California Cruisin’
Shark Fin Cove, Santa Cruz, October 2022.
This wasn’t a “bucket list” trip for us. We planned it on a whim knowing we would not travel for a while (since we were saving and planning for our world adventure). After going, we could not imagine life without this experience. It confirmed everything we love about travel and reinforced our commitment to prioritizing travel in our lives.
One day in and we got it. We got why people brave earthquakes, fires, and taxes to live here. California has:
The nature. All the nature. We were never more than a few minutes from a beautiful hike or amazing viewpoint. As self proclaimed nature lovers, we knew the natural beauty of the state was well known but it’s hard to comprehend without being there first hand.
People that know how to drive. This was a big one for us because 1) we would be on the road for the entire trip, and 2) we come from Houston where we feel like we are some of the few people in the city not willing to die to get to where they are going.
One of the most breathtaking, pristine coastlines we have ever seen. Yea sure this is nature too but not enough can be said about how much awe and tranquility some of these ocean views inspire. From the short walk down to Shark Fin Cove with crashing waves and sea caves to the stratospheric viewpoints overlooking Big Sur waves, it was all magical.
We share our rough itinerary and (only) some of the highlights. We could talk for days about this trip though so if you are seriously planning a trip, let’s talk. TLDR you can check out this google map of places we researched (we didn’t necessarily stop at all the places but its a good start).
P.S. Not all of our stories will be this long, but consider this three trips in one.
Our Rough Itinerary
Day 1: All the Sans - San Francisco to Santa Clara to Santa Cruz
We flew into Oakland and drove across the Bay Bridge to wander around SF a bit before heading south to Santa Clara for Monday Night Football (SF 49ers vs LA Rams). After leaving the game we immediately drove south to Santa Cruz, CA.
Things we saw:
The Palace of Fine Arts, double cool cause we just watched The Rock in prep for our trip.
The Painted Ladies, a great viewpoint of the city.
The Castro, which included a great stop for lunch, coffee and cookies.
Golden Gate Park (not to be confused with Golden Gate Bridge park) which is bigger than central park!
A roller coaster drive through the dark winding mountain roads to Santa Cruz. This drive is not to be underestimated.
Day 2 - 4: Santa Cruz
Of everything we experienced on this truly spectacular trip, Santa Cruz stole our hearts. This was the perfect intersection: beach town with the ultimate surfer vibe, close proximity to amazing sites, and so beautiful and laid back. What more could you want?
The highlight of this trip was the Santa Cruz boardwalk. It was off season so not everything was open, but enough was open for us to spend the most magical and whimsical afternoon playing mini golf, arcade games, and walking along the boardwalk with amazing views and brews. It was even an emotional moment for one of us (Ry) LOVED getting to experience what it was like to be a kid again for a day, but with beer!
I can’t say enough about where we stayed in Santa Cruz. It had everything. It was in close proximity to the beach, which we walked to in the morning. It was a block away from the most charming breakfast cafe in a windmill, aptly named Windmill Cafe, as well as a hot tub, fire place, patio, tetherball, and a big cozy couch.
Things we learned:
Never turn your back on the ocean (we knew this already but it was reinforced during the more than hour we spent in a cave by the ocean)
Bacon cheddar pancakes are a thing and they are amazing.
Golden Road Mango Cart beer. Get it. Drink it. Love it. They started carrying it at our local Total Wine and we systematically buy out their stock every time we go.
Nothing beats an afternoon of whimsy and acting like a kid again.
We stand by our visits to Margaritaville. Every place we go that has a Margaritaville, we pop in. It is a longstanding tradition that started ironically (it’s great people watching) but has become a staple. Our visit in Capitola did not disappoint, with a great bartender and even better views!
Day 5-7: Monterey (+ an impromptu camp in the Redwoods)
We drove south from Santa Cruz to Monterey (about 90 min) where we stayed for the next three nights. There is a lot to do in Monterey itself but it’s also close to Big Sur so we made it our home base as we drove into “Big Sur” each day. While staying in Monterey we did some of these things (this isn’t even everything):
17-Mile Drive: We put this on the list because it was highly recommended, and it was better than expected. We sat for an hour overlooking a rock with hundreds of sea lions at play, enjoyed some tide-pooling, and spent a long time just appreciating the beauty. Point Lobos Natural Reserve had similar views and more hiking. Would recommend doing at least one if not both.
Big Sur: We traveled roughly 150 miles up and back on the CA coast. Our furthest point was the Elephant Seal Vista Point where we saw hundreds of juvenile male Elephant Seals basking in the sun. We had to audible a bit because it was SO foggy. We missed a few of the planned viewpoints on our way back up from the Elephant Seals but we caught some of the more well known ones (McWay Falls, Jade Cove, Bixby Bridge). We then finished the day with at Nepenthe which was a nice restaurant overlooking the Big Sur coastline.
Glamping in the Redwoods: I had been eyeing this glamping spot for months, but the only day they had available was the middle night of our three night stay in Monterey. I didn’t want to check in-out-in for this place so kept looking while giving up hope. While in Big Sur, Ry (the genius) reasoned that the middle day was actually the best day to glamp because it meant we didn’t have to drive all the way back to Monterey and could stay longer in Big Sur. So, we kept our 3 day reservation and booked the glamping on top of it, eating our extra costs… but it did not disappoint. We arrived at dusk and spent the evening under the Redwood canopy, waking up the next morning to the most beautiful and picturesque scene. Waking up on Endor is always worth it.
Carmel-by-the-Sea: This place had “cute out the wazoo” but one of my favorite memories from the whole trip was when we stopped by this well known restaurant which had NO availability for the day. While dozens of other people tried to haggle with the hostess (only to be denied) we calmly asked if they did to-go orders. They did. We ordered and had our food in 30 min and took it to the beach/boardwalk and picnicked with the most spectacular views.
Day 8-10: San Francisco
After an amazing time in Big Sur, SF was a bit of a let down. I had been there before but Ry had not. It certainly didn’t live up to my first trip and Ry was unimpressed. It happened to be Fleet Week so there were a lot of people attending the air show on the bay, but the fog was so thick, most of the show was canceled. While in SF we:
Took a day trip north to the Muir Woods (Highly Recommend): We had a bunch of viewpoints and other hikes planned but it was just too foggy.
Took the ferry to Alcatraz (Somewhat recommend): The viewpoint from the Island can’t be beat but on the day we went it was so. crowded…and the boat wasn’t working right so we were delayed and extra crowded. Overall just a very touristy experience, but The Rock was one of my favorite movies growing up… so it’s a necessary evil.
Tips & Takeaways:
This airbnb in Santa Cruz: By far the best Airbnb we have ever stayed in. The hosts had thought of it all. It was charming and well stocked. If you go to Santa Cruz, do yourself a favor and stay here.
If you hike down to the cove, you have to hike back up: But it’s worth it. Shark Fin Cove in particular was amazing. After a short but fairly vertical hike down a cliff to the beach we got to sit in a cave for at least an hour admiring the views and listening to the waves crash all around us. Partington Cove was an even longer hike but offered alternatively great views.
Allow yourself some flexibility: It wasn’t until we were in Monterey and wandering around Big Sur that we realized we could make our glamping excursion work. We remained flexible and called an audible. Similarly when it was foggy, we reconfigured our stops to allow for the fog to burn off a bit. Be flexible.
Socks with Birkenstocks: Before this trip I (Viv) would not have been caught dead with socks and sandals…. Then I experienced the convenience and comfort of keeping your feet warm on a chilly CA day, and being able to quickly hop out of the car for one of the thousands of amazing viewpoints on HW1.
