Big Sur Road Trip- San Francisco to Morro Bay

John and I just returned from a road trip that revealed some of the most spectacular natural treasures on our country's western coast. Maintaining a thorough level of entertainment received from audio books, MASH, and celebrity name games, we took the 12 hour drive from Phoenix to San Francisco. We made our way down the central coast of Califonia, soaking in its nenver-ending beauty. We traveled through Monterey, Carmel, countless state parks and hiking trails, and began wrapping up our trip in Morro Bay. Our trip ended in a quick cut across California to LA for the SIFE compeition where we took regionals, sending us through to nationals in Minnesota! It was an extraordinary journey, and I am looking forward to sharing it with you. For those of you looking for a new adventure I highly recommend this trip, and hopefully, I will be able manifest some of the exciting pit-stops, attractions, and natural wonders along the way. I will post about each of our stop's over the next few days. Tomorrow's post: Our first taste of San Francisco!

The Garmin

From the last post, it may seem like I was bragging a little about my family…well I might just have to do a little more of it. Sorry, I can’t help that my family is so cool! Before leaving, my dad presented us with our very own GARMIN, our trip’s life saver! I honestly do not know how we would have survived San Francisco, or any of our “unplanned detours” without this contraption. It gives play-by-play directions with endless map views. You can type in addresses, points of interest, and you can even generate directions to the nearest gas station, hospital, restaurant, etc. I am thoroughly impressed and highly recommend this GPS! Thank you mom and dad!!! Road trip details will be posted as soon as our thusly-fabulous trip is over!

AAAmazing

Sooo AAA is incredible...and so are my in-laws! They told John and I that if you are a AAA member, and you email the company your "points of interest" for a road trip, they will send you maps and directions. I have to admit my expectations were not the highest, but when we got the package in the mail I was quite astounded! The box was full of all sorts of maps, highlighted and detailed directions, and travel guides with dining and lodging suggestions. If you are going on a road trip and are a AAA member or know someone who is, DO THIS!!! Thanks Mom&Dad D for hooking us up!

"Dang, I Forget My..." Packing List

Those easily forgettable items that you often overlook when packing can end up causing some sort of mini-crisis on your road trip. In order to avoid these slight catostrohpeses I have come up with a list of things people often forget, and by people, I mean me. But maybe you can relate. If you think of other essentials not on the list please feel free to comment!

Cell phone charger
Extra set of car keys just in case!
Directions
Confirmation Print-outs
Any activity coupons or discounts
Cash
iPod and Charger
Camera, and Film if needed
Digital Camera Charger
Batteries
Flashlight
Alarm Clock
Pillow
Tissues
Sunglasses
Sewing Kit and Safety Pins
Q-tips
Toiletries (hair, makeup, shower, tooth brush and tooth paste, etc)
Deodorant
Razor (both men and women)
Chap-stick
Ear plugs
First Aid Kit (Band-Aids, Advil, Neospoirn, Immodium, etc)
Hand Sanitizer/ Antibacterial Wipes
Bug Spray
Sunscreen
Aloe Vera (if you forget the sunscreen...)
Beach Towels
Swiss Army Knife
Paper and Pen
Camping gear if applicable (tent, grill, chairs etc)
Plastic Eating Utensils, Plates, and Cups
Hiking/Tennis Shoes
Backpack for hiking/ day trips
Poncho/Umbrella
Lots of socks
Bag for dirty clothes (we just use a trash bag)
Swimsuit
Flip Flops (for shower use if camping)
Cooler with Ice Packs
and of course, food for the road and some ziplocks for storage!

Preparation- Girl Scout Style

In my last post about preparation, I scratched the surface of this all-important girl scout principle. Well, girl scouts are not just prepared for what they know is coming, but are prepared for the unexpected. Thus, this post focuses on some prep steps we have begun to take that aren't as obvious but just as important.

