*** VD 13 Commentary Thread ***

[heyelander]

just back from holiday. RJEL wife turned 50, but we still didn't feel great about flying. My cousin's threw me aunt an 80th BD party down San Diego way (where they play guitars all night and all day) so we drove down there and started a week long drive home up the coast, (with a detour into Palm Springs).

1 night in Palm Springs - 120 degrees. No reason to visit here between April and November
Joshua Tree - Lots of Joshua Trees. Hot, like Palm Springs. Maybe visit in February or March when the flowers are blooming
2 nights in LA - It's big. I tried to get a hotel central, but there was a ton of driving anyway. Tar pits are closed on Tuesdays?!? Did the walk of fame and touristy shit like that. Lots of hanging by the pool, reading and drinking froo-froo drinks. Nice and relaxing. Checked to see if the Ohtanis were in town, but alas, they were not.
1 night in Santa Barbara - Should have stolen an LA day and moved it here. Fantastic stuff. Actually, going to be a shame when Covid is over and they open back up. They had closed their entire main street and blown out all the restaurants into the street. It was like a 7 block block-party. Fantastic time just walking around. Great weather.
2 nights in Carmel - Got a hotel right in town. Great just walking around... weather in the 60's. Ocean water was COLD! Went to the Monterey Aquarium, which is nice, but it had just reopened and was MOBBED. Kind of uncomfortable being around that many people. Yikes.
Got a note from a HS buddy that a couple of them were getting together for a BBQ on my last night in South Bay (SF) and it was mostly on my way home, so we popped in there. Hadn't seen them in a few years, so nice to catch up. Should make an effort to do more of that.

Good times. Read 2 books. Didn't think about work. A bit too much driving, but it was sort of a survey level vacation, and now we know where we want to go back to and where we don't.

[The Feral Slasher]

just back from holiday. RJEL wife turned 50, but we still didn't feel great about flying. My cousin's threw me aunt an 80th BD party down San Diego way (where they play guitars all night and all day) so we drove down there and started a week long drive home up the coast, (with a detour into Palm Springs).

1 night in Palm Springs - 120 degrees. No reason to visit here between April and November
Joshua Tree - Lots of Joshua Trees. Hot, like Palm Springs. Maybe visit in February or March when the flowers are blooming
2 nights in LA - It's big. I tried to get a hotel central, but there was a ton of driving anyway. Tar pits are closed on Tuesdays?!? Did the walk of fame and touristy shit like that. Lots of hanging by the pool, reading and drinking froo-froo drinks. Nice and relaxing. Checked to see if the Ohtanis were in town, but alas, they were not.
1 night in Santa Barbara - Should have stolen an LA day and moved it here. Fantastic stuff. Actually, going to be a shame when Covid is over and they open back up. They had closed their entire main street and blown out all the restaurants into the street. It was like a 7 block block-party. Fantastic time just walking around. Great weather.
2 nights in Carmel - Got a hotel right in town. Great just walking around... weather in the 60's. Ocean water was COLD! Went to the Monterey Aquarium, which is nice, but it had just reopened and was MOBBED. Kind of uncomfortable being around that many people. Yikes.
Got a note from a HS buddy that a couple of them were getting together for a BBQ on my last night in South Bay (SF) and it was mostly on my way home, so we popped in there. Hadn't seen them in a few years, so nice to catch up. Should make an effort to do more of that.

Good times. Read 2 books. Didn't think about work. A bit too much driving, but it was sort of a survey level vacation, and now we know where we want to go back to and where we don't.

Did u drive Big Sur or go up 101?

[The Feral Slasher]

just back from holiday. RJEL wife turned 50, but we still didn't feel great about flying. My cousin's threw me aunt an 80th BD party down San Diego way (where they play guitars all night and all day) so we drove down there and started a week long drive home up the coast, (with a detour into Palm Springs).

1 night in Palm Springs - 120 degrees. No reason to visit here between April and November
Joshua Tree - Lots of Joshua Trees. Hot, like Palm Springs. Maybe visit in February or March when the flowers are blooming
2 nights in LA - It's big. I tried to get a hotel central, but there was a ton of driving anyway. Tar pits are closed on Tuesdays?!? Did the walk of fame and touristy shit like that. Lots of hanging by the pool, reading and drinking froo-froo drinks. Nice and relaxing. Checked to see if the Ohtanis were in town, but alas, they were not.
1 night in Santa Barbara - Should have stolen an LA day and moved it here. Fantastic stuff. Actually, going to be a shame when Covid is over and they open back up. They had closed their entire main street and blown out all the restaurants into the street. It was like a 7 block block-party. Fantastic time just walking around. Great weather.
2 nights in Carmel - Got a hotel right in town. Great just walking around... weather in the 60's. Ocean water was COLD! Went to the Monterey Aquarium, which is nice, but it had just reopened and was MOBBED. Kind of uncomfortable being around that many people. Yikes.
Got a note from a HS buddy that a couple of them were getting together for a BBQ on my last night in South Bay (SF) and it was mostly on my way home, so we popped in there. Hadn't seen them in a few years, so nice to catch up. Should make an effort to do more of that.

