2 weeks in California

[Sarah]

So I'm still working on my summer plans. :)

The new idea is California, because I can get a cheap flight in and out of LAX.

I'm thinking I want to go north to SF and wine country. Is 2 weeks too long?

TIA,
Sarah

[DebGo]

no, not too long if you are planning side trips.... there are many beautiful forests in and around the area, as well as coastal "unknowns". my DH & I did 5 days in napa/sonoma alone (and both of us had been there before). there are bike riding tours, etc. depends what you like to do. have fun!

[Jessica]

Just to make sure you know that LAX is several hundred miles from northern California....but it is a beautiful drive.

Two weeks in the wine country is not too long, although lodging can be a bit pricey. I recommend spending some time in the Russian River Valley or northern Napa Valley, both of which are less touristy than the city of Napa. We love that part of the country and never run out of things to do--there are many, many wineries, beautiful parks and lots of good food and food shopping!

[Gail]

Are you kidding?

This is a HUGE state and there are so many different aspects to it. Coastal California, Wine Country, the Sierras, the Motherlode, the Redwoods, Yosemite and King's Canyon, Death Valley (well, maybe not in summer...), south of LA (San Diego and the wine country of Temecula, for example.)

You notice I left out L.A. I can do that as a native. ;)

PS You DO know that we have multiple wine regions in this state, that it isn't all just Napa and Sonoma counties? Wine tasting can be a very drawn out affair, depending upon where you choose to go. (Also great fun!)

[tbb113]

There is plenty to do in CA. Two weeks isn't long enough :D If you just want to stay on the CA coast, I personally would drive up as far north as Mendicino (I know I spelled it wrong) or even Eureka if you like Victorians (haven't been yet myself, but I have heard there are plenty there). I would then drive down the coast stopping in the Wine Country, SF, Carmel/Monterey/Big Sur, Hearst Castle, Santa Barbara and finish my trip in LA.

Next time you go, I would go South from LA to San Diego (probably could do that trip in a week or so).

Some other time you could come and do the inland areas, Yosemite, Tahoe, Lassen, etc.

Plenty to choose from :cool:

[Gail]

I was going to write pretty much the same itinerary Tyra wrote, however, since I'm a great fan of Coastal Redwoods and also the Oregon coastline, I'd probably go all the way up to the border. Staying in Eureka, you can drive up and get a taste of both the magnificent redwoods of Humboldt and Del Norte counties, catch a bit of the Oregon coast if you want and come back to Eureka for a second overnight before turning south again. Driving down from Eureka, you can detour off to the quaint Victorian town of Ferndale, then pop back on 101 when will go past other lovely redwood areas (Avenue of the Giants for one.)

If you're less into redwoods and the coast sounds nicer to you, the Mendocino turnaround point would probably be better. Be aware the coastal road is VERY slow (particularly the portion south of Big Sur and north of San Francisco) and it's usually prudent to reserve in advance, particularly during summer months.

[Kayaksoup]

Two weeks isn't enough...
We did a road trip a few years back to California. We went down in two days and spent 10 coming back. there is so much to see. And we only made it as far south as Vallejo, which is just out of San Francisco. The only reason we stayed there was the cheaper hotels. We used that as our base for wine country. I could have spent another week there. And the coast all the way up to the Oregon/Washington border is just stunning...
Years ago, my family took a month and did California coast one end to the other. So two weeks is really no too much....

[Kayla]

Wahoo California! I think those are great plans, and two weeks allows you plenty of time to take little excursions outside of the area you fly into. If my road trip doesn't pan out, I'm hoping to work in Muir Woods in Northern California (well, a bit north of SF I think) - a place I highly recommend you visit if you have the time!

There are SO many places to see in northern CA that two weeks soon won't feel like enough time! ;)

Kayla

[Sarah]

Originally posted by Gail
Are you kidding?

This is a HUGE state and there are so many different aspects to it. Coastal California, Wine Country, the Sierras, the Motherlode, the Redwoods, Yosemite and King's Canyon, Death Valley (well, maybe not in summer...), south of LA (San Diego and the wine country of Temecula, for example.)

