The sun shone upon my face through the window of the plane as we left the cold of British Colombia headed for California. I was so excited for our first road trip in the states. When I book a trip, I love researching each destination covering where to stay and what sites to see, sometimes booking in advance to save on the hassle of high accommodation prices. That’s what makes this part of the trip more intriguing than the way I would normally plan things. Aside from booking a campervan, a hotel for one night pre & one night post to the road trip, nothing else was planned…and we couldn’t wait to get on the road!
Above: Timmy the camper in San Francisco
LA to San Diego
We picked up our camper named Timmy from Lost Campers near LAX airport. As our camper had a bed in the back, we had the freedom of pulling up in nice sea-side suburbs, ensuring toilets were close by, and spending the night for free! The nights would always start out with an uneasy sleep, awaiting a knock on the window from a police officer telling us to move on (as so many friends told us from experience) but we were lucky with every spot we picked. With the only restriction being time, we had 14 days to explore California and Las Vegas, Nevada at our own freedom and pace and it didn’t disappoint.
Visiting Santa Monica for a walk around the fun-filled pier, we decided to leave LA for the end of our trip and drove south towards our first stop; San Diego. The drive south is beautiful. Heading through towns you see on popular TV shows like The OC or read about in the tabloids, mansions lined the coast with the best views of the ocean. We stopped for some well missed Taco Bell which we hadn’t enjoyed since Hawaii before searching for our first nights sleep spot.
We arrived in San Diego and spent the morning at WaveHouse situated right on the beach where Wade jumped on a bodyboard to ride the barrel flow rider. We spent the afternoon at San Diego zoo before finding our tonights next sleep spot in a local suburb, resting up for our trip to Las Vegas.
San Diego to Las Vegas via Joshua Tree National Park
There isn’t a need for a sleep-in once the sun is up and beaming through the camper windows so we started the drive to Joshua Tree National Park. Passing through Palm Springs, this little town is a surprisingly cool place to stop and recharge. Palm trees line the streets of this desert town which had a real American feel to it. We continued the drive through the desert, looking out the windows at what appeared to be snow-capped mountains before reaching Joshua Trees.
Entering via the Joshua Tree Visitor Centre (West Entrance Station), we purchased the $15 national park pass and explored this amazing desert. Scattered between boulders with the dry earth beneath our feet, we walked amongst the Yukkas (or commonly called Joshua Trees) and felt the full extent of this park. We drove down through Park Boulevard towards many of view & walking points including Hidden Valley, Cap Rock, Barker Dam, Keys Ranch, Skull Rock and Jumbo Rocks before exiting through the North Entrance Station. Before leaving, it’s worth the drive to Keys View; a lookout featuring extensive views of Coachella Valley.
We drove along the famous Route 66 before seeing our first glimpse of Las Vegas right on sunset – The light display in the middle of the desert was spectacular. Stopping for petrol, we were surprised at the poker machines available at the station….. Welcome to
Las Vegas!
WOW. Vegas. That’s one of the only words I could think of to describe this crazy place. In depth, the strip is like a giant theme park for adults! The atmosphