A road trip in California.

Part 1

After many cancellations due to Covid, we finally made this long-awaited trip in 2022 (with the addition of one extra bairn). After unexpected flight cancellations from Newcastle to Heathrow in the days running up to departing, and our ridiculous amount of luggage, we decided to drive down and camp near the airport. We were more relaxed arriving the night before, and it was another mini adventure for the kids. We flew to San Francisco and planned a night in a hotel to recover from the long flight. However our time in San Francisco was short, so we went straight down to Fisherman’s Wharf to find the famous clam chowder served in a sourdough bowl. After much needed grub in the oyster Bar, Bistro Boudin which overlooks the harbour, and a spy in Boudin bakery, we headed back to hotel Zephyr.

For brekky we had spied an Ihop along the road from the hotel. It is a family tradition to have pancakes on the first morning of an American trip (this is usually in a Dennys and includes a huge chocolate milkshake with ice cream), so we had our fill. We headed straight down to Pier 39. The buzz was amazing and the kids were well entertained by Kenny the clown. We managed to pull the kids into a few different shops with the promise of a souvenir, then walked to the end of the pier where we had spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. The kids even got a hello from the world famous sea lions.

We hired two one-way, standard RVs from Cruise America. We planned on sharing the driving but once we hit the road I changed my mind. The RV felt very wide and wasn’t the easiest to steer. We headed to Yosemite, the main reason for our trip to California. When we arrived it was very dark and we were separated from my Mam, Dad and brother’s RV for the first night. With no phone signal, we found each other in the morning to find out that their RV had been reversed into a tree (narrowly missing Andy), and their toilet had overflowed due to a misplaced water pipe! In good spirits we all jumped into one campervan and headed into Yosemite. The drive was a one I will not forget. We stopped to take in tunnel view, a scenic point just outside the Wawona Tunnel on Highway 41, then stopped again to take in views of El Capitan.

We planned to take the Cook’s Meadow Loop and walk around Yosemite village. We had brought the double Hauk buggy which was a godsend. The village was well maintained and we popped into the visitor’s centre, the village store and Yosemite Museum. The kids loved the museum exhibits and some of the hands-on displays. The rangers are very knowledgeable and recommended the walk to Lower Yosemite Falls. We grabbed some food at the Curry village dining Pavillion, settled Esme for her afternoon nap and headed to the falls. The trail is only a 1 mile easy walk and was rewarded with views of upper and lower falls.

Luckily, we stocked up on supplies before leaving San Francisco as research warned us there are not many places to shop in Yosemite. We had reservations at Yosemite Pines, a great resort for the kids with little trails, gold panning and playground. We had a canny spot with the two RVs together. We could also run the aircon in this site, which was a blessing.

Early the next morning we all jumped back in one van and took the drive to Yosemite, this time stopping at the entrance for some memorable photos. There are plenty of parking spaces for RVs if you head out early. We walked the 4 mile loop to Mirror Lake, a pool in Tenaya Creek at the foot of the Half Dome, and let the kids have a paddle. It was definitely a paddling pool rather than a lake to swim in - ideal for the kids in the heat. We spent a few hours relaxing and taking in the scenery before heading back to Curry Village for a bite to eat.

For our final morning we wanted to see the giant sequoia trees so we set off for Mariposa Grove, however due to the devastating forest fires the road was closed. We visited Tuolumne instead, a quieter and smaller grove with mature Giant Sequoias that is all downhill, the downside being the climb back up in the heat!