The proper sun-soaked, west coast road-trip.

Take too many photos, spend the day in the sand or with your feet up on the dash.

Our goal was simple, and for the most part I believe we achieved it. We wanted to save money while exploring as much of it as we could.

Rethink accommodation:  Take preparation and map things out realistically. Be flexible and pack what you would need to camp along the way, or to sleep in your car.

We used the bookings.com app and were extremely pleased with how it listed hotels in our area, and provided photos and reviews. We weren’t looking for anything fancy, and managed to stay under $60/night except when we stayed for 3x that in San Francisco. 

Commit to driving 4-5 hours a day, and remember to enjoy the road. 

“Woah, it looks just like Canada,” we laughed.

We packed up the car, and headed for the ferry. We crossed the boarder south of Surrey, mountains lined the path, ones we would usually only see from a distance on the island. Franchises began to line and infest the highways, with their signs breaking the horizon.

We grabbed a taco and continued on to Seattle- where we indulged in mary-jane and experienced the streets.

Cool stuff we did in Seattle: 

1. Pike Place Market- we woke early, most of the place was still closed and no one was throwing around fish yet. However, there is a vibe mixed in with some subway tile while the merchants set up. Check out the original Starbucks, the gum-alley and take a wander.

2.  Frank Gehry’s EMP-  Fuck the Space Needle, take a walk around and appreciate the lush creativity that this building radiates. On the inside, pay tribute to rock legends like Hendrix, Cobain and others.

3. Chihuly’s Garden and Glass- This gallery will blow your mind.  Full of vibrant glass that has been pulled and twisted into bold creations. This gallery is for everyone, and I highly recommend it. Sit under the glass ceiling and let your imagination take you.

Astoria is the definition of quaint. The streets are lined with vintage shops, deco structures and a community that supports it’s local businesses. It is also where Goonies was filmed. Our hotel sat beside the bridge and we were surprised to see that our balcony stood over the harbour below. Giving us a prime view of the Columbus River sending boats out to the Pacific. Surrounded by rollings hills and crashing waves, Astoria is a great introduction to Oregon and you can just hit Portland on your way back. Astoria is where we made the decision to take our time going South.

We wouldn’t only follow highway 101, but when the highway would drift from the coast and go inland, we would change to the old highway 1. This was the best decision we ever made. We continued down to Florence, OR, where we planned on seeing the sand dunes and perhaps sliding down them.

We stayed at a National Park and rented a Yurt for $40. We had bunk beds, heat, light and were finally experiencing this ‘luxury camping’ our lazier friends had been bragging about.

But when you’re traveling all day and you arrive at night, you’ll be thankful to crawl into a yurt.

The dunes were amazing, and set up a great panoramic view. Kilometres away from where we stood on top of one, we could see crashing waves pounding the shoreline, echoing back to us.

There are also options to rent ATVs, so maybe do that.

The yurt proved to be cozy, we slept like babies in our hot pocket.

Continuing down 101 we watched valleys, huge trees and ocean from our car windows go by.

Black rocks pierced the sea and struck us amoung the gloomy gray sky, and just like that, the sky cleared a bright blue when we crossed the boarder into California.

We caught the sun set in Crescent City, CA and drove through the redwood highway into Eureka.

Lost Coast proved to be an amazing brewery with a wild selection of brews, and food.

All mixed into their odd decor and awesome ambiance. We decided to reach Eureka for no particular reason, but to have a great head start to get us to San Francisco.

Take a wander around Eureka at night, and get a feel for the quiet, sleeping city.

We woke to a light rain and the Redwood highway. We were up high and clouds hung low, trees were thick, large and covered in moss, reminding us of our beautiful British Columbia. We followed highway to Leggett, CA. We adored the vintage advertisements for the ‘drive through the giant tree’ attraction and decided to go. From there we joined highway 1 and took the old, winding, coastal highway which was the best part of our trip.

The rest of the drive to San Francisco involved carving the cliff 100 ft above the sea, in and out of bends constantly and no guard rails. Phantom Planet had it wrong, take 1, not 101, if you’re going back to Cali. Imagine curving the coast high above with the most amazing views around you. Take this road all the way down to Mexico! Finding a hotel in San Francisco isn’t easy, but because it was sought after we committed to a high priced downtown location, which overcharged you for breathing. Check out cheaper hotels closer to presidio, and you’ll be happy.

Cool stuff we did in San Francisco: In a place as cool as San Francisco, I believe you should do the same as any unique worldwide attraction- get lost. It’s not about buying a t-shirt with a streetcar on it, or grabbing lunch at a tourist haven. Grab some fresh bread, cheese, wine, water and explore the streets, sit in parks and smell the flowers. 1. Presidio End your day here. Make time to reach the park before the sun sets, pack a blanket and a bottle of wine and bid farewell to the day with the locals. Walk through the Palace of Fine Arts and Theatre on your way there, the beauty at dusk is uplifting. Read more about San Francisco destinations here. 

The transition into Southern California was heartening. When we left San Francisco after a couple nights, we took a drive by the painted ladies and continued on the coastal highway. Surfers, sand and bright blue hues lined the roadway as the sun hit our shoulders. We filled our cooler with deli foods and freshly-squeezed orange juice as we drove aimlessly South, ending our day in Big Sur. Big Sur is a definite. We were lucky to find a spot to camp, where we sat in a sandy cove with a bottle of wine as the waves pounded the surf white before us. The next morning we explored to find the old kilns used to make the bricks in ‘frisco, and a waterfall that provided a refreshing urge to continue on.

We climbed the campground’s driveway back onto the roadway with stunning views. We drank more orange juice, stopped in Santa Cruz for lunch and at a beach every once and awhile for good measure. Again, not planning on having a specific destination the sun started to set. A giant thick line of purple stretched across the clear horizon, followed by pinks, oranges and barely blues. Palm trees faced the sea, reflecting the sky. We found peace in Santa Barbara, parked ourselves on the beach and didn’t leave for days. Our nights were filled with swimming, laughs, and beer. Our days, full sun and OJ.