Request input CA vacation - San Diego to Sacramento - March

[ranger]

I fly a lot with Delta and I have some regional upgrade tickets so I decided that wife and I will visit CA for about 10 days in March. Fly into San Diego and fly out of Sacramento. Why those cities - well, it is actually VERY hard to use these upgrade certificates and these were the only cities in CA that I could find availability. San Diego is fine - wife wants to go there. Background - my first duty station was FT Ord in early 1980s and I have been in and out of CA multiple times since there on business.

Will rent a car and plan on driving a lot and seeing a lot of CA from the road.

Hoping the PF team can provide some advice on where to go and what to see while there.

Some restrictions:
Wife has a knee issue so not hiking
Not interested in "big cities" - not looking for LA or SF type visits
Not interested in desert - spent way too much of my life in the Mojave area NTC

Current thoughts - not locked in:
Visit San Diego for 2-3 days (wife = zoo)
Drive up the coast toward Monterey (vicinity of closed FT Ord)
Drive up to Tahoe?
Drive up to Yosemite?
End up vicinity Sacramento to fly out.

[paherne]

Drive up the coast and visit Solvang, Santa Barbara, San luis Obispo, etc. Then drive through the Sf Bay Area and spend a day or two in Napa. DO NOT go through the Central Valley and stay in Visalia, Bakersfield, Fresno, Stockton, etc. There be dragons. It's ok to drive through, in the daylight, to get to Yosemite, etc. But don't stay overnight in any of those places.

[Duelist]

I fly a lot with Delta and I have some regional upgrade tickets so I decided that wife and I will visit CA for about 10 days in March. Fly into San Diego and fly out of Sacramento. Why those cities - well, it is actually VERY hard to use these upgrade certificates and these were the only cities in CA that I could find availability. San Diego is fine - wife wants to go there. Background - my first duty station was FT Ord in early 1980s and I have been in and out of CA multiple times since there on business.

Will rent a car and plan on driving a lot and seeing a lot of CA from the road.

Hoping the PF team can provide some advice on where to go and what to see while there.

Some restrictions:
Wife has a knee issue so not hiking
Not interested in "big cities" - not looking for LA or SF type visits
Not interested in desert - spent way too much of my life in the Mojave area NTC

Current thoughts - not locked in:
Visit San Diego for 2-3 days (wife = zoo)
Drive up the coast toward Monterey (vicinity of closed FT Ord)
Drive up to Tahoe?
Drive up to Yosemite?
End up vicinity Sacramento to fly out.

Definitely do the Big Sur section of the coast highway while you’re in the Monterrey area. And there’s The Monterey Bay Aquarium, and glass bottom boat tours, too. Beautiful area I loved while stationed there in the late 90s.

[AMC]

In the Monterey area, Carmel is a nice little town. Yeah, a little touristy, but the small hotels are pretty nice, and not too expensive. Pretty good dining too.

I'd second a.vote for the Napa Valley, especially if you're a wine drinker. Napa wines are some of the finest (if not the finest) in the world.

As for Yosemite, I'd plan on at least a few days there. It's one of the wonders of creation, and can't be experienced in a few hours on a day trip.

[Clusterfrack]

Add Marin County: Mount Tam, Muir Woods, Muir Beach, Stinson Beach. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.

If you go to SF, the Dogpatch neighborhood is trendy and full of hipsters. Good beer there. And you can shop at the TAD Gear store.

[RJ]

Have some ideas but I need a real keyboard. Give me till Sunday night.

[okie john]

Napa and and Sonoma Counties.

https://calistogamotorlodgeandspa.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlOulsJSg5wIV2iCtBh1TAgQdEAAYASA AEgI_5fD_BwE

Thank me later.


Okie John

[TheRoland]

I spend a ton of time in San Diego although I rarely play tourist. When I do, the Midway and the Zoo are awesome places.

