For those who know Northern California.... (road trip)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stay in San Luis Opisbo at the Madonna Inn (has nothing to do with Madonna).

NP. This is a dream of mine. We once stopped off at the Madonna Inn to use the bathroom on the way to (or from) Hearst Castle. I was blown away & vowed to stay there one day.

[Anonymous]

I used to live in Northern CA. I would definitely vote for Carmel + Big Sur. Grab lunch at one of the Big Sur restaurants with a view, such as Nepenthe or Sierra Mar. One thing to note, there has been a huge fire burning in Big Sur for the last couple of months. I believe it is almost fully contained now and Hwy 1 is open, but not sure about the conditions there.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for reminding me about the Madonna Inn! I've always been intrigued about this place....

If we do stay in the Central Coast, i might stay there.

However, now I am thinking of staying two nights in Northern Cal (carmel AND big sur) -- there's so much I want to do/see. I hadn't thought of Point Lomos -- so thank you to the person who suggested it!

Is it too long to drive from Big Sur to LA in one shot? We have all day to get there. It looks like 5 1/2 to 6 hour drive, which I'm ok with. Anyone do this? (along route 1)

[Anonymous]

Big sur bakery
McWay Falls
Julia Pfieffer (ask locals how to find, there isn't a road sign)
Condors
17 mile drive
Point Lobos
Carmel by the sea for food and shopping
Hike Garland Ranch, Del Monte Forest or Jacks Peak
Clint Eastwoods place for brunch
Asilomar
Carmel beach, or follow the beach along the curve and it'll take you to a quieter beach
Fishermans wharf, follow the trail and you'll see a ton of wildlife
On Tuesday's in monterey there is a fabulous farmers market

Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Big sur bakery
McWay Falls
Julia Pfieffer (ask locals how to find, there isn't a road sign)
Condors
17 mile drive
Point Lobos
Carmel by the sea for food and shopping
Hike Garland Ranch, Del Monte Forest or Jacks Peak
Clint Eastwoods place for brunch
Asilomar
Carmel beach, or follow the beach along the curve and it'll take you to a quieter beach
Fishermans wharf, follow the trail and you'll see a ton of wildlife
On Tuesday's in monterey there is a fabulous farmers market

Enjoy!

awesome, thank you!

[Anonymous]

mystery spot in santa cruz (reserve ahead!)

Note you will have no cell signal at times. It's ok if you and driving thru but if you stop in an area with signal, you can't GPS/Waze to your next destination.

[Anonymous]

Note you will have no cell signal at times. It's ok if you and driving thru but if you stop in an area with NO signal, you can't GPS/Waze to your next destination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for reminding me about the Madonna Inn! I've always been intrigued about this place....

If we do stay in the Central Coast, i might stay there.

However, now I am thinking of staying two nights in Northern Cal (carmel AND big sur) -- there's so much I want to do/see. I hadn't thought of Point Lomos -- so thank you to the person who suggested it!

Is it too long to drive from Big Sur to LA in one shot? We have all day to get there. It looks like 5 1/2 to 6 hour drive, which I'm ok with. Anyone do this? (along route 1)

We have done it in one day, but it is much better to take two days and stop at Hearst castle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for reminding me about the Madonna Inn! I've always been intrigued about this place....

If we do stay in the Central Coast, i might stay there.

However, now I am thinking of staying two nights in Northern Cal (carmel AND big sur) -- there's so much I want to do/see. I hadn't thought of Point Lomos -- so thank you to the person who suggested it!

Is it too long to drive from Big Sur to LA in one shot? We have all day to get there. It looks like 5 1/2 to 6 hour drive, which I'm ok with. Anyone do this? (along route 1)

We have done it in one day, but it is much better to take two days and stop at Hearst castle.

If you're doing the coast route it's 8+ hours with lunch & stops along the way, and depending on where you're going in LA. It's doable, but just helping you be realistic.