Wandering Around America One State at a Time – California

Posted in California, Historic Sites, Lighthouse, National Parks, Nature, RVing, Wandering around AmericaTagged , , , , , ,

State 5:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride! I will be featuring the states alphabetically and next up is

California

California became the 31st state on September 9, 1850. The capital is Sacramento. California is the most populous state and the third largest in area.

In 2007 we spent three weeks exploring California. It wasn’t nearly enough time to see the whole state but the Pacific Ocean, giant trees, five national parks, San Diego  and everything else were all spectacular.

Our first views of California were along the Pacific Coast Highway as we drove south from Oregon. Gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean, Redwood National Park, and the beautiful vineyards were a few of the things we enjoyed in northern California.

Along the Pacific Coast Highway in Northern California
Lighthouse near Crescent City, California
Pacific Ocean in Northern California
Pacific Ocean in Northern Califoronia
Redwoods National Park
We were tiny beside the Big Tree, Redwoods National Park, California
Redwood National Park, California
Elk Meadow in Redwoods National Park
Redwood National Park, California
One of the many vineyards in the California wine country

Our home base for exploring Yosemite National Park was the Wawona Campground inside the national park. We drove through Yosemite Valley, took a few short hikes, made the  the drive to Glacier Point, had a delicious lunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel, and felt small as we walked through the Mariposa Grove of Sequoias.

Yosemite Falls
We took the trail to Lower Yosemite Falls
Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, California
Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View Overlook
Overhanging Rock with Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park
El Capitan
Dining Room at the Ahwahnee Hotel
Mariposa Grove of Sequoias in Yosemite National Park

There were many more of the magnificent giant trees in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. We even spotted a bear in one of the meadows.

Sequoia National Park, California
General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park
General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park
Bear in Sequoia National Park
Kings Canyon National Park, California

After all that sightseeing we decided to take a couple of days to relax in a resort near Palm Springs and spent a day wandering through Joshua Tree National Park.

In the Mojave Desert
Joshua Tree National Park
Scull Rock in Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
An oasis in the middle of the desert in Joshua Tree National Park

Our final stop was San Diego where we toured Cabrillo National Monument and the USS Midway. Our Labrador Retriever Blondie was in heaven when we took her to the dog beach near Coronado. As we drove east from  San Diego we passed by the Imperial Sand Dunes and the Chocolate Mountains.

Cabrillo National Monument, California.
Point-Loma in Cabrillo National Monument, CA
Point-Loma in Cabrillo National Monument
Point Loma
USS Midway in San Diego
USS Midway in San Diego
Dog Beach in Coronado
Imperial Sand Dunes
Chocolate Mountains and Saguaro Cactus

To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: Alabama      Alaska      Arizona      Arkansas

14 thoughts on “Wandering Around America One State at a Time – California”

  2. These are all places I’d like to see. Although I’ve visited San Diego a few times, the CA national parks have eluded me. You’ve definitely renewed my interest. Nice collection of photos!

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  3. Thanks Ingrid. It’s such a big state and there was a lot of driving between parks but we wanted to see them all and I’m glad we did. They were all amazing and different. You can’t imagine the size of those trees until you see them in person. We avoided all the big cities except San Diego. We actually planned the whole trip around an RV rally there.

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  4. This was great! I had inadvertently unsubscribed to WordPress. So now making up for lost time/posts!
    What a great “roadmap” you’ve created for us to one day visit out there! One nephew lives near Sacramento and he’s been begging us to come!!! We’d do the same as you, avoid the cities….

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  5. Enjoyed your post and your great photos! We finally got to visit Yosemite a few years ago on our first trip to see daughter and son-in-law after they moved to the bay area. Wow, it just remains one of my favorite places to visit. I just hope the flood a few days ago didn’t do much damage. Thanks for sharing!

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  8. I absolutely love living in southern California and Joshua Tree is one of my favorites. I’ve yet to see Yosemite — but someday!

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