3rd Times the Charm - Day Family takes on the California Coast, Yosemite, and DL

[KCmike]

We started off flying into LAX and it was another smooth flight for us. We flew Midwest Airlines last year but found great prices from Southwest this year and we love to fly nonstop. I can never get enough of flying over the Grand Canyon each year. I keep telling myself that someday I want to drive there with the kids (I have a 14yr old Girl and 11yr old boy and girl twins) but each time we fly over it doesn't seem that impressive. I know I know you can't tell much from the air, right? Any way we drove up from LAX on the 405 to the 5 till we reached (can't remember which hwy) to cross over to the coast. My goal was to drive North through Big Sur, Carmel by the Sea, Monterey and into San Francisco.

I was amazed by how much farmland there was in the Central Valley and near the coast. We routinely get the "Happy Cows commercial that live in California" here in KC on TV but I was really taken by surprise to see it in person. Here are the first few shots of the central valley and the coast as we saw it for the first time.

Fields of Gold

Cutting across the heartland of California

Happy Cows

I wish I could show you just how beautiful it was driving through the canyons, mountains, and farmland of California. It was a dream. The closer we got to the ocean the more we would see the California Condors and the Seagulls. Breathtaking.

Here is one of our first shots of the Pacific.

Vineyard

Next installment you will see people petting squirrels! Is this common in Cali?

 

[Desert Dwellers]

Your pictures are terrific. I do like the drive on 5 from LA to San Francisco. I like driving past all the farm fields, and something about the squashed tomatoes on the roadside cracks me up.

I look forward to your next installment, particulary Yosemite. BTW, Grand Canyon is pretty impressive from the ground.

 

[KCmike]

Here are some of the shots as we drove up HWY 1:

People were wind surfing, couldn't believe how high they could get.

Happy Seals - look married?

As you go through Big Sur and Carmel on your way up to Monterey the road winds and curves so much. We stopped at Bixby Bridge and a few other places and at one point I got out and sat in the back and I was kind of getting car sick.

My twins

Okay here is the shot of the squirrel petting

Next installment will be San Francisco.

 

[KCmike]

I hope you all don't mind if I share some more shots of the coastal hwy and Pacific Ocean? It was truly a major part of our trip and I was so excited to see it for the first time. We had driven south from LAX a year ago down to San Diego and while it was beautiful it holds no comparison to the North.

It is hard to get the true feeling of how high you are up and how far one could fall to the sea.

The famous Bixby Bridge

We finally made our way into Monterey. We only spent one night here. My feelings go in were to stay at least two or three nights and while we didn't really get to explore very much I am glad we only spent the night. Monterey and its surroundings were beautiful but for this journey one night was sufficient.

We drove out first thing the next morning. We ended up staying in the Holiday Inn Express in Marina which is about 5-7 minutes up the road from Monterey. It was a great hotel. They only had a hot tub but it was perfect. Rooms were big and clean. They served a hot breakfast (biscuits, eggs, bacon, sausage, pastries, cereal and more). We drove over to the Marina Dunes beach which was lovely. We were thinking of just staying North this time (Monterey, Yosemite, and San Fran) and staying at the Sanctuary Beach Resort. So we decided not to drive the Hwy 1 from Monterey to SF so we could make good time. The drive was wonderful again. The outer areas of SF were beautiful. Here is the picture as we approached the Golden Gate Bridge.

Alcatraz from the North side of the Bridge

I believe that was the Oakland Bay Bridge behind it. We ended up driving that on our way out of SF. It was unique in the fact that driving out of SF all lanes on the bottom of the bridge were used and vice versa for driving into SF all lanes on top were used. It took several minutes to cross both bridges. Here are a few more shots of GGB.

Good look at the cables on the bridge

We spotted this area and decided to drive up there to get a higher view area of the bridge and to get a better look out into the ocean. Glad we did.

Sad sign

Views from the top

SF in the background

These were forts/guard towers/barracks/and prison cells used to guard the entry way into our great land.

Next we hit Yosemite.

