Now that we have recovered somewhat from our Teutonic Adventure in Austria and Germany this past summer, we have begun looking toward Trip 2011. Our pattern has been to alternate between a domestic trip and a foreign trip. The reason for this is two-fold. First, it gives us a chance to save for the more expensive foreign endeavors. But just as importantly – there is SO much to see right here in our own country.
So with that being said, we have obviously made a decision about this coming summer – CALIFORNIA! We haven’t done a ton of research yet, and certainly haven’t tried to work out costs, but we are both pretty excited about it. Our first thought was to fly to San Francisco, visit with some friends there, and then rent an RV to drive to the famous parks (Yosemite, Sequoia, etc.) on our way north to Oregon and Washington. But after looking at a map and realizing that Yosemite and Sequoia are south of San Fran and that it is a LONG way to Oregon, we’ve amended our plan.
For all who know me, it is no shock that Disneyland is on my bucket-list. Having worked at WDW, I’ve always wanted to go to California and see the original. What a perfect trip for it! So now we are thinking that we could fly into Los Angeles, go to Disneyland and California Adventure, do some sites around the LA/Orange County/Pasadena area, and then rent the RV and head north.
We knew going in that we wanted to see Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks. Based on our initial research (a DK guidebook), we think we’d like to see Kings Canyon National Park, Bodie State Historic Park, Lake Tahoe, and Donner Memorial State Park as well. We’d also like to drive through Napa Valley a little bit on our way into San Francisco. Then we can spend some time in San Fran with friends before catching a plane home.
Now all we have to do is figure out how long we have and how much this is going to cost and we’re all set! 🙂 This promises to be a very different trip for us. I will be adding another state to my list (though Emily has been to California before). It will also be the first time we’ve rented/driven an RV. Since we want to see so many State and National Parks, it seems like it will be a great way to travel. We want to rent one of the relatively small ones that would be easy to drive around towns so we don’t feel trapped at camp sites. Of course, this is based on very minimal research – so if it turns out to cost too much, we’ll most likely rent a car instead.
No matter how we decide to do it, it will be a great adventure in the Golden State!
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