…however on this particular road trip…we do not have the time boo hoo! We will return to check it all out properly but just so we are all up to date on where we are and what we have been upto this is our roadtrip from North California to LA!

The reason for us shooting off from Seattle in such a hurry and schlepping down a 1500 mile coast line to get to LA is that we have a wedding planned for Halloween. Alex’s best friends uncle produces Vampire Wine and has just recently opened the Vampire lounge in Hollywood. We decided to hold a themed wedding there with them, planned that we would be there for Halloween and clearly underestimated the distance between Seattle and Hollywood but anyhoo, here we are and there we will be when we arrive!

Soooooo……
After our beautiful day driving (quite literally at one point) through the amazing Redwoods which are taller than Jacks Beanstalk we got back on the road. We had decided that as we weren’t going to get time to see all of North California we should focus on the place we love best…the coast.

The Jedediah State Park was a truly spectacular place and I’m sorry if you get sick of pictures of trees and fungus but we couldn’t believe the sheer size of the trees and the amount of life growing all around us completely undisturbed by the hundreds and thousands of people that must walk the paths. It is an absolute privilege to be able to see these things in all their glory with the dappled sunlight illuminating things like spot lights on a stage and all completely unspoilt.

Of course we couldn’t resist trying to squueze Peggy through an acual living tree trunk even though it looked like there was no way she would fit!

We watched the forest turn into cliffs and the rocky beaches appeared and stretched for miles. The 101 soon joined the 1 which took us on the scenic route from the top of the state to the bottom, winding along the edge of the coastline. I have driven on some scary roads in my time, Snakes pass from Manchester to Sheffield being one I especially endured…oh sorry did I say endured, I meant enjoyed…on my daily commute to work one Christmas…but I have never seen a road like this! The road looped in and out, up and down, back on itself with serious hairpin bends…and all on a knife edge with a good old drop into the Pacific Ocean screamingly close to Peggy’s wheels trying to pull her in. That said, it was worth the bleary eyes by time we got to camp for the stunning views.

Camp for the evening was on one of the afore mentioned beaches in Westport which was ideal for watching the huge yellow Californian sun pop below the horizon. Not a cloud in the sky meant it was going to be a fresh night so we snuggled up in the van with a glass of wine and a game and then planned our route for the next day.

We slept like babies after our dramatic drive and thank goodness we had because 2 miles into our journey the next morning the sign said ‘windy roads for the next 76 miles!’

We wound our way further along the coastline, taking in views of vinyards scattered inbetween beaches, towns and sand dunes until we reached Manchester where we had to stop for lunch just because it was Manchester! We sat on a bench and ate our bacon and cream cheese pasta in the sunny breeze. The further south we got the weather gradually improved…thankfully! We covered 150 miles that day on the wiggly one highway and finally reached the outskirts of San Fransisco at sunset. By the time we had set up camp and eaten it was dark but the campsite had a hottub and we couldn’t not try it out…even though it was outdoors! We were the only souls silly enough to be in there in the cold dark twilight but we enjoyed being submerged in the warm water so much! I miss having a soak in the bath and its as near as we’re going to get so we made the most of it…we didn’t take soap in or anything but we stayed until we were wrinkly and then had to run in the freezing cold to the showers. Streaking (in swim wear!!!) across the campsite in the freezing cold pitch black night was not so much fun but again, a memory to keep!
The next morning we set off for San Fransisco in the sunshine and excitedly drove towards the Golden Gate bridge. We loved driving through San Fran although I’m not sure Peggy did. It is as hilly as you think it is…we are looking forward to exploring it properly when we get back. The city had a great feeling to it and the houses are beautiful lining the steep hill sidewalks.

We are so close, just another 400 miles  to get to LA for our spooktacular Vampire wedding………and 2 days! Loads of time!

See what happens next in our wedding travel adventure!