You notice I left out L.A. I can do that as a native. ;)

PS You DO know that we have multiple wine regions in this state, that it isn't all just Napa and Sonoma counties? Wine tasting can be a very drawn out affair, depending upon where you choose to go. (Also great fun!)

I haven't left out LA, I don't know what exactly I want to see yet...or how long I want to stay. I think that it could take up my 2 weeks ;)

I do know that there are multiple wine countries, but I think that for my first trip, I would like to go north up the coast, and Napa and Sonoma are that way :). And yes, I realize that CA is huge. I'm talking 2 weeks, not 2 days.

Tyra, thanks for the suggested itinerary. I'm going to look at it with my atlas for some ideas.

Sarah

[Gail]

Despite your smilies, I feel I may have offended you, which I assure you was purely unintentional. My apologies. Was simply trying to point out options...

[colleency]

Be careful you don't overplan! I drove from L.A. to Portland a couple of years ago. We took 5 days to drive up, and it definitely wasn't enough.

After you hit the wine country, if you have time, drive through the Avenue of the Giants. The redwoods are absolutely incredible, and there are a ton of kitschy (sp?) spots to stop, like the Drive Through Tree and Trees of Mystery.

Check out the thread that someone posted last week or the week before about driving from LA to San Francisco. There's some stuff about Hearst Castle.

There are a gazillion things to do in L.A., particularly museums.

Have fun planning!

[Sarah]

I'm not sure I should do this...but...

I'm not offended...really...even if my last post sounds frustrated.

I asked because I'm not sure, and I want to make the best use of my time with suggestions from people who really know the area.

[Kay Henderson]

If you get bored, which is hard to imagine, come on upcountry. Mark Twain described Lake Tahoe as "the fairest sight the whole earth affords." The drive up either Highway 50 or Interstate 80 is interesting, for you go through multiple ecozones to get there. It is about four hours from San Francisco, and maybe a bit more from the wine country, so it is an overnight or hooked on to either end of a Bay Area vacation. Guaranteed gorgeous though!

[Gail]

I'm glad. We'll forget about it, then, and carry on. Obviously, my imagination... :)

It would help, Sarah, if you gave us some idea as to the things which interest you. Tyra apparently finds Victorian architecture interesting, I'm obviously into redwoods and ocean. Because of the great many things this state has to offer, and the huge territory you're planning to cover (LA to Sonoma County alone is in upward of 400 miles each way) it's helpful to know what sorts of things you find interesting, thus my reason for giving such a broad answer originally. And is it ONLY the Napa/Sonoma area you were looking to for wines ('cause lesser known Alexander/Dry Creek/Russian River Valley areas are close to Napa/Sonoma, have some excellent wineries, and are a lot less crowded, for example. There are also wine regions you'll be passing through between LA and San Francisco.)

Colleen will probably be good at telling you about LA. Despite over 50 years in LA, I consider myself a Northern Californian with the bad luck to be born down south!

[Gail]

Originally posted by colleency
... The redwoods are absolutely incredible, and there are a ton of kitschy (sp?) spots to stop, like the Drive Through Tree and Trees of Mystery...

Is the Drive-Through Tree still open to visitors? (I'd read that all the cars and visitors were wreaking havoc on the root system-- or maybe that was the Drive-Under Tree, or the Chimney Treehouse or one of those other weird Tree-things... ;) )

[SandyM]

Sarah,

I'm starting to plan for our 2005 northern California vacation as we speak. :D

I'm of the opinion that two weeks is NOT too much time in northern California. We did a week in Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove, and then a week north of San Francisco - wonderful. Gail was a big help in planning that trip. I'm partial to the wineries in the Russian River area, but next year we'll probably head over to Napa and Sonoma again. Or both. ;)

Never been to LA, so I can't speak for that, but you will have a wonderful time, I'm sure of it.