 

[BillyFan]

Mike--Your photos are all fantastic! It is so neat to hear the perspective form out-of-towners, however I've never heard (or read) the words breathtaking and seagulls in the same sentence before!!!!!

Can't wait for more!

 

[momto2nenas]

Your pictures are amazing! We did San Fran, Yosemite, and Disneyland in June 07 and I will never forget it! I hope to do it again someday and take Hwy. 1 and spend some time on the beach AND cross the Golden Gate Bridge, all stuff we did not do last time.

 

[blabbermouth]

Wow, amazing photos! Thanks for sharing. We'll be in San Diego, Disneyland and San Francisco in a weeks time. We'll be driving between them so it's nice to see a bit of what we'll experience.

 

[KCmike]

I'll finish with a few more of San Francisco.
We ate at In and Out Burger (our first time) and I will give it a "just okay" rating. We have a burger joint called "Five Guys Burgers and Fries" out here in KC (I think there out east and really big in Washington DC) and they are much better. They have the same sort of deal where the fries are made and fresh cut but the burgers were just so so for me. We didn't ride the cable cars which was a disappointment for me. The price looked like it was $25 per person and with five of us it just didn't seem worth it.

We ended up staying in El Portal, CA which is just outside of Yosemite National Park. The drive from the hotel to the gate was less than five minutes and about another 10 minutes to the valley floor. We thought we would like to stay at Tenaya Lodge but I am so glad we didn't because it is quite a distance away.


It's always cool to see the sign of the place you are heading to, right?

Merced River runs along our hotel and all the way up into Yosemite

This shot was taken along side of our hotel - just to the left would be where the hotel is.

Several small pools and 4 person hot tubs around the hotel grounds.

Information Board outside of Hotel lobby

All right, next up will be the first waterfall we witnessed when we just entered into Yosemite. The kids were so excited. We stopped and let them explore as far as they safely could. Stay tuned.

 

[tinkermell]

Great report Mike!!

I'm in!

 

[KCmike]

Inside Yosemite

Tunnel View

My family

The Awahnee Hotel

Mist Trail

Redwoods

Half Dome

Wait till I show you the shots from Mariposa and the giant Sequoias!

More shots to come.

 

[Sherry E]

Great photos! I have lived in California my entire life but I have not been up north in so long, and your photos are making me itch to revisit the whole area. Sometimes I forget how beautiful my own state is! I love the cute squirrel pictures - except for the fact that squirrels are a sore spot because there are some very aggressive squirrels in my nieghborhood, and they are used to being fed by the mailman, and so I can't walk out of my building without very large squirrels running right up to the door, expecting food! Once you feed one squirrel, hundreds of others show up, so I am afraid our mailman is going to get us attacked by squirrels.

Seeing the Crisis Counseling sign on the Golden Gate Bridge reminds me of the documentary called "The Bridge." Have you seen it? If not, rent it! It is compelling and tragic and disturbing all at the same time - but you can't stop watching it!

I have always said that one thing that bugged me about DCA is the fact that their replica of the Golden Gate Bridge just doesn't hold a candle to the real thing once you have seen the real thing - so even though I am used to it at DCA now, in a way, I will be glad to see something else replace it.

You really should visit Catalina Island (I think you said you ordered the Visitors Guide after I gave you the link for it, right?). I think you would really enjoy the scenery and the ocean views, and get some great photos. It is a very picturesque place. Lots of seals and buffalo and flying fish and deer and garibaldi fish and all kinds of things.

 

[BillyFan]

Another great set of photos! We take about 3 or so day trips to Yosemite a year, but you kind of forget to step back and see how beautiful it is until somebody shows you. KWIM? So thanks for that!

 

[Ang1e]

Fantastic photos. You've made me so excited for our trip. I've just shown DS13 the photos of the Yosemite View Lodge and he actually smiled and looked excited too....you are a miracle worker

Looking forward to the rest.

 

[KCmike]

These next few are of Mariposa Grove (about an hour plus away from the valley floor) where the giant Sequoias are. Definitely worth the trip over. Hope you enjoy.

Driving back to Yosemite we couldn't help but see the sunset on the valley floor.