[Suvorov]

There is a nice little mission hotel set up on Fort Hunter Liggett (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hunter_Liggett) reservation. They did the Bradley testing out there so you will probably feel some good vibes. The drive up 101 from San Luis Obispo to the Bay Area is actually quite scenic as is the drive up the coast on the 1. There are tons of nice small wine producers in the coastal range that in my opinion rival the better known Napa vintners. As others have mentioned stay off the 5!!! Yosemite is absolutely Awe Inspiring!!! Sacramento is a real fun town, if it wasn't ruled by the Commies in LA and SF I'd move there in a heartbeat! Old Sacramento is fun for a day and Gold Country is one of the most beautiful places around.

California is a breath taking and wonderful state to visit.

It is unfortunate that it is ruled by pure evil!

Now I'm depressed...... :(

[Josh Runkle]

I really like the Dana Point/Laguna Niguel, Santa Monica or Santa Barbara areas if I was just going to watch the sunset and chill somewhere.

Glass Beach in Ft. Bragg is pretty great.

Napa and Sonoma are pretty great if you like wine.

Can’t go out west without stopping at In-N-Out. Animal Style.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[trailrunner]

I grew up in San Diego and lived in LA for 3.5 years before we moved to the east coast. San Diego is a good city to visit, lots of good stuff to do. When I lived there I loved the desert and the mountains, but that's east, and you said you were already tired of the desert and you'll probably want to head north anyway.

The California coast once you get north of Santa Monica or Malibu is a nice drive. Lots of nice coastal towns, and as others have mentioned, Big Sur is very nice. I spent the weekend there in the early 2000s when I was driving from Edwards AFB to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey and had a simple, quiet, pleasant weekend. My job used to take me to Monterey, and I loved going there.

[David S.]

The California beer scene is outstanding. Particularly if you like IPA.

[Savage Hands]

Definitely do the Big Sur section of the coast highway while you’re in the Monterrey area. And there’s The Monterey Bay Aquarium, and glass bottom boat tours, too. Beautiful area I loved while stationed there in the late 90s.

That’s where my Tribe is from, it’s gorgeous out there...

[Erick Gelhaus]

The Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley is pretty interesting.

Hearst Castle, San Simeon is well worth the visit. You can stay in Cambria which has a bunch of smaller beach hotels. The sunsets were gorgeous and the dining options were pretty reasonable.

The Sonoma Valley/Napa Valley areas are nice if you're into wine. Napa/St Helena/Calistoga have good food in smaller places and some neat shopping.

[RJ]

Have some ideas but I need a real keyboard. Give me till Sunday night.

ranger apologies for delay, got caught up in Life Stuff.

Ok, San Diego to Sac.

We've been to both cities, and a few places in between. Some comments / suggestions below.

San Diego - Loved it. Spent five days sight-seeing last November and did not see it all. We were in a downtown property and convenient to all the waterfront attractions. Love the little rentable electric scooters you see all over the place. We used "Bird" but there are others. Easy to zip up and down the waterfront. Much to see in San Diego; locals can give you ideas but we liked: The USS Midway and all the surrounding ships. The Gas Light District. The Fisherman's Village. The city tour (pick your favorite, we used Olde Towne Trolleys I think it was). The weather is breathtaking, low humidity and just pleasant.

Transiting SD to Sac by car you have to go through LA. Woah. I would avoid driving in LA like the plague. I hated it. We spent an afternoon trying to get to the Hollywood Sign and then to our over night hotel for our flight out, but it was a major hassle.

Santa Barbara - Loved it. We spent three days there on a coast road drive up to Big Sur recently. Expensive (we stayed in a boutique hotel) but it was a very memorable experience. Ate and drank ourselves silly.

SB:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Santa_Barbara

Hotel:
https://casadelmar.com/

Food:
https://fishousesb.com/
https://sambosrestaurant.com/

Morro Bay - What a dump. It was so bad we drove through, then looked at each other and pulled over. We cancelled our two night stay on the spot, made other arrangements, and kept going.