[colleency]

Originally posted by Gail


Is the Drive-Through Tree still open to visitors? (I'd read that all the cars and visitors were wreaking havoc on the root system-- or maybe that was the Drive-Under Tree, or the Chimney Treehouse or one of those other weird Tree-things... ;) )

There are actually three or four of these. The one we drove through was open about 2-3 years ago.

Sarah,
I can tell you a lot about stuff in L.A., particularly museums, as I lead a museum trip every month or so. I'm not as up on restaurants, though. :(

Knowing what you like would really narrow things down. It's hard to suggest things when there are so many options.

[Sarah]

Eek...I got caught up in a report card writing frenzy and didn't get back to this...

As for what I'm interested in, I'm not the hiking, outdoorsy type. I'm more interested in architecture and wandering interesting looking towns, that sort of thing. Although the trees of mystery would be good for scrapbooking. Mostly by daylight, as I often travel solo.

As for museums, Colleen, I really like sculpture more than paintings.

As for wine regions, are there some keywords I could google for other regions?

Thanks :)

[DebGo]

there is a winery in or around one of the small towns near Napa, I believe, that would be right up your alley. hopefully someone else will know the name or i'll ask DH tonight, but the grounds are an architecture dream and they are filled with modern art sculptures. wonderful to get your wine tastes and cruise the surrounding areas while savoring them!!!

edited to add: I think the name of the winery is Clos du Bois (ahhh, still some brain cells left afterall!!!) :p

[MaryH]

Originally posted by Sarah
As for wine regions, are there some keywords I could google for other regions?

Try Sonoma, Alexander Valley, Mendocino, Russian River, Central Coast, Santa Barbara, and Temecula. (Can you tell I like wine?:cool: :D ) The last two are considered So. Cal.

[gertdog]

Santa Barbara and Paso Robles are two areas with lots of wineries- Paso Robles has been booming as of late in terms of new tasting rooms.

Since you are considering driving up to Napa/Sonoma from LA, do consider stopping in Santa Barbara, at least for an afternoon. It's lovely, particularly the view from the mission. On a sunny day, a stroll along State Street is really nice, and maybe an iced tea or drink on the pier.

www.pasowine.com
www.sbcountywines.com

I think both sites have a place where you can request a free map of the wine regions.

[DebGo]

if you stop in santa barbara, a great place for breakfast (coffee, muffins, granola, etc.) is the Zinc Cafe (if it's still there!).

[Gail]

You might also want to check out: www.winecountry.com If you belong to AAA, they put out pretty decent maps of California's various wine areas.

Offhand, places of interest between LA and the California border (keeping coastal) which occur to me are Santa Barbara, which in my opinion vies with San Diego as the two most desirable spots in Southern California; Solvang, speaking of kitschy www.solvangca.com not my idea of a place to vacation, but hey, it's different!; Cambria www.cambriachamber.org perhaps a good place to stop for the night if visiting Hearst Castle (San Simeon); Big Sur; Carmel, Monterey and Pacific Grove (all have very different personalities, but share in common seriously gorgeous coastline); San Francisco; Marin County, including Mill Valley, Sausalito and Tiburon; Mendocino; Ferndale, a cute Victorian town south of Eureka (the famous Carson Mansion Victorian and others in Eureka may be of interest). Highway 1 is a winding slow road but worth experiencing. Your one drawback is should you continue too far north of San Francisco on it, you'll pretty much resign yourself to having to follow it all the way, and north of Mendocino isn't necessarily the best of the ride. Highway 101 north of San Francisco (north of Willits, as I recall) goes into glorious redwoods and all the places Colleen describes. I personally like the ferny and cool North Country, north of Eureka and Orick, where redwoods meet ocean and you meander along through dinky communities, up past Smith's Ferry and the Oregon border.

I recommend that you also check past threads for wine country, Monterey, San Francisco and such. I know I've posted a lot about specific routes, wineries and such.

[Sarah]

Thanks ladies! You're wonderful :D

I'm off to look up old threads.