 

[KCmike]

Six short hours to Disneyland. It really went quick. We were meeting my wife's sister in Anaheim. This was there first time to California yet alone Disneyland. They had only been to WDW. We were very nervous as we had "talked up" DL to them for about two years now. I have read many reports where WDW'ers don't get DL. They think its too small. Not enough food choices. Only two parks. How would they like it? Oh the pressure.

Mural as you enter the lobby

Paintings behind the check in area

This picture is on a wall facing the other side of the elevators.

I wish I had more shots of the grounds of DL Hotel. It really is nice. Not quite as lush as say Port Orleans Riverside in WDW but still a nice area to stroll. They should have surrey bikes or carriage rides. Just a thought.

Shop inside the lobby area.

More to come.

 

[tinkermell]

Hey Mike!

My Dh and I just had the pleasure if visiting Yosemite this past Monday. We live in Central California, and decided at the last minute to get away. We hadn't been there for quite a few years, and had totally forgotten how absolutely breathtaking it is. Words just can not describe the beauty and awesme majesty of Yosemite!!!

Anyways, looking forward to the rest of your report. Hope your family relatives enjoyed themselves as much as you wanted them too.

 

[melk]

Your pictures are great! How many days was your trip?

 

[KCmike]

We spent 9 days in California. One in Monterey, one in San Francisco, two in Yosemite, and five in Disneyland. In all honesty we should have just stayed up North on this trip. It is alot of ground to cover in four days up there. We drove from LAX to Monterey the first day. The switchbacks, hills, cliffs, and stops make it for one long trip up the coast. We drove up the 5 and then cutoff on one hwy I can't remember which was just South of Hearst Castle and then drove the remaining up Hwy 1. It is the most amazing stretch of Hwy I have ever driven. I would have never thought I would see cows and farmland to one side of the road and the beautiful Pacific Ocean on the other. The cliffs were amazing. Seeing the fog roll into them and looking over the edge was just breathtaking.

So now I am up to the first day at Disneyland. The reason we stayed for five days was because of the deal they lured us with. First up was meeting my wife's sister in the esplanade. Then it was into the gates of my favorite place on earth.

Here are some random shots on our first day.

My son had to run by me as I was shooting. Didn't have time to crop yet.

So we met up with our family and we walked into the gates. They were staying at the, oh no I forgot the name, it use to be a red roof inn. It was close to the gardenwalk. They said it was newly remodeled but the room had no towels, no clock!, and they said the perimeter felt very unsafe to them. Oh no! Good news though is that they loved how close DCA, D.T. Disney was and felt instantly in love with DL. We walked in around 1:30pm in the afternoon and closed down the park. Good times.

Day 2 at DL and the extended family leaves Red Roof Inn......

 

[Sarah84]

Great report so far and love your photos

 

[KCmike]

So the relatives called Disney and asked how they could have the RRI as a good neighbor and told them of the circumstances. They offered them a deal to move over with us to DL hotel. As they walked into the lobby thy immediately felt a sense of relief.

It took us to get all the way home on our first trip to decide which we liked better...WDW or DL.....and my wife and I quickly decided it was DL. We decided to return the next year with a San Diego and DL combined adventure. That vacation ranked among the greats in Day Family history. The kids still talk about that trip. So we finally pulled the relatives with us on this trip and the start of it was going pretty shaky. But....they entered the gates and walked down mainstreet. We went straight to Fantasyland, my favorite part of the park. We hit Snow White and Pinnochio as Peter Pan was down for refurb. Day 2 was all DCA. Here are some shots from that day.
We also walked over to Whitewater snacks and snapped some shots of Grand Californian.

The front doors to GC

Part of Yesterland now I'm afraid.

My daughter loves this ride.

Surprisingly fun area to wonder through.

Walking back to Disneyland Hotel... you can see where they started to remodel some of the rooms in the dark blue

Gift shop window at DL hotel

DCA is fun no matter what anyone says. Toy Story Mania is fun indeed. Soarin is amazing especially when you visited the Golden Gate Bridge and Yosemite National Park a few days before. Mosters Inc is cute, Screamin is a blast, and my favorite part is the Alladin Show. Perfecto.