roadtrip

Napa Valley to HWY 1

When we began planning this trip we decided not to spend too much time in bigger cities due to them typically not being very trailer friendly. With this in mind we didn’t stop in San Francisco but we made sure to drive over the Golden Gate bridge. Things Richard loves: dams, trains, and bridges. So, if theres a bridge you can bet we are going to go over it. Once we made it over with white knuckles theres a little area big enough for those in an RV to park and walk around on a little trail. Its a pretty amazing structure and Im (Whitney) starting to understand why Richard gets so excited for these things I once paid no attention to.

Once we made it through adorable Sausalito we went straight to Napa Valley, a first for us both. With only 2 nights in Napa Valley, location was our top priority for a campground. We ended up staying at a Skyline Wilderness and it was just what we needed. Not a lot of trees or privacy but a clean place to lay our heads at night. For those who aren’t wine drinkers, there were plenty of trails around the grounds to keep you busy.

After we checked in we settled in early exhausted from the days drive. The following day we headed out to Saint Helena. The first winery we went to was Charles Krug. With a drive up to a magnificent facade the the most perfect weather we found a spot outside and enjoyed a glass of their wine paired with one of their stone oven pizzas. Apparently a Monday is the perfect day to go wine tasting because we felt like we had the valley to ourselves. After lunch we ventured to the Beringer Winery. The place was huge and absolutely breath taking. We decided to indulge in a tasting and with each glass we explored the grounds. From the gardens to the two preserved historic houses I think we enjoyed wandering around more than the wine. Knowing we didn’t want to drink anymore since we were driving we headed back to the camp.

Red with the Golden GateBridge!

Napa Valley

Del Dotto

Lunch at Charles Krug

On our last day we had a tour reservation at Del Dotto. A friend of ours recommended it and said it was just as good, if not better, than some of the wineries he had been to in France. We did the wine cave tour and tasting and not only was it enjoyable but we felt that we got our monies worth. They take you through the caves explaining the wine making process and how they choose the barrel and the affect that has on the wine. After the tour we tasted their meats, cheeses, and pizza. Which we were not expecting and glad we didn’t eat lunch before hand. I think we tasted a total of 9 wines from a rose to their signature cabs to a pinot noir and finishing off with a dessert wine, which was a pleasant note to end our Napa trip on. I know plenty of wine drinkers that would probably be disappointed that we didn’t see or try more in Napa Valley, but we were more interested in heading back to nature than drinking.

From Del Dotto we headed straight for the coast and then onto Highway 1, going north. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen views as magnificent as those on Highway 1. My stomach however was in constant back flips with every zig zag turn we made. The views were beautiful but the idea that you are so close to a cliff and could fall over into that view, isn’t a beautiful thought. Red didn’t let us down though. The expedition and Red kept truckin’ and we made it to our first stop on Highway 1, Van Damme State Park.

Highway 1

amazing views!

Taking Rosie out for a look

The campsite at Van Damme was right across the beach off of Highway one but tucked into the green lush forest. We couldn’t believe how chilly the weather had become and didn’t make a fire that night for fun, but out of necessity to stay warm. With the beach just a hop skip and a jump away and plenty of trails through the forest we could’ve stayed at Van Damme for much longer than we had planned. With just a quick stop over we made our way to the road again, heading north on the coast.

Temperatures are dropping!

I could get used to this!

the beach looks good on Red

The second day of Highway one was filled with beautiful views, lookout points, and little coastal towns. As we traveled up the coast the skies became moodier and moodier and sandy beaches began to turn into giant Rocks. We stopped and did a few trails by the ocean with Rosie in Mendocino and we were surprised at how much we felt like we were on the east coast and not in California. We were looking forward to many destinations on our trip but this drive alone took the cake.

CAMPING:
Skyline Wilderness Park | Napa, CA | $33/night
wildlife spotted: birds, horses, cows

Van Damme Sate Park | Little River, CA | $44/night
Wildlife spotted: mountain lion (not by us, by other campers)

Smoked out of Yosemite

As sad as we were to leave Mammoth Lakes, we were so excited to to move onto Yosemite National Park. Yosemite has been on our list for awhile and we had a whole week set aside to explore it.

