In my opinion, it was like walking on the set of The Lord of the Rings. We hiked up steps that looked like the exact ones Frodo and Sam climbed. The opening of a tunnel we went through looked like the opening to the cave Aragorn went through. It felt like we were hiking the trail to Mordor. 

What took us an hour and a half to 2 hours to hike up the mountain took us about 30-45 minutes to climb down. I think it was partly because we were going downhill, and partly because everyone was excited to sit in the AC of our car (nicknamed Macklemore). After about ten minutes of AC we started our second hike, and Alli and I were less than thrilled to say the least. That last hike almost killed us. 

This hike was only two miles however and took us through dark caverns and narrow spaces between boulders that reminded us of the movie 127 Hours. After a long, hot hike up a mountain, the cooler, less challenging hike through the caverns felt nice. Throughout this hike we again realized that the signs were unclear, and at times, completely missing. 

Nevertheless we made it through our first hiking day of our vacation, and ended it with a Frosty from Wendy's.

Day 1: Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Point Lobos State Reserve

Alli: Having spent the better part of Friday flying to San Francisco and driving to our hotel, we officially started our vacation early Saturday morning by visiting Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. The park resembled a smaller Sequoia - an enchanted forrest whose trees and plants had grown to ten times their normal size. The canopies of these giants could challenge the height of city buildings, and the clovers that covered the ground were the size of my hand. We were greeted at the trailhead by Edgar, the parks exuberant docent. After chatting with him for a little bit, we began our venture out into the woods. Along the way we took lots of pictures, enjoying the tranquil, secluded spirit of the woods. The highlight of the trail was definitely Fremont Tree - a hollowed out Redwood that, according to Edgar, could hold "30 adults…or 36 Koreans." Before all three of us ducked into the opening, I was first instructed by Jessie, aka Lt. Dan,  to "Check out that hole!" I think it's worth mentioning that the Gump impersonations lasted a good while after that.

The hike was rather short, and before we knew it we found ourselves heading over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, taking Edgar's parting advice and trying to make it in time to see the 11 o'clock Deep Sea feeding. Thanks to Dad's determined driving we made it with just enough time to find ourselves some good, front row seats. I think I speak for all of us when I say that this feeding was one of the coolest things we've ever seen on vacation. The tuna were enormous - it was almost unnatural how big they were. The sharks patrolling the perimeter of the tank swam with an eerie, unchallenged manner. The school of sardines were like a shimmering, ever-changing cloud of blue and silver. The tank seemed so peaceful, so ordered until the food was dropped in. As soon as the food hit the surface mayhem broke out: the tuna shot through the water like torpedoes, the sharks thrashed their way to the center, the group of mackerels began to split up in all the excitement. The whole thing was absolutely amazing, and in itself worth the price of admittance. After experiencing the Deep Sea feeding, we were prompted to see the Kelp Forest feeding. Though the giant seaweed columns and color array of fish were neat to see, it was clear that the Deep Sea feeding would be a hard act to follow. Still, we had a great time meandering around the aquarium, seeing creatures big and small: exotic seahorses, playful otters, robust crustaceans. 

After leaving the aquarium, we decided to kill some time by meandering through some local shops and going back to the hotel room for a power nap. After a few hours of relaxing we ended the day with a visit to Point Lobos State Reserve. Unfortunately by the time we got there, we only had an hour to explore before closing. Deciding to make the most of our time there, we drove down to the Cypress Grove Trail and hiked atop the rocky shoreline. As we made our way around the peninsula, we saw beautiful mossy trees, waves crashing against the rocky coast, and even a couple bathing sea lions. In addition to the fading sunlight, the cool ocean breezes and the distant calls of seagulls, it made for a perfect end of the day adventure.

While these events primarily constituted our whole day, I think it's worth mentioning that after Point Lobos we had dinner at a Round Table Pizza. When asked what kind of pizza she wanted, Jessie said she wanted a "man-meat pizza." Not realizing what she said, I decided I better order for the both of us, and told Dad chicken and sausage would do just fine. Over the next couple days Jessie would try defending herself saying that her innocent mind was something that Dad should be proud of. However, I think this proves that ignorance is not always bliss, a notion Jessie has come to learn the hard way, as the teasing has still not stopped.