West Coast Road Trip, PT 3

To get caught up: West Coast Road Trip, PT 1 + West Coast Road Trip, PT 2

San Diego was our next stop in California. I fell in love with that city during two super fun trips I took to visit my good friend Stefanie during college. San Diego has it all: great food, great beaches and a laid back vibe. 

Time to keep moving! We hit the road for Arizona and couldn't resist pulling off for photos as the sun began to set. I have a deep affection for the desert. 

Next up: the Grand Canyon!! My geologist heart was exploding during our day at the canyon. Absolutely incredible.

White Sands National Monument in Alamogordo, NM. I've been here once before during geology field camp, so I had a blast showing Jared around the area. This was our last stop before continuing on to Del Rio! 

See also: West Coast Road Trip, PT 1 + West Coast Road Trip, PT 2

West Coast Road Trip, PT 2

It was a quick stay in SF before we started heading south once again. We realized that we weren't going to be able to make it all the way to Monterey Bay, so we started looking for a hotel south of SF. We stumbled upon the Costano Lodge in Pescadero, CA and decided that it would be a good place to take a break from driving in the dense advection fog. It was nearly midnight when we arrived, so we went straight to our room. We noticed that there wasn't a TV or even WIFI available, which we thought was pretty cool! It feels nice to unplug - even when it is due to an unexpected situation. The next morning, we stepped onto our patio and were stunned. Apparently Costanoa Lodge is a gorgeous wellness retreat with a lodge that makes incredible, healthy foods. It was a remarkably lucky accidental discovery.

After breakfast, we headed to the Monterey Bay Aquarium! Jared had been wanting to visit this aquarium for years, so exploring it together was a dream! It is undoubtedly my favorite aquarium. I love the design of the building and the kelp forest exhibit is incredible! The views from the back pier are stunning. Pretty much everything about it is wonderful and I highly suggest you go check it out next time you are on the west coast!

That evening, we drove farther south until we entered Big Sur. One of my favorite bloggers had mentioned Big Sur Bakery and I'd wanted to eat there ever since. We had a delicious dinner that night and found lodging nearby in Caramel. The next morning, we went back for ginger scones and coffee. After exploring the area, we had lunch at a restaurant with incredible views: Nepenthe.

Our final stop in Big Sur was Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. It doesn't get much better than that.

After a night at the nearest Air Force base, we headed to LA. This was Jared's first time to the city. When the desk clerk at The Standard found out, he said "Welcome to LA" and gave us a $300 room upgrade. 

We left the hotel early, grabbed coffee at Handsome Coffee Roasters and headed to our motel near DISNEYLAND!!! We were up early the next morning and enjoyed a full day at the happiest place on earth. I visited Disneyland with my family every two to three years during my childhood, so I have tons of fond memories there.

Stay tuned for Part 3!

See also: West Coast Road Trip Part 1

West Coast Road Trip, PT 1

Jared and I started our married life together up in Seattle during the summer of 2012. After a glorious ten months in the Pacific Northwest, it was time to move to the Texas desert for J's pilot training in Del Rio. Naturally, we decided to take two weeks of leave to make the move into a west coast road trip. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

Now, we are living in Florida two years later and I still look at these photos time to time and think about the awesome variety of experiences in America. I don't know if we will ever get stationed out of the country, but I do know that there are plenty of adventures to be had here at home.

A couple of days before we hit the road, we met up with some of our friends at the Bastille back bar. It was really hard for me to leave knowing that we would be living so far away from many of our favorite people. We had a brilliant, talented, caring community of friends surrounding us during our first year of marriage and I knew there would be a void in my life for quite some time as I prepared to move to a city where I knew no one. (Spoiler alert: I ended up meeting many incredibly awesome people in Del Rio, but the Seattle crew still holds a huge part of my heart.)

We made one last trip to Gasworks Park to take night shots of the city skyline.

A few days before heading out, we decided to head to a place that we had not yet explored, Lake Chelan. We stayed at The Lakeview Hotel and it was delightful. Anytime there is a fireplace in my hotel room, I am automatically loving it.

Once we left Seattle, we drove until we hit the upper corner of California (with a quick stop for dinner in Portland). We arrived in Crescent City late that night and got up early to explore the beaches.

As we made our way down HWY 101, we found ourselves in the redwood forests. Very few things will make you feel as small as a towering forest of redwoods.

After a long day of driving, taking breaks to hike, attempting to drive through a redwood tree (the truck was just too big), and jamming out to Macklemore, we made it to San Francisco! We were lucky enough to stay with our dear friend Kate Gilbert in her beautiful home. We also got to see Bob & Natalie Clark! It was Jared's first time in SF, so it was fun to show him around. We spent the whole day walking and admiring the sights.

Stay posted for PT 2!