Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler for the california folks...

hey,

long story short - I have two tickets anywhere Airtran flies in the continental US. I have to use them by the end of October. I think I have it narrowed to two possible options:

1) fly to LA - drive to San Diego, see friends, go to Mexico, general screwing off for two weeks.

2) fly to San Fran - spend a few days and head north to camp/screw off in the parks/forests.

I've spent two weeks driving the Oregon/Washington Coast from Portland to Victoria - in an RV, camping. We also hit the Cascades and St. Helen's.

I love to hike and camp but I also like to stay a night or two in a good city (LOVED Portland) and see live music - I try for the local hang-outs, no tourist crapfests. I've never been to California...maybe this helps?? I love the deserts, I love the mountains...if it's unadulterated, I love it. I went to Vegas for work a few years ago (NAB) and extended the trip just to see the desert - I could take or leave Vegas...

Anyone have any suggestions? I'll be spending 2 weeks and my roommate will be with me. We're up for anything. We'd love to go to Austin and Big Bend, but with free tickets I thought that LA or San Fran would be a better choice - as far as I could get from Atlanta for free (if they flew to Anchorage, I'd be in Anchorage).

thanks for any thoughts/ideas you can share.

^billy
sufferer of wanderlust

*if* you go to san fran drive up to santa rosa and pay a visit to "audio video showroom" they got some really nice stuff in there and are super nice about demoing it for you and everything. the guy that was there when i went was anyway. Told him i wasnt gonna buy anything and he spent an hour showing us around and demoing their best stuff. Ooohh.. what a day!

For a two week trip you could:
...go to Frisco, rent a car (convertible preferably) and head south down PCH - Highway 1. The scenery between Monterey and Lompoc is phenomenal. There's a little group of rental cottages along the way perched on a cliff in the middle of nowhere. I've always wanted to check those out. They have a tremendous view of the ocean facing south. From Lompoc (Jalama Beach) you could head inland to Yosemite/Sequoia. Don't discount the awe of the big trees. Bring your camera. Might even have time to hit Tahoe before you go back to Frisco.

North San Diego is nice, but the rest of soCal sucks the high hard one (I should know, I've lived here for 33 years).

Avoid Mexico unless you like to see 3rd world squalor.

Really, the above statement applies for most of soCal, as well.

OR

...go from Frisco straight to Yosemite/Sequoia, on to Tahoe, through the wine country and stumble back to your plane.

billy-

if you have never been to big bend, then you might outta think about going there. if not this trip, then sometime for sure. the only thing that stinks is that the closest you could fly into would be odessa or el paso, but you would still have to rent a car and drive a good 5-6 hours to get there.. that whole area down there is just like a 'lost land'.. i have camped down there on 4 different occasions, and it is awesome. i suggest spring or fall though.. summer is just sweltering hot..

PM me if you want some details.. i can fill you in good.. try and find some info on the internet about 'santa elena canyon'.. its where the river splits texas/mexico, and you can float it. 1,500 ft canyon walls on both sides, truly amazing. when you get in there deep, its like another planet!! i kid you not!!

bigjohn

hmmm, asking californian's opinions on north vs south is kind of like asking a bunch of HSU and SVS fans which sub you should buy. anyway, I live just north of SF so that has my vote. In addition to that wonderful city, as mentioned, you could go south through Monterey/Big Sur, or east to Sierras/Tahoe, or southeast to Yosemite, or north on HWY 1 through Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Humboldt - if you liked the Oregon/WA coast you'd like that. Lots of hiking and campgrounds in all of these areas. you can plan ahead online, but the camps do get pretty full during the summer.

I would highly recommend the Highway 1 thing. That's what we did on our honeymoon-drove up the coast from SF and went to B&Bs. Wonderful...

It was during those big storms in November 2003. The ocean was beautiful, the driving was a little trippy.

I live in Central California, and I have heard great things about Big Sur. It is supposed to be the ultimate camping destination near the water. Most of the areas from San Luis Obispo to Monterey are woodsy, yet on the beach. It is kind of like the best of both worlds. Monterey and Carmel are incredibly beuatiful. Cambria, which is about 30 minutes north of me on PCH has an unreal look to its beaches. They have a black sand beach there that is very beautiful. San Luis Obispo is pretty damn fun, also. There is also really good wine country in Paso Robles. It is second only to Napa.

Fly to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan... from there a quick car ride to Prince Albert, SK... and from there... well, by that point you will have run the car into the tree... yes, the Saskatchewan tree... there's one.

Bren R.

I was born and raised in Southern California and went to college in Northern California....both are great places.

I say fly into one area, and to the Highway 1 thing to the other.

You too, huh? I grew up in the South Bay (the LA one...) and went to school in the Bay Area...

Highway 1 is just a great route. Not so good if you want to go fast, but it is beautiful.