WEATHER: Ok, so you can't control the weather. You might think the only way to prepare is by praying that your days spent out of town will be sunny, warm and dry; however, there are some steps you can take to make sure you are prepared for the weather that lies ahead. weather.com is easy to navigate. Simply type in your destination and look at the month forecast. Ok, so it only gives you about 2 weeks in advance, but the great thing is, it also gives you averages from previous years. These are typically good indicators of what the temperature and precipitation will be like. Since our road-trip will occur in a slightly wet month for California, we are preparing for rain with ponchos (can be bought for around $0.99 at target) and umbrellas. The key to being prepared for varying temps is layers layers layers! Bring clothes you can layer in the morning or on colder days and take off when the weather is sunny!

FOOD: Eating out 2-3 meals a day for an entire week can get pretty expensive. John and I came to this realization on our honeymoon in Tahiti and soon hit up the local grocery store for some bread and peanut butter to satisfy our lunch cravings. Even fast food can soon eat away at your vacation budget, so here are a few tips to avoid this. Plan on eating out only 1 meal a day (we usually pick dinner). Pick a couple days, based on where you will be, to splurge on a nice meal out and keep the rest to casual dining institutes. If you plan this out you are much more likely to stick to your budget! For breakfast, take advantage of your hotel's continental breakfast. Almost every hotel provides some sort of breakfast, even the sketchy ones usually do...trust me I know. Most breakfasts end fairly early, so if you don't like getting up or eating that early, wake up and grab something that will keep for a few hours then go back to sleep. If you are prone to motion sickness or have a sensitive stomach while traveling BANANAS will be your life savers. Take a bunch with you, they will last for at least the first 4 days of you trip if you buy them green. For lunch bring food like a loaf of bread, peanut butter, beef jerky, and fruits and veggies with peels. Viola! Lunch for super cheap, you can eat it on the road, and it will all keep well (I recommend buying a collapsable cooler). Don't forget, other cities have grocery stores too, so stock up when you see one!

DRIVING: Let me keep this one short and sweet. Print out directions from EVERY place you are going to the destination you would like to arrive at. INCLUDE DIRECTIONS TO PARKING GARAGES IF YOU ARE VISITING A BUSY CITY LIKE SAN FRANCISCO. This will save you a lot of stress. You do not want to arrive at your destination only to discover there is no visible place to park nearby. Plus, we have found that if you research ahead of time, you can figure out which nearby garage is the cheapest! If you do not have a GPS, try to borrow one (thanks dad!) A GPS will be really helpful, especially if mapquest gives you bad directions, which is sadly all too possible. If you know someone familiar with the area, verify directions with them.

The Ultimate Costal Road Trip Mix

The epitome of John and I's favorite music is a song that makes us feel like we are driving down the beach on a sunny day with the windows rolled down. Well, since we will be doing quite a bit of that on our upcoming road trip we decided to make the ultimate costal road trip mix. If these songs don't make you feel relaxed and put a smile on your face, I don't know what will!

