California — Blog

A California Honeymoon: 11 days in San Francisco, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, and Half Moon Bay

The eleven days of our trip were spent with a perfect variety of activities - hiking along the coast and picnicking on the beach at sunset, touring Napa and Sonoma valley wineries, exploring several Spanish Missions, visiting the Monterey Aquarium, and more. The best part was that feeling of familiarity that you only get in a place that reminds you of where you grew up - where the visage of the rocky coast and the smell and cushioned forest floor of pine needles on hikes just feel right.

A California Honeymoon: San Francisco (Days 1-2)

The California coast (Pacific Coast Highway, Route 1) is one of the prettiest drives, no matter what part of the state you’re in (I’ve done the entire route in various pieces over the years). It isn’t fast, but it isn’t meant to be. This route is about the journey, not the destination. Catching it on a clear day is a must, as the coast is also given to fog frequently. Given the mountain ranges, fog is often present in the morning and evenings and burns off during the day, though not always. Luckily, after morning fog, our northward drive was fog-free!

A California Honeymoon: Mendocino (Days 2-4)

We had arrived in time for sunset and wandered the short distance to the Mendocino Headlands at the end of the town. We watched as the sun set, the mirroring and, finally, blending of colors along the horizon where the ocean and sky meet for the briefest of moments before the sun disappears and the ocean transforms into a nighttime attire of opaque black.

A California Honeymoon: Napa & Sonoma (Days 4-7)

Having imbibed enough for the day - the amount of alcohol consumed during tastings adds up! - we decided to enjoy the outdoors with a hike at the Bothe-Napa State Park and hiked the Redwood Trail. Fun fact: this park is home to the most inland coastal redwood trees. The trail is 3.3 miles out-and-back and was pretty sparsely populated since of course the wineries are the prime attraction for the area. After an exhausting day, we decided to return to our B&B and eat our leftover pizza poolside.

A California Honeymoon: Monterey (Days 7-10)

We spent a couple of days in and around Monterey. We visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which we arrived at early in the day before the crowds. It is one of my favorite aquariums I have been to. As is also the case outside the confines of the aquarium, the coastal area has a lot of seals, sea otters, and sea lions. We grabbed lunch at the cafe at the aquarium and were able to get a window seat to watch sea lions doing what they do best, which appears to be superbly lounging with occasional dips in the water.

A California Honeymoon: Moss Beach (Days 10-11)

It’s an interesting thing how seals can be laying en masse along the beach and yet be so still that you can nearly walk up to them. Oops! We were probably much closer than we should have been before we even saw them. On a sad note, a little ways down the beach was also a dead seal pup with waves washing up and over him.

What's the deal with these missions in California anyway?

In our California honeymoon blog series, we described visiting three missions: San Francisco Solano, San Juan Bautista, and Carmel. This blog explains a bit of the history that led to the building of the missions in California and what their impact was on the native and newly arrived communities there.