Hearst Castle / San Simeon - I would do this twice, there is so much to take in. It is totally worth planning your visit around going here. It's just fabulous.

http://www.hearstcastle.org/

Farther up the Cabrillo Highway is Big Sur. We stayed in Lucia, at Lucia Lodge. If you want a remote, picturesque, romantic place to spend a night perched above the Pacific Ocean, this is it. It is so rustic (how rustic is it Rich?) that you have to go to the lodge to get any cell phone service, let alone internet. (It is a long drive, though, something to think about. Fill the tank with gas so you don't have to pay $6 a gallon half way at one of the (very) few service stations in Big Sur. Ask me how I know. :( ) One night is plenty. We stayed two and I was climbing the walls the second afternoon. Pretty though.

www.lucialodge.com

Keep going and you get to Bixby Creek Bridge, that very famous landmark in Big Sur.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bixby_Creek_Bridge

And then you get to Carmel by the Sea, Pebble Beach and 17 mile drive. Much $$$ but it is fun to drive 17 mile (you pay a toll lol) and imagine what it must be like to be Brad Pitt or someone like that wealthy enough to buy a house here. Carmel is surprisingly small, but very charming. The rest of that area North you probably know.

Ok, back inland:

Skirting SF (I have no clue, never been) you arrive West of Sac to Napa. We've stayed a couple times here. If you like wine, it's a very interesting place. We toured several and enjoyed them all (the free samples might have helped heh.) We drove up and down from Napa to Calistoga for a few days and were never bored (but we like wine. :) ).

There are bunches to visit, you have to ask around and research the web.

https://www.napavalley.com/blog/most-beautiful-wineries-in-napa-valley/


We stayed in Sac for a couple days at the Fairground (RV) to do a service visit on our vehicle, but honestly did not find anything remotely interesting or pretty about Sac.

Hope this helps...rich

[ranger]

Thanks Rich!

[ranger]

I am trying to avoid LA and SF to focus on smaller areas and less traffic. Any advice on how to drive from San Diego to Santa Barbara with LA in between? Try to skirt the "perimeter" of LA, hug the coast, etc.?

[Torsius]

I am trying to avoid LA and SF to focus on smaller areas and less traffic. Any advice on how to drive from San Diego to Santa Barbara with LA in between? Try to skirt the "perimeter" of LA, hug the coast, etc.?

When it comes to LA traffic, you would need to drive into Arizona or rent a boat. It’s not where, but when. All experienced SoCal dwellers transit LA at 0300-0530. After that you’re stuck until 1000-1400. Afternoon traffic is 1400-2000. Not kidding.

[trailrunner]

I am trying to avoid LA and SF to focus on smaller areas and less traffic. Any advice on how to drive from San Diego to Santa Barbara with LA in between? Try to skirt the "perimeter" of LA, hug the coast, etc.?

Take the 5 to the 405 to the 10 to the PCH. At 0200.

Seriously, there is no easy way to go from San Diego to Santa Barbara. PCH north of San Diego is nice (that's where I went to school), but eventually you'll want to get on 5 unless you want to suffer though lots of city driving once you reach Orange County. Taking 5 North, you can take the route I described above, or go through the valley. You can take an inland route, but you're going out of your way because Santa Barbara is actually NW of LA, and eventually you'll have to go through LA, and going inland would just make you go through more of LA.

Just leave San Diego at 0900 so that you're going through LA mid-morning, and you should be able to get to Malibu by 1200 or 1300 easy, and then you can stop for lunch, and enjoy the rest of the drive.

[0ddl0t]

It would help to know your interests a bit more, but if it were me:

I'd check out the San Diego naval museums - they had a 1500s esq tall boat and aircraft carrier you could tour last time I was there. Alternatively, you could go to the SD zoo. I'd then take an Uber to old town SD and spend a couple hours walking in the old buildings/tourist traps and getting a late lunch/early dinner.

From Old Town SD I would take the Coastliner Amtrak to your choice of stops in the greater LA area. The views are pretty amazing, especially if you time it so see the sun set over the ocean.

I'd spent the night in LA and rent a car there in the morning and check out the Peterson Auto Museum, the Reagan & Nixon presidential libraries, maybe see if I could get tickets to be in a studio audience for some show, etc.

Day 3 I'd take the ferry to Catalina and spend most of the day there fishing, snorkeling, whale watching, bicycling, whatever.

Day 4 I'd probably drive to Santa Barbara and spend the day & night there.

Day 5 I would continue up the coast to Pismo Beach. I'd probably rent some quads or dune buggies and spend the late morning/afternoon playing in the dunes by the beach.

Day 6 I'd spend around Monterey doing the tourist stuff there, maybe checking out the Aquarium and Cannery Row and, if the right season, the Monarch sanctuary. On the way you can check out Hearst Castle and the Madonna Inn.

Day 7 I'd spend in SF, checking out chinatown, fisherman's wharf, and hopefully getting tickets to visit Alcatraz. I'd then spend the night in Napa.

Day 8 I'd spend in Napa touring wineries.

Day 9 If you enjoy driving, I'd head up to Humboldt and swing through the Avenue of the Giants and then loop back via highway 36 to i5 to spend the night in Sacramento. If you don't like long days of driving I'd head towards the Sierra Nevadas. If you like cutesy quaint old gold rush towns, I'd spend the night in a bed & breakfast in Grass Valley. If you like gambling I'd make it south lake tahoe.

Day 10 I'd spend in Sacramento. You can check out old town, maybe do the underground tour. Or spend some time on the river.



If you really don't care about SF or Napa, from Monterey I'd cut across the valley to Yosemite, spend two nights & a day there, and then go up to Tahoe, spend a day or two there, and then make my way down to Sac.

[ranger]

Great input - thanks. As far as what we are trying to do - this is a rehearsal for retirement and seeing the US. Wife has a pending knee replacement so nothing too strenuous.

This is a rough idea that I may change based on recent feedback

Tue Fly in San Diego 67F-49F From airport
Wed San Diego 67F-49F
Thu San Diego 67F-49F
Fri Drive Santa Barbara 67F-49F From San Diego
Sat Drive Monterey 60F-47F From Santa Barbara
Sun Monterey 60F-47F
Mon Drive Yosemite 58F-33F From Monterey
Tue Yosemite 58F-33F
Wed Drive Lake Tahoe 49F-28F From Yosemite
Thu Lake Tahoe 49F-28F
Fri Fly out Sacramento 68F-47F From Lake Tahoe
Sat Arrive Atlanta

[Exiledviking]

Take the 5 to the 405 to the 10 to the PCH.

I second the above. By far the smoothest.

[Coyotesfan97]

It’s been awhile since I’ve driven CA but I’ll be the third to say Hearst Castle. I took the general tour and wish I’d thought about booking one of the other more detailed tours.

I loved Monterey and Carmel. The Monterey Aquarium is awesome.

If it works with your drive I’d go to Bodie Historic Park and see the ghost town. I’ve been twice

[Torsius]

Bodie doesn’t fit into that itinerary, but it’s awesome. Skip Morro Bay, check out Cayucos. If you are going to Monterey, I would avoid Salinas. You have some great drives on that trip!

[Zincwarrior]

I spend a ton of time in San Diego although I rarely play tourist. When I do, the Midway and the Zoo are awesome places.
Midway is very fun IF her knees can take going up and down stairs.

I would also recommend the Winchester House up San Francisco way and the Japanese gardens.

[ranger]

I was stationed at FT Ord first duty assignment out of college as a 2LT IN officer - original cadre for 7th ID (Light). We were newly weds and very fortunately got post housing, While I was literally walking all over the West Coast (until I took over as TOW PLT LDR with M151 Jeeps!) - especially FT Hunter Liggett - she worked at Carmel Valley seeing the rich and famous as a bank teller. Definitely look forward to seeing the changes around Monterey area. This is a retirement rehearsal trip - part of this will be learning what we like to do, see, etc. Lots of great advice so far - keep it coming! We will certainly just scratch the surface this trip.

