Back in 2012, my family was living in California. Now, before you go and get all jealous thinking we were living the lap of luxury on a beach somewhere–think again. We were stationed at Edwards AFB which is smack dab in the middle of the Mojave Desert and there is no civilization around it. None. Just an Air Force Base. Yep.
During our stay in California, my husband got called up for deployment. Before he went, we took a family vacation down Highway 1 in California. We didn’t travel the whole length of California, but started in San Francisco and headed down to end in Santa Barbara. It was an incredible trip with incredible sights. So, if you ever wanna drive at least a portion of Highway 1, which skirts along the coast, these are the things I would recommend doing.
SAN FRANCISCO
I’ll highlight my two top sightseeing attractions and give a runner-up.
Alcatraz
I’m a criminologist by trade, so Alcatraz is the ultimate place to go. It did not disappoint. It’s old, probably a little haunted, and just a very cool place to tour. You do have to take a short boat ride out there and the views of the Golden Gate Bridge are awesome. One thing that I learned was that the families of the guards actually lived on Alcatraz with them, kids and all. The kids would take a boat over each day for school and sometimes the women would go over with them to grocery shop and run errands. How I’d love to talk to one of those wives! Be sure to get your tickets in advance, they sell out weeks ahead of time.
Angel Island
This next attraction isn’t exactly in San Francisco, but it’s close enough. You have to go across the Golden Gate Bridge to get to it. It’s called Angel Island and before going I had never heard of it. It is the Ellis Island of the West. Angel Island is where immigrants would come to “check in” to the country. It was mostly people from Asian countries, which makes sense. The island is beautiful. Plan to hike. You’ll wanna get to the top and see the views.
Runner-Up:
Fisherman’s Wharf and the San Francisco Aquarium. They are right next to each other.
Cool Place to Eat:
Go to Chinatown. There are a million places to chose from to eat, but just go and experience the culture of Chinatown. We ordered this tea with a flower in it and while drinking the tea the flower blooms in the bottom of your cup. That was new. The waitress also told us about a fortune cookie factory that we could go to. She gave us directions and we literally ended up in a back alleyway at some random door. The “factory” was just mom, dad, and their adult kids churning out fortune cookies for the world. They couldn’t speak English, but they were super friendly and gave us some fortune cookies for free.
MONTEREY BAY
Your next stop should be Monterey Bay. You can also stop in Santa Cruz or San Jose, but I’m going to do full blogs on those places at another time. For this trip, we didn’t stop at those two cities. My husband lived in Monterey Bay when his step-dad was stationed there. Lucky kid. Monterey Bay is known for Cannery Row. It’s a great little downtown area full of shops and restaurants. There are two major things I would suggest doing here. One: Go to the Aquarium. It’s right down near Cannery Row.
Two: Rent bikes and ride along the coast. Ride to Lover’s Point and stop off. You might get to see sea lions. It’s a great ride and you’ll enjoy the ocean, the rocks, and the beautiful town of Monterey Bay.
Where to Eat:ย
There are plenty of places to eat in Cannery Row, so I’m not going to suggest any one place. However, there is a candy shop there with candy in big wooden barrels that I would suggest visiting. Kids will love it.
CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
Be sure as you drive along the coast that you stop off and enjoy the scenery.
Carmel is a small, quaint little town that I absolutely fell in love with. While here, you must go see Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Rio Carmelo. This is one of my favorites of the missions. The flowers and the silence there is so refreshing. It is also where St. Junipero Serra, founder of the missions, is buried. If you are hungry for a place that feels holy, this is the place.
After visiting the Mission, I would suggest going to the local grocery store. Brunos Market and Deli is a tiny, non-chain place that will make you feel sorta European. Pick out some picnic food and take it down to the beach. The beach is set among high cliffs and there are sandhills that kids (and adults) will love rolling down. Explore the beach and take a walk. I love this town and you will, too.
BIG SUR
Big Sur is a state park. If you are a camper, you’ll love it here. We stopped off just for a day hike, which I highly recommend. The trees loom over you and the cool forest is extremely pleasant to walk through.
HEARST CASTLE
Hearst Castle isn’t really in a town. It sits just off the coast between Big Sur and Morro Bay. It’s a must-see in your life. You can’t imagine the opulence and luxury that some people live in. The mansion is open for tours and I’d plan to spend a good bit of time there. Very young kids won’t be too interested in it, but it’s a great history lesson for older ones. It was owned by William Hearst who was a newspapermanย back in the day and obviously he did very well for himself.
MORRO BAY
Morro Bay is a small bayside town located just south of Hearst Castle. It’s such a laid-back enjoyable place. The town sits right along the water and not far out in the water are these large, strange rock mounds. You can canoe out to them, which if you have the time I’d recommend. This is a great place to spend the day just enjoying nature and the charm of a small town.
And now, I’m going to let you in on a secret. There is a Thai restaurant very near Morro Bay that is hands-down the best Thai in the US. It’s a tiny restaurant, so much so that you can’t sit inside. It’s on some little side street that is completely unassuming. Let me tell you, once you’ve eaten here, you’ll be a changed person. When you get back home, even if it’s on the East Coast, you will seriously consider buying airplane tickets just to go back to have their food. It’s called Nois Thai Takeout. We stumbled upon it out of sheer luck. Or because God wanted to bless us abundantly. Either way, it was amazing.
SANTA BARBARA
We ended our trip here. I plan on doing a full-up blog on Santa Barbara because I love it and the first mission I ever went to is here–Mission Santa Barbara. So, I won’t go into detail about all to do just yet. Hold out for that blog.
This was a fantastic trip. It’s one I reflect back on often and I smile every time I do. Our country is so amazing and just driving on ONE highway in ONE state gave me a plethora of memories. There is so much to see and do on this trip and I’m sure there are things you would add to this list. I didn’t really list off any places to stay, because we mostly stayed at military bases to save money. I know there are some really great places to stay along this drive and I’d be interested to hear anybody’s thoughts on it.
Till next time, travel well, Catholic Pilgrim!
