California Dreaming

Dear friends,

This is dedicated to you Jess, thank you for your recommendations and for showing us such a great time back in March. It’s because of you I fell head over heels in love and have found myself ever since California dreaming.

Many of you laughed when I announced I wanted to go on a road trip, the minor detail being I never learnt to drive, but luckily Simon was on board! So it was decided, he would do all the driving (nearly 2,000 miles in the end) and I would sort out the playlist.

After what seemed like the longest flight ever we finally arrived in Los Angeles, picked up the hire car and hit rush hour! Our first day began sitting in a 24-hour diner devouring a stack of pancakes at 4 am whilst the rest of the city stumbled home – our jet lag taking its toll. Making the most of it we used the early hours of the morning to explore the Walk of Fame, managing to miss the crowds of tourists.

Having no real interest in tours around celebrity neighbourhoods or visiting Universal Studios, we decided to explore ourselves. From Hollywood we headed into Runyon Canyon, a 160-acre park with lots of different hiking trails. It’s popular amongst locals and celebrities alike for running or walking their dogs. We climbed up to the highest point in the park for impressive views out over the city.

LA is so vast it was difficult to know where to start and I was missing the stuffy overcrowded tube already, with limited public transport our hire car was essential to ensure the most out of our time.

We couldn’t visit LA without seeing the Hollywood sign so we made our way up to Griffith Observatory to do just that. It also delivered breath-taking panoramic views across the seemingly endless skyline of the city.

With insider knowledge from Jess of the best bars and clubs in the city, she was keen to take us on our first LA night out with some of her friends. We headed to Santa Monica to Bungalow, quite literally a bungalow on the grounds of the Santa Monica Fairmont Miramar hotel resort. Bungalow is a beach-bar style lounge right by the ocean, an evening here is like attending an exclusive house party. It’s the perfect spot to spend one of LA’s endless summer nights, hang out on the sofas, play ping-pong or pool, or cuddle up by the fire pit on the terrace under twinkling fairy lights. Watch out for the drinks, I didn’t know gin and tonic could get that strong! At the end of the night we enjoyed pizza by the slice before stumbling back to our less glamorous motel.

It would be impossible to see all LA has to offer, but you have to visit Little Venice. Take some time to wander the canal paths and quirky streets, filled with trendy coffee shops, murals and street art. Head to Venice beach and enter a different world – inhale the now legalised cannabis fumes which fill the air, explore market stalls selling arts and crafts, watch the effortless skateboarders in the skate park, the basketball players or the bodybuilders on muscle beach. You could spend hours people watching here – and when the sun starts setting find some live music; we stumbled across some amazing Cuban jazz. Hire some bikes and travel in style, there is a cycle path that you can follow – from Santa Monica all the way along the coastline to Torrance County Beach for 22 miles. We started from Venice beach and travelled south down the coast, exploring the quieter stretches of golden sandy beaches. We stopped at cafes and restaurants along the way and true to the LA stereotype we actually ended up sitting next to a group therapy session whilst we tried to enjoy our lunch!

Having recovered from the lethal drinks, it was time to say goodbye to Jess and continue our trip towards the Grand Canyon via Joshua Tree National Park. I don’t think words could possibly describe the beauty of the diverse landscapes within this national park. It is divided into two distinct deserts with contrasting ecosystems. The Mojave Desert, which sits above 3,000ft is highly vegetated with forests of giant branching yuccas known as Joshua trees. Whereas the Sonoran Desert sits at a much lower elevation meaning it is both hotter and drier, it contains massive rock formations and seems sparse in comparison to the Mojave Desert.

After a long day of driving and exploring Joshua Tree we arrived at the Nevada border, where we experienced our first casino and embraced the 1$ margaritas! From Laughlin we crossed the border into Arizona reaching Tusayan, a small town just outside the South entrance of the Grand Canyon National Park. Accommodation here provided a much cheaper alternative with easy access to the park. The following morning we decided to have an early start to watch the sunrise over the canyon, before setting off hiking down into it.