[Guinnessman]

Ranger,

What is your hotel in San Diego? San Diego is one of my favorite food cities in the US. Here is where I would go depending on what you are looking for:

1. OB Noodle House in Ocean Beach. This is a great little dive in Ocean Beach that specializes in your standard Noodles and Pho. Their Spicy Garlic Wings are outstanding!

2. Hoodads in Ocean Beach. Great burgers.

3. Ballast Point Tasting Room. This gem is in Little Italy and offers the entire collection of Ballast Point beer. The food here is great as well.

4. El Indio. Mexican food

5. Lucha Libres. Mexican food.

6. Mitch’s Seafood

7. Coyote Cafe in Old Town. Mexican that’s highly recommended by some locals I know.

In Sacramento I would eat at the Rio City Cafe on the river, and stop by Fannie Ann’s or Dive Bar for a drink.

Those are just a few off the top of my head.🍺

[0ddl0t]

Whichever route you go, I recommend plugging it into https://www.roadsideamerica.com/ and seeing what oddities & attractions are along the way to break up the driving.

Starting in San Diego, you might also consider an afternoon in Tijuana. Great food, but stick to bottled water/soda/beer. Lots of opportunities to practice Spanish and/or dickering over prices in the open air markets. Most women I've taken have come back with a few faux designer items...

If you like checking out caves, there are a ton in California. You can repel ~200 feet into the Moaning caverns, walk in the Subway Caves, or take a tour of the Shasta Caverns (though I'd avoid the later if your wife has knee issues: you'll climb/descend over 600 stairs on the tour).

That reminds me, you should probably skip Alcatraz if taking someone with a bad knee.

To avoid Socal city traffic, I very much recommend the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner. You can take it from SD to Ventura to skip LA traffic entirely, or you can even take it as far north as San Luis Obispo. No need to stress and both of you will be rewarded with better ocean views (at least outside of the immediate LA metro area) that you can take in over cocktails
https://drifttravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Amtrak-Pacific-Surfliner.jpg

[Seven_Sicks_Two]

It sounds like other have mentioned driving up the coast vs. taking the 5 up the Central Valley. That's sound advice. I grew up in the valley, but then spent 13-ish years in San Diego (I moved about 4 years ago to OR).

It sounds like your wife is already planning on checking out the SD Zoo. While you're there, Balboa Park has a lot to offer. There are some great museums, interesting architecture and some neat history. I always particularly enjoyed the Museum of Man. They tend to have interesting exhibits on unusual topics... previous exhibits included torture and the history of beer. It looks like the current exhibit is focused on cannibalism.

Hodad's in Ocean Beach is a great burger and a local favorite. Fair warning, the rest of OB has a hippie vibe with lots of homeless, beach burnouts, and barflys. While you're down there, check out Sunset Cliffs.

If you're into craft beer, San Diego has a ton of options. Most of the breweries have pretty decent restaurants.

The tacos at Tacos El Gordo are worth trying. The restaurants are off the beaten path in some sketchy neighborhoods, but in a town with tons of taco shops, the lines at Tacos El Gordo are always long... the tacos are that good.

For more typical touristy stuff, check out the Gaslamp for bars and restaurants, Little Italy, and Old Town.

The USS Midway is tour is pretty cool if you're into history, boats, planes, etc.

For some early California history, the Mission San Diego de Alcala was the first Franciscan mission in the Californias and founded by Junipero Serra. Tours are available at a pretty low cost and it is an interesting way to burn a couple hours.

Spend some time at the beach. There are a handful of beach communities that sort of all run together, but each has it's own vibe.

[ranger]

As far as hotels, I have used a Marriott credit card for many years - will try to use points at Marriott system properties at many of the locations. Will use points for most of the Enterprise rental car too. I like the train idea - not sure how to work that around the logistics of this trip.

Some good ideas about rappelling down into deep caverns - wife and I may get tired of each other and I could leave here there for a few days :)

[wrmettler]

Perhaps you should check if the roads are open through Yosemite to Lake Tahoe.
You'll be there in March, and there will probably snow on all the roads through the Sierras.