From Mammoth Lakes we drove through Stanislaus National Forest towards Yosemite. Stanislaus National Forest felt secluded and gorgeous. It was also some of the most difficult roadway we traveled with its constant switchbacks and steep grading reaching 25%. Halfway through the forest we stopped for a walk along a river and checked out the Columns of the Giants, a geologic formation that like Devils Postpile, was formed by lava and ice. We also past a lot of small campgrounds that we put on our list for the future. Looking back, the drive through Stanislaus National Forest was the highlight of this section of our trip.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Due to a lack of BLM land around Yosemite and not booking our trip early enough we ended up at more traditional RV park than we are used to. While the park was not really our style, it had a great location just outside the park. Once we pulled up we started to notice the air to be smokey, but not bad enough to make us worried. We had heard that 2 days before there had been some fires but the park was still open. Unfortunately, we could not get any wifi or cell phone signal so we couldn’t check the news to see the status.

The next day we woke up to an increase of smoke in our campground so we headed out to Yosemite National Park to do a drive through and asset the situation. Since we didn’t plan on doing any hiking we brought Rosie along for the ride. Upon arriving at the park entrance we could tell that whatever was going on with the fires hadn’t scared anyone away, because there were big crowds ready to go in. As we drove through the smoke was manageable but our views consisted of burnt trees which was not really what we were hoping. Continuing through our luck changed for a moment because we saw a bear right outside our car! We immediately pulled over to get some pictures. Rosie even saw the bear and went nuts! Luckily for the bear we kept her in the car. Once the bear wandered off we continued further into Yosemite and the further we got the smokier things got. Eventually we had to just turn around because we couldn’t see anything through the gray blanket that had overtaken the park.

Smokey Yosemite

Smoke coming in

Bear sighting!

Sadly, on our second day at Yosemite we had to wear bandanas over our noses and mouths and knew it was time to move on. We packed up our home on wheels and headed to the coast to seek refuge. We decided to leave Yosemite unchecked on our list of National Parks to ensure we go back and see it in all its glory.

CAMPING:
Yosemite lakes | Groveland, CA | $60/night
Wildlife spotted: Bears

A Drive though Death Valley

Headed from Sedona, Arizona all the way to Mammoth Lakes, California we decided to add in Death Valley National Park along the way.

I (Whitney) was a little nervous to drive through Death Valley in the summertime. It gets up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit and Ive heard stories about people breaking down on their way through. Regardless, we decided to go ahead and make the journey and Im really glad we did.

Before we got to Death Valley we made a pit stop at the Hoover Dam. Both of Richards grandfathers worked for the highway department and both built bridges, giving him a respect and admiration for the Hoover Dam. I cant say that Rosie or I got it, but Richard was it heaven. Not knowing much about dams, it is still clear to see this is something pretty magnificent and was grander than I expected. We parked and walked around for an hour and a half then continued our journey.

With a quick drive through Las Vegas (neither one of us wanted to stop) we approached Death Valley. Entering the park was a little erie. With a storm cloud forming above us and entering the valley through what looked like a ghost town, we were both a little uncertain about what was to come. As we started our journey through the park the landscape began to change into what I imagine Mars looks like and the outside temperatures began to rise. We pulled up to a lookout and with brave faces got out of the car into the 108 degree Fahrenheit weather. Surprisingly, it was not the heat that shocked us the most, it was how dry we both felt. Like the air had sucked out all the moisture from our bodies. We did not however, let Rosie out of the car at all while in Death Valley, unsure of how she would react. Once back into the car we made our way zigging and zagging, up and down, and all through Death Valley and its constantly changing landscape. We allowed 2 hours for Death Valley and it took us more around 3 hours to make it through. We could of easily spent 4 hours though. Luckily, we did get a little rain allowing us to be able to enjoy the park for longer without getting too hot.

Death Valley

Ever changing landscape

driving through Death Valley

Red made it through Death Valley!

Death Valley sand storm

Once out of Death Valley the weather took a turn for the worst and we spent the remainder of the drive just trying to get to our destination. We couldn’t help but be entertained watching the outside temperature drop from 108 to 60 degrees by heading north just a few hours.