Good times. Read 2 books. Didn't think about work. A bit too much driving, but it was sort of a survey level vacation, and now we know where we want to go back to and where we don't.

when we were in Carmel a few weeks ago we walked on the beach towards Pebble Beach. Actually saw some dude's ball come down from the golf course onto the beach. The shocking part was that he walked down the steep hill and tried to play it. He hit it halfway up the hill and it rolled back down. He grabbed it and did the walk of shame back up the hill. It was hilarious.

[heyelander]

we went up hwy 1. One of the carmel days was meant to be in san simeon to see Hearst Castle, but it's still closed. Enjoyed the extra day just walking around carmel and chilling out. We passed Big Sur in the evening though, so we didn't stop. We did drive out to Pinnacles. I think it should have stayed a state park. Not much to see there. Got my National Parks' stamp and drove around a bit.

[Kevin Seitzer]

I LOVE Big Sur. I liked the Pinnacles, too, but also probably not a great place to visit in the heat of summer. I enjoyed hiking there.

[Kevin Seitzer]

I have not been to Morro Bay. Worth going?

[The Feral Slasher]

I have not been to Morro Bay. Worth going?

that is one of my favorite places on the West Coast. It's not amazing as a tourist spot, I've just always had fun there and lots of good memories. The whole town is walkable on foot, a nearby beach, a cool harbor with lots of otters to watch. There is a great bakery that we go every morning and get coffee and baked goods.

One of those places that isn't probably worth a trip just to go there but if you are in the area it is a fun place to stay. It's about 20 minutes from my daughters college so I usually at least take a day trip once or twice a year. I stayed there for about a week once and it was foggy about 90 percent of the time...but usually the weather has been decent, although frequently pretty windy.

[Kevin Seitzer]

I have not been back to California since I moved away 15 years ago (other than for a couple of trips to San Diego for winter meetings that don't allow time for sightseeing), but I very much want to go back. It is such a beautiful state with so much geographic diversity.

[Kevin Seitzer]

One part of the state that I have not been to is basically anything north of Sacramento or Napa Valley, and I would like to remedy that, too.

[The Feral Slasher]

One part of the state that I have not been to is basically anything north of Sacramento or Napa Valley, and I would like to remedy that, too.

I've done a lot of driving in California the last 5 years with college searches and now two kids in college in California. Planning to drive down the coast from Oregon to San Francisco later this year which I've never done, so excited about that. Sacramento to the Oregon border is very sparsely populated. Driving on I-5 has an interesting section around Mt. Shasta, but a good portion of the drive is pretty flat farmland.

I've driven from LA to Vegas, but never been to Palm Springs/Joshua Tree, hoping to do that in the next few years. Also Yosemite is probably the most famous National Park that I have not been too, so need to do that. As you mentioned it has some diverse geography, so much to see.

[Kevin Seitzer]

I've done a lot of driving in California the last 5 years with college searches and now two kids in college in California. Planning to drive down the coast from Oregon to San Francisco later this year which I've never done, so excited about that. Sacramento to the Oregon border is very sparsely populated. Driving on I-5 has an interesting section around Mt. Shasta, but a good portion of the drive is pretty flat farmland.

I've driven from LA to Vegas, but never been to Palm Springs/Joshua Tree, hoping to do that in the next few years. Also Yosemite is probably the most famous National Park that I have not been too, so need to do that. As you mentioned it has some diverse geography, so much to see.

My top 3 would be
1) Yosemite
2) Big Sur
3) Muir Woods

but the list of places I love would be a lot longer than that. Napa Valley is nice, so are the Sierras up from Sacramento, although I have never been all the way up to Lake Tahoe. I like Monterrey Bay. San Diego is very nice. I wasn't wild about LA itself, but the San Gabriel Mountains are beautiful. I've not been north of LA along the coast. Another couple places on my list to visit at some point are Sequoia/Kings Canyon and Mono Lake. I think the Central Valley has a kind of beauty of its own, but I may be alone in that opinion.

[The Feral Slasher]

My top 3 would be
1) Yosemite
2) Big Sur
3) Muir Woods

but the list of places I love would be a lot longer than that. Napa Valley is nice, so are the Sierras up from Sacramento, although I have never been all the way up to Lake Tahoe. I like Monterrey Bay. San Diego is very nice. I wasn't wild about LA itself, but the San Gabriel Mountains are beautiful. I've not been north of LA along the coast. Another couple places on my list to visit at some point are Sequoia/Kings Canyon and Mono Lake. I think the Central Valley has a kind of beauty of its own, but I may be alone in that opinion.

Placer County ???

[heyelander]

Placer County ???

I have never been all the way up to Lake Tahoe.

this is basically Placer county. not actually Lake Tahoe, but "the way up"

[Kevin Seitzer]

Placer County ???

That goes without saying.

[The Feral Slasher]

this is basically Placer county. not actually Lake Tahoe, but "the way up"

ever been to Mi-Wuk village ? probably out of your way. My kids godparents have a cabin there.