Feeling optimistic we headed down into the canyon on the Bright Angel Trail, with just 6 miles to the Colorado River we were sceptical that it couldn’t be reached in one day. With the tops of the paths covered in ice we didn’t expect the sweltering heat that lay ahead beyond the shelter of the canyon walls. There was limited water available at the rest houses along the way, with water supplies being turned off throughout the winter months to prevent frozen pipes and subsequent damage. We quickly started to run out of water. Having underestimated how difficult it would be, we had to make the decision to continue on to reach the next water point, worried we wouldn’t make it back up without any. Hot and bothered we reached the Indian Garden, an oasis with lush green trees, which provided some much needed shade from the unrelenting sun. Realising the enormous scale of the canyon we admitted our defeat and sensibly decided to abandon all plans of reaching the Colorado River. We headed back up, climbing the 3,800ft we had just descended. After a gruelling few hours we both reached the top, Simon having ignored my pleas to be left in the canyon! Don’t miss the incredible scenery but learn from our mistakes, take enough water and if you’re desperate to see the river, take some supplies and camp there before tackling the return trip.

After a few days at the Grand Canyon, we travelled on, past Las Vegas (deciding to save this for another time) to Death Valley. To break up the days driving we stopped at Red Rock Canyon to see the towering red sandstone peaks. With the weather quickly deteriorating we stuck to the 13-mile scenic drive to visit all of the top spots. Like all of the national parks it has some amazing hikes and trails and having now recovered from our last traumatic hike, if the weather had been better we would have stayed to explore these further! We stayed in Pahrump, a town in the middle of the desert just outside of Death Valley National Park in another casino hotel. Here in what had become a daily occurrence Simon ate the best steak he had EVER eaten!

The following morning we made our way into Death Valley, given its morbid name by a group of emigrants in 1849 that strayed into the 128-mile long basin on their way to California’s gold fields. After two months of suffering “hunger, thirst and an awful silence”, when they eventually left one of them looked down from the mountains and said “Goodbye Death Valley”. It is the lowest point in North America, with the Badwater Basin sitting 282ft below sea level. Death Valley is also famous for being the hottest place on Earth – it truly is a land of extremes. There are lots of contrasting landscapes to explore, from the towering mountains, to salt flats, sand dunes, the luscious oasis or the coloured eroded hills. With nearly 100 miles of roads make sure you give yourself enough time to explore some of the top sites such as: Artists drive, Zabriskie Point, Dante’s View and the Father Crowley Vista Point.

As we headed up and over the mountains we too said goodbye to Death Valley and headed onwards to Yosemite National Park. Completing this trip at the end of March meant we were prepared for the high possibility of not making it into Yosemite to see the Half Dome or El Capitan. Almost all of the roads into the park are closed due to snowfall throughout the winter months, with roads not opening until as late as June in previous bad winters. We stayed in a small town called Lee Vining on the edge of the park and kept our fingers crossed that would be able to make it in. Advised against trying to make it into the park by locals who confirmed our fears, we decided to explore our immediate surroundings instead.

We stumbled across Mono Lake – it was like something out of a sci-fi movie with dramatic tufa towers emerging from the surface of the water. These limestone towers are formed by underwater springs rich in calcium mixing with the alkaline waters of the lake, and have built up over time. From 1941-1990 the city of Los Angeles began diverting water that fed the lake and as a result caused the water level to drop, exposing more and more of these tufa towers.

Slightly disappointed about missing out on any potential bear sightings in Yosemite and the amazing hikes, we vowed we would come back sometime soon. We continued on towards Lake Tahoe, where it became clear the snow was not a myth. Lake Tahoe is one of the highest lakes in the USA at 6,245ft; surrounded by the majestic peaks of Sierra Nevada Mountains. Arriving in a snowstorm we could barely see a few metres in front of us, let alone the shimmering emerald waters of the lake. South Lake Tahoe is known for it’s nearby ski resorts, bars and restaurants, which merge with the casinos on the border of Nevada. Once again we decided to skip the hikes, and with the weather worsening we threw ourselves into Après Ski (without the ski).