The drive on US1 is excellent. Take your time and enjoy.

Jealous.

[ranger]

Perhaps you should check if the roads are open through Yosemite to Lake Tahoe.
You'll be there in March, and there will probably snow on all the roads through the Sierras.

The drive on US1 is excellent. Take your time and enjoy.

Jealous.

Being a Georgia boy - did not think about road closures. Thanks

[0ddl0t]

As far as hotels, I have used a Marriott credit card for many years - will try to use points at Marriott system properties at many of the locations.

We have a Marriott timeshare at Newport Coast Villas in Orange County. We love it so much we often use points to stay extra days.

https://cdn.redweek.com/photos/full/6/1/6/61685.jpg
https://odis.homeaway.com/odis/listing/d7a46554-0f65-435e-94d0-eec11dcb5112.c10.jpg

We also love the rustic beachfront cabins just down the hill at Crystal Cove State Park. These book first come, first serve 6 months in advance: https://crystalcove.org/beach-cottages/reserve-now/

https://judylesko.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/img_3839b.jpg

[OlongJohnson]

It sounds like other have mentioned driving up the coast vs. taking the 5 up the Central Valley. That's sound advice.

Both of those are wrong.

If you and your wife are sports car people, or just scenery people, you have an amazing opportunity.

Between San Diego and I-10, roads east of the 15 are good.

Hit Azusa Canyon Road up and Glendora Mountain Road down on your way through the LA area. This is a road that Mazda used for development of the current Miata. It was in Motor Trend, so it must be true.

Pick up Mulholland at Topanga, take it to 23N. Jump on freeways to get to 23N again at Moorpark.

Alternately, from GMR, take the 210 to 2N, peel off on Angeles Forest Highway, and then take the 14 back to 5 to 126.

Then 126, 150, 33, Bitterwater, Parkfield, 198, 25, 101 drone to 130.

Do that drive in March, and you will be convinced that God loves us. Even if you are an atheist.

You won't see many people, or many tourist sites, but it will be awesome. Since you have a week, you can probably figure out how to add in some tourist stuff if you want. But I still recommend the roads.

Of course, check ahead for closures, due to California's proclivity for flash flood erosion, soil movement, fires, etc.

[Seven_Sicks_Two]

Both of those are wrong.

If you and your wife are sports car people, or just scenery people, you have an amazing opportunity.

Between San Diego and I-10, roads east of the 15 are good.

Hit Azusa Canyon Road up and Glendora Mountain Road down on your way through the LA area. This is a road that Mazda used for development of the current Miata. It was in Motor Trend, so it must be true.

Pick up Mulholland at Topanga, take it to 23N. Jump on freeways to get to 23N again at Moorpark.

Alternately, from GMR, take the 210 to 2N, peel off on Angeles Forest Highway, and then take the 14 back to 5 to 126.

Then 126, 150, 33, Bitterwater, Parkfield, 198, 25, 101 drone to 130.

Do that drive in March, and you will be convinced that God loves us. Even if you are an atheist.

You won't see many people, or many tourist sites, but it will be awesome. Since you have a week, you can probably figure out how to add in some tourist stuff if you want. But I still recommend the roads.

Of course, check ahead for closures, due to California's proclivity for flash flood erosion, soil movement, fires, etc.

Anything is preferable to the long slog from the Grapevine exit through the worst parts of California.

[Torsius]

Olong isn’t wrong, but that is a little ambitious. I would find a fun route from Monterey to Yosemite on https://www.pashnit.com/

[ranger]

Update - flying from Atlanta to San Diego tomorrow night.

Current plan is:
San Diego (2+ days) - SD Zoo
Santa Barbara (overnight)
Monterey area (2+ days) - stationed at FT Ord a long time ago - see how area has changed
Yosemite(2 days)
Lake Tahoe (2 days)
Sacramento (fly to Atlanta)

Will try to stay away from crowds and HOPE not to get sick on plane/airports.

[ranger]

Update - we are home. Got off redeye from Sacramento into Atlanta Saturday at 0600 and then drove to Savannah, GA to pick up the two Daschunds being watched by our daughter. RON in Savannah then drove back to Canton (NW of Atlanta).

It was a great trip - will add a more detailed AAR.

[0ddl0t]

With all this new snow, I'm glad you didn't get stuck in Tahoe & miss your flight!

[ranger]

With all this new snow, I'm glad you didn't get stuck in Tahoe & miss your flight!

We were Blessed with great weather the entire time. Yes, we got out of Lake Tahoe right before the snow!

[ranger]

California Trip AAR – Long, feel free to ignore!

I am a frequent traveler and earned a lot of loyalty points. Used points for Marriott hotels, Enterprise rental car, and parking offsite ATL. Used Delta upgrade tickets – bought Coach upgraded to First Class. Why California – limited choices to use Delta upgrades, rehearsing for retirement to see large sections of US, Wedding Anniversary (37!) – FT Ord was first “home” out of college while we were newlyweds, wife’s bucket list included San Diego Zoo.

Note we traveled right at CV19 issue got serious and we arrived back in Atlanta just as “social distancing” was starting.

Great flight from Atlanta to San Diego - fewer people than usual at ATL and we got through TSA Precheck quickly. Plane not full. Seated First Class. Arrived around midnight – rental car area closed – Uber to hotel. Got rental car next day – Enterprise gave us a Jaquar F Pace AWD 3.0T SUV as upgrade when I asked for AWD/4WD. Very cool!

Per wife’s bucket list, spent day 1 at San Diego Zoo – all day – had a great visit. Day 2 we used the touristy Trolley Tour to go all over San Diego – ate a great lunch at Mexican restaurant in Old Town.

Day 3 travel day with stop south of Santa Barbara – opportunity to drive through-around LA. As a daily Atlanta commuter – I was surprised at how slow people drive in LA. Slow traffic seemed driver induced not an issue with roads. This theme continued throughout CA. Amazed at speed limits on major roads of 35, 40, etc.

Next few days spent vicinity Monterey. I was stationed at FT Ord as a new 2LT Infantry officer right out of IOBC, etc. after college. We were newlyweds. I spent my life in the field and she worked at Carmel Valley bank. Very strange with FT Ord closed – our hotel was inside the former base perimeter. Our first “house” was a duplex – we could get close to it but that housing area was abandoned and fenced off – look like zombie movie set. Déjà vu riding around the former post seeing old motor pools, barracks, etc. The better post housing is now used by Presidio-DLI, golf courses are public, local college on site. Hope they all stay out of the impact area!

Spent most of a day at Monterey Bay Aquarium and ate at the tourist places on the wharf.

Headed to Yosemite – what a beautiful drive over the mountains! Stayed at Rush Creek Lodge just outside the gate. Off season so not crowded and great rates. Ate all our meals there. Had a private guide show us around the Yosemite valley – again, just beautiful. Weather was nice – not cold – saw some snow but none on roads.

Drove to Lake Tahoe – again beautiful drive. The paddle shifters on the Jaguar came in handy downshifting on steep grades. Basically came down from Yosemite then back up over the mountains to Lake Tahoe. Roads were clear but lots of snow everywhere. We were very Blessed that we were in between snow events and did not require chains. Basically spent a day driving around Lake Tahoe plus meals.

Last day was leaving Lake Tahoe driving to Sacramento International Airport. Another beautiful drive and opportunity to use paddle shifters. Turned in rental car, checked in bags, through TSA precheck. I paid for VIP lounge access as we were there for several hours waiting on plane – we got our monies worth out of food, snacks, drinks, comfy chairs. Airport was deserted. I think everyone on plane was in First Class or Comfort Plus by the time upgrades were given out.

Arrived at ATL 0600 on Saturday, collected bags, and car – trip complete with no issues and just before major travel restrictions, etc.

[Chain]

Good to read you had a nice trip --- I think you definitely made it just under the wire!

I used to live in San Diego and ya the zoo is great