Fly Away by JJ Heller
Blessed by Brett Dennen
You and I by Ingrid Michaelson
I'll Do Anything by Jason Mraz
Food Chain by Eric Hutchinson
Lighthouse by Chris O'Brien
Wash Away (Reprise) by Joe Purdy
Spinning Wheels by Angel Taylor
Hey, Soul Sister by Train
Scar by Missy Higgins
It Don't Matter by Donavon Frankenreiter
The Heart of Life by John Mayer
Stay (Wasting Time) by Dave Matthews Band
You Got Me by Colbie Caillat
All This Beauty by The Weepies
Catch My Disease by Ben Lee
Lucky (feat. Colbie Caillat) by Jason Mraz
Only You by Joshua Radin
By & By by Brett Dennen
Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae
Big Yellow Taxi (featuring Vanessa Carlton) by Counting Crows
Gone In the Morning by Newton Faulkner
All Over Now by Eric Hutchinson
Fill My Little World by The Feeling
You in A Song by Jason Reeves
Like You Do by Angel Taylor
Dancing Shoes by Gavin DeGraw
Easy (acoustic) by Barenaked Ladies
Homebird by Foy Vance
Life, Love & Laughter by Donavon Frankenreiter
One Love/People Get Ready by Bob Marley & The Wailers
Everyday by Dave Matthews Band
You Don't Have to Believe Me by Eric Hutchinson
Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson
The Guy that Says Goodbye to You is Out of His Mind by Griffin House
The Only Way by Mark Erelli
Dancin' In The Moonlight by Toploader
Upside Down by Jack Johnson
What'cha Know About by Donavon Frankenreiter
Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin
You Got Growing Up to Do (feat. Patty Griffin) by Joshua Radin
On My Mind by Kalai
Loose Pockets by Nate Allman
Three Little Birds by Bob Marley & The Wailers
Small by JJ Heller
Say by John Mayer
Mountain and the Sea by Ingrid Michaelson
After Tonight by Justin Nozuka
You And I Both by Jason Mraz
Walking On Sunshine by Aly & A.J.
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Shark In the Water by V.V. Brown
Come On Get Higher by Matt Nathanson
One Day by Matisyahu
Steer by Missy Higgins
Grow by JJ Heller
These Walls by Teddy Geiger
Nothing Ever Hurt Like You by James Morrison
Hold You In My Arms by Ray LaMontagne
Gotta Have You by The Weepies
The Bird and the Worm by Owl City
Barges by The Vision of a Dying World
So In Love Feat. Jack Johnson and Colbie Caillat by Ted Lennon
Stir It Up Bob by Marley & The Wailers
Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

Preparation Preparation Preparation

As little girls in Girl Scouts, we are taught the importance of preparation. Planning for this road trip, it has become apparent to me how important preparation really is, so here are a few tips we have picked up along the way in order to prepare for a spectacular road trip!

LODGING Use priceline.com or expedia.com to book your lodging! We discovered they are almost always $1 apart so it doesn't really matter which one you use. We were able to book 6 nights of lodging for $275! If you're not a college student you might not be as interested in cheap lodging, but they have great deals for all levels of hotels. If you're looking for a different kind of adventure, look at hostels in the area. norcalhostels.org has a list of hostels all across Northern California. Hostels can provide cheap lodging and are usually in some really interesting places! We will be staying at Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel, where the lighthouse and its surrounding houses have been turned into a hostel! Go to www.hihostels.com to find hostels all over the world.

CAMPING For the adventurous outdoorsman, camping is a great option on a road trip. Not only are campsites cheaper than hotel lodging, but they can make for an easy incorporation into some of your road trip activities. If you plan on visiting or hiking through a state park, look and see if that park offers camping. That way you do not have to rush through your day since you are already where you will be staying that night. If you want to make it easier on packing, find a campsite that has a convenience store onsite that offers wood and food. To find good sites use state park websites such as www.parks.ca.gov These websites will let you know which state parks offer camping. www.reserveamerica.com is a GREAT website for finding and reserving campsites. I HIGHLY recommend staying at a camp where you can reserve a site. The last thing you want is to get to a campsite hoping for a spot only to find it full, thus forcing you to sleep in your car on a scary back-road.


ACTIVITIES Visit state and city tourist websites. It seems kinda obvious but they are often overlooked. Not only do they have some great info, but a lot of them offer coupons and specials you can print off. For example we used www.visitcalifornia.com/pages/funspots for $4 off our trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. tripadvisor.com provides some great feedback from people who have been to tourist attractions and is a great place to look if you are trying to decide whether or not you want to do something. And of course, ASK FRIENDS, especially friends that live in the area you are going to visit. Our friend Jason, who is from San Francisco was able to give us some great advise of places to visit on our trip, thanks Jason!

More preparation tips, including tips for driving and packing to come!!!