Adventures in California
My partner and I have been planning for this trip for a long time. We knew early on that we wanted to go to California, but we couldn't decide where. Northern? Central? Southern? There were so many places in California we wanted to visit, but there was no way we'd be able to see everything. Bummer, I know. In the end, we settled on San Francisco, Monterey Bay, and Yosemite National Park.
We had a pretty rough itinerary to work with. Was it the most efficient use of our time? Probably not. Personally, I liked having some wiggle room in our schedule to do something we hadn't planned for.
| Oct. 10 - Oct. 17 | Itinerary |
|---|---|
| Saturday Oct. 10 |
12:30 pm - Arrive in San Francisco 05:00 pm - Walk along the Embarcadero 06:40 pm - Visit the Musée Mécanique |
| Sunday Oct. 11 |
10:20 am - Explore the Golden Gate Park 01:00 pm - Make a quick pit stop in Japan-town 02:30 pm - Visit the SFMOMA for the RM x SFMOMA exhibit 07:45 pm - Sushi dinner 09:30 pm - Grab drinks at a tiki bar |
| Monday Oct. 12 |
08:45 am - Walk along the Presidio 11:00 am - Get tattoos 08:30 pm - Drive down to Monterey Bay 10:30 pm - Arrive in Monterey Bay |
| Tuesday Oct. 13 |
08:15 am - Early morning hike through Point Lobos Natural Reserve 12:15 pm - Stop in at an Italian restaurant for lunch 01:30 pm - Visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium 07:00 pm - Dinner date |
| Wednesday Oct. 14 |
11:00 am - Check out Lovers Point Park before leaving Monterey Bay 11:15 am - Drive four hours northeast to Yosemite National Park 04:30 pm - Arrive in Yosemite National Park |
| Thursday Oct. 15 |
07:30 am - Short hike to the Mariposa Grove trailhead 08:40 am - Arrive at the trailhead, continue onto the Grizzly Giant trail 10:00 am - Drive to Yosemite Valley 11:15 am - Pass through Tunnel View 01:15 pm - Short hike along the Lower Yosemite Falls trail |
| Friday Oct. 16 |
08:15 am - Hike Mist trail and John Muir trail to Nevada Falls 03:30 pm - Depart Yosemite National Park 05:30 pm - Arrive in Fresno |
| Saturday Oct. 17 |
11:00 am - Catch a flight back home |
Highlights from our trip (in no particular order):
I got engaged! My partner proposed to me on our hike in Point Lobos. I was shocked, but not surprised. I half-expected him to propose to me on this trip. There were tell-tale signs, and it's not like we never discussed getting married before. That said, I wasn't holding my breath, necessarily, the thought had simply crossed my mind, like, what if? It was perfect timing on his part, because I was awestruck by the sight of the Pacific Ocean and the rocky shoreline to have suspected anything.
Photo of my engagement ring.Getting tattoos as a souvenir. We accepted pretty early on that if we wanted to get tattoos, that it would likely be a whole day affair. We were fine with this. I, for one, had been wanting to make a habit of getting tattooed when traveling someplace new. So, I was glad we made time for it. The artist, Clara, was very sweet and super accommodating - she took very good care of us the entire time. We enjoyed spending the day with her and getting to know her. If we ever find ourselves in San Francisco again, I'd love to come back and visit.
Photo of my partner getting tattooed.Going to an aquarium for the first time! I'll be honest, I'm not positive that I've never been to an aquarium before, but I'm fairly certain that I haven't. The Monterey Bay Aquarium was my first time. I loved it! There's something about the dark blue chambers of an aquarium and the illuminated tanks of shimmering fish that's so calming.
Photo from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.Summiting Nevada Falls. Neither my partner nor I are very big hikers. Sure, we hike occasionally when the weather permits. The thing is, the trails around here are fairly flat that even a 5-mile hike is a walk in the park. This was another beast entirely. I'll admit, I wanted to give up and turn heel as soon as we started our climb. Thankfully, my partner was there to encourage me. So, I pushed on, and soon enough, we were sitting high atop Nevada Falls looking down on Yosemite Valley. Don't get me wrong, this was a challenging hike, but we were rewarded with a breathtaking view.
Photo of my partner and I at the top of Nevada Falls.Being one with nature. God, is California pretty. There were a number of times on this trip where I was left awestruck. I felt like I was in a Caspar David Friedrich's painting - small and surrounded by the awesomeness of the world around me. I couldn't help but feel grateful to bare witness to it all.
Caspar David Friedrich, The Chasseur in the WoodsI doubt this will be our last trip to California. I suspect we'll return someday soon.