Drawing back the curtains the next morning revealed the snow had continued overnight and the roads were unsurprisingly very icy, after a near miss with snow chains we pressed on back towards the golden coast. With every mile the snow started to disappear and the California sun we were longing for returned.

We reached the coast and based ourselves on the Monterey peninsula. We stayed in Carmel-by-the-sea, which as its name suggests is a seaside town with a quaint village-like centre filled with stylish boutiques, art galleries, cottages and restaurants. It provided easy access to Big Sur, the rugged mountainous section of coastline along Highway 1, where the winding rounds offer incredible views and make the driving worthwhile.

Monterey was one of my favourite places from our trip, with the some of the charms of San Francisco but on a much smaller scale. The bay is dotted with floating otters, harbour seals and sea lions. To explore these amazing animals up close head out sea kayaking with the experts from Adventures by the Sea, they run daily expeditions. Kayaking around the harbour we had a prime view of the pier, every inch of it covered in sea lions fighting for a spot. We were told tales of the havoc they caused, with boats being sunk by a few heavy sea lions who managed to climb aboard! We also hired bikes in Monterey to explore the 17-mile drive, which offered stunning vistas over bays and beaches; highlights include the Lone Cypress, Spanish Bay and Pebble beach. Easily distracted in London by dogs when I’m cycling, here it was the baby otters!

San Francisco was our final destination. It’s known for the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, Alcatraz and all year round fog – we wanted to see it all!

We briefly explored the touristy Fisherman’s Wharf, to see the picture perfect views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. Having already enjoyed the smaller less chaotic Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, I was able to resist the souvenir shops, numerous crab vendors and stalls selling clam chowder in bread bowls. We climbed the rolling hills, taking in the sights – from the renowned ‘Painted Ladies’ the colourful Victorian houses to Lombard Street the most crooked street in the world with its eight steep hairpin turns.

The Golden Gate Bridge is the famous suspension bridge linking the San Francisco peninsula to Marin County. Engineered by Joseph Strauss, it took 10 years of planning due to opposition and concerns that the bridge would affect the shipping industry and ruin the bay’s natural beauty. Construction finally started in 1933 and after a four-year struggle braving the strong winds, fog, rocks and treacherous tides it opened to the public in 1937. The bridge is 1.7 miles long spanning across ‘the Golden Gate’ strait, which connects the San Francisco Bay with the Pacific Ocean. You’ll catch glimpses of this landmark as you travel throughout the city, but it’s even more impressive up close. By bike or on foot head across this modern engineering marvel to get a closer look at the single-suspension span anchored by twin towers 746ft high. Two cables more than 7,000ft in length support the six lane roadway, and each cable contains more than 80,000 miles of wire stretching over the towers to the shore.

Pre-warned that tickets for Alcatraz were hard to come by, we booked well in advance and opted for the night tour. The night tour delivered sunset views of the city, smaller crowds and spooky tales about the prison and notorious inmates such as Al Capone & Robert Stroud the ‘Birdman of Alcatraz’. Appropriately named ‘The Rock’ most San Franciscans admire it from afar but the tour is well worth the money and begins with a ferry ride across to the island. Walk the eerie rows of the now empty cells in the Main Cellhouse, and peer into Frank Morris’ cell in B-Block to see the recreation of the dummy’s head, which acted as a decoy in his successful escape from Alcatraz in 1962.

Having mastered San Francisco’s hills and ridden the vintage cable cars, all that was left was to do was to wander around Chinatown, and enjoy some delicious food. To celebrate our last evening in California we climbed into the red vinyl booths of Li Po. Decorated with red Chinese lanterns and a golden Buddha behind the bar. It was one of the first dive bars in Chinatown and is known for it’s sneaky strong signature Mai Tai made with rice liquor. Here in Li Po, Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg used to debate the meaning of life. Here we reflected on our journey across 3 state lines, along beautiful straight and winding roads, from cities to deserts and up into the mountains.

Our adventure had come to an end, but there was so much more left to explore! Next time we hope to surf in San Diego, see the Redwoods, visit the vineyards of Napa Valley and return to actually see Yosemite.