03/11/2024
I recently went on a road trip down the Pacific Coast using the historic Highway 101. This trip has been one of the most beautiful drives and we hit so many locations along the way.
Our trip started in Seattle. We flew into Seattle, Washington and immediately hit the Pikes Place Market. We had lunch and did some shopping in the market. We also got to see the first ever Starbucks. Once we saw the market and some of downtown, we hopped on the ferry to Banbridge and started our way over to HWY 1. Our first stop on hwy 101 was in Forks, Washington, you may know the name from the movie Twilight. Twilight is one of mine and my moms favorite movies so of course we had to stop and see the sights and filming locations. We got to see the Swan House and Bella’s truck she used in the movie. On our way out of town we got to see a ton of Elk. It was so cool, because they would just be on the side of the road. Being from the south, we do not get to see elk often. We finished off our day driving towards the Washington-Oregon border. Our first overnight stop was in Astoria, Oregon.
The next day, we woke up to head out and we heard and saw seals behind our hotel. It was so cool and definitely something we don't get to see often. We started our drive into Oregon and our first stop was at Cannon Beach. This is a really cute beach town and a filming location for The Goonies. Cannon Beach was beautiful and the food there was AMAZING. We headed further south and saw more elk, and they were even closer to the road. This part of the trip was mainly just sightseeing on the coast. Our next stop was in Newport, California. We stopped and saw the Yaquina Head Lighthouse and while we were stopped we saw a Bald Eagle. We finished our drive for the day in Crescent City, California.
The next day we woke up to start our drive through the Redwood National Forest. We stopped in the Paul Bunyan Trees of Mysteries. There we got to see SO MANY redwood trees, They had so many different looking ones and even the most famous redwood tree, The Brotherhood Tree. The Brotherhood tree is 297 feet tall and 19 feet in diameter. The trees were truly beautiful and definitely something to add to your bucket list. Our next stop was in Eureka, California. We stopped and ate lunch and saw the Eureka Boardwalk. We then kept driving and we made it to the Drive Through Tree, otherwise known as the Chandelier Tree. We finished our drive through California and over the Golden Gate and stayed the night in San Francisco, California.
Day 3, we had a full day in San Francisco. We started the morning going to see the house they used for the TV show Full House. We then headed over to Legion of Honor and got a far away view of the Golden Gate bridge. After that we drove to get a closer view of the Golden Gate Bridge at Fort Point. From there we headed over to Fisherman's Wharf for lunch on Pier 39. We got to see more seals and do some shopping. We then purchased our tickets to go see Alcatraz Prison. The prison was a very cool experience. Once you get there, you get to go on a self guided audio tour and experience things from the guards and prisoners perspective while walking around the prison. After we were done at Alcatraz, we headed over to see another movie location, the mansion that was used as the school for The Princess Diaries. We then went to see the famous Painted Ladies houses and check out Lombard Street (it was hard to get a picture that did it justice). Lombard street is the famous windy road in San Francisco. We ended our night in Chinatown, where we got to walk around and eat dinner. The food was AMAZING.
The next day we woke up and headed out to Los Angeles, California. We took a very long drive through California Wine Country. This day we did not stop very much because it was mainly driving through the mountains. We did make it to Santa Barabra in time to check out the downtown area, the Santa Barbara bridge, the Hotel California, and we got to see the beautiful sunset from the Santa Barbara Bridge. We finished our drive in LA in time to see the city celebrating the LA Dodgers win the World Series.
Day 5 was everything LA. We started our morning with a wonderful brunch at Tata’s Cafe. After brunch, we headed out to see the sights. We started in Malibu where we got to see some of the beautiful beach houses and beaches. We also caught a glimpse of some dolphins swimming close to shore. After Malibu, we headed to Santa Monica Pier. Here we shopped, got lunch, witnessed some really cool dancers, and took some photos of the famous pier. After the pier, we headed to Beverly Hills to check out the neighborhood and try to spot some famous houses. Then we drove down Rodeo Drive and headed over to check out the famous Murder House from the TV series American Horror Story. From there, we headed over to the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and went searching for some of our favorite stars. While heading over here we passed a few big music and movie businesses including: Paramount Pictures, Sunset studios, and Capital Records. Then we headed out to Check out the Hollywood sign, We got as close as we could. Then we drove down Sunset Boulevard to go get back on HWY 101 and head south. We made it to Long Beach, California in time to check out The Queen Mary and grab some sushi for dinner. We finished our drive in San Diego, California.
Day 6 was spent all over San Diego. We started the morning with brunch in Mission Hills. We then headed over to Mission Beach Boardwalk to check out the beach. From there, we headed over to Coronado. We checked out the beautiful Coronado Hotel, unfortunately the hotel was under construction, so there was not much to see from the outside. We then took the road from Coronado to the US/Mexico border. The drive to the border was only 30 minutes from San Diego. We stopped and saw the fence along the border and the port of entry. After that we left and headed back into San Diego and went to the Marine Corps Air Station base. The MCAS in Miramar is the original location for the TOP GUN flight school that is now located in Nevada. After driving around the base, we headed into Old Town San Diego and finished out our night celebrating Dia De Los Mu***os (the day of the dead). There we ate great food, saw some really cool sights, like the Whaley House (America's most haunted house), watched people get their faces painted, and did some shopping. It was a great way to end our night.
Our last day on the trip started with brunch in mission hills again and then heading into town for a little while. We decided to go check out the USS Midway. We did a tour of the famous ship and got to see the infamous ‘Embracing Peace’ statue outside of the ship. We then headed to the airport to end our trip with a flight home.
This trip was truly a wonderful time and something I recommend for everyone. We saw so many sights that would take most years to see. The food was to die for, the coast was beautiful, and the memories will last forever.
If you are interested in this roadtrip or any other road trip please let me know. I love planning road trips. You can call/text me at 3184392867 or email me at [email protected].
