Travel Stories & Achievable Adventures
We wanted to get away for the Thanksgiving long weekend without breaking the bank and decided on Santa Barbara since neither of us had visited before. We stayed in a quaint Airbnb just a five minute drive from bustling downtown SB, which was just the right amount of time to hit up all of the town’s hot spots: its historic county courthouse, the pier, Mission Santa Barbara, and the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.
This spring break led myself and a few friends to explore the Pacific coastal areas of Big Sur, Carmel, and Monterey – destinations touted for their aquatic life, picturesque coastlines, and outdoor activities. We only had less than two days to traverse the area so we made sure to do diligent research beforehand and created a worthwhile itinerary.
As a resident of the California now, it only made sense that I venture to what I had heard toted as the mystical land of Yosemite National Park. We were only there for three nights, and despite skepticism of obtaining a campsite without having reserved ahead of time we lucked out and got a site when we arrived Friday afternoon. Word of advice though – October is probably the last acceptable month to camp in the area, as it was pretty chilly! Saturday night also saw an unfortunate amount of rain that managed to flood our tent…
Friday evening we visited Olmsted Point, and the major endeavor of our trip was hiking the John Muir Trail up to Vernal and Nevada Falls the next day. Again, we made it just in time to see some water left in the falls. The hike wasn’t too strenuous, but did consist of a good amount of stairs – I can only imagine how packed the narrow stair pathways would be during the summer. The journey was a beautiful one though, as one 7-year-old-looking girl exclaimed to me on her way down, “it is just a beautiful view up there!”.
We had a little too much fun with our European neighbors that night to take on the big hike up to Glacier Point the next morning so we drove our lazy asses up there. It’s the highest point in the park and certainly the most breathtaking one. All in all, the geographer in me totally nerded out at Yosemite’s vast topography and three days definitely was not enough!
Olmsted Point at Sunset:
The Famous El Capitan:
The Hike up to Nevada and Vernal Falls:
Vernal Falls:
Above Nevada Falls:
Driving up to Glacier Point:
View from Glacier Point:
I had the fortune of visiting Humboldt for what will likely be the last time in a while, and what I wanted to highlight during this visit was my camping excursion there. We set out to Trinidad, California, which is nestled beautifully right on the Pacific Ocean, to Patrick’s Point State Park.
The fee to camp and enter the site is $35, which I’ve heard is quite good in comparison to B.C. prices, and I must say the campgrounds are probably the most attractive ones I’ve seen. Each spot is nicely secluded from the others by greenery, as if you each have your own little home in the ‘neighbourhood’. Apparently the park is bustling with visitors during the summer, but I would say there were no more than 15 groups at this campground in the middle of May.
After choosing our site, we set out to explore the beach right by our plot and to walk the various little trails of the park. Patrick’s Point is scattered with numerous lookout points, including the picturesque Wedding Rock – aptly named for its attraction as a wedding photo destination.
I won’t go into too many details, but we definitely had a lovely stay while there. The grounds were incredibly well kept and provided a beautiful and relaxing getaway for 24 hours. You’ll also see and hear some great – and adorable – Californian wildlife during your stay there.
Part of Wedding Rock
Prying this hatchet out of stubborn wood that we were trying to make firewood out of
View from another lookout point
Mussel Rock
The beach right by our site where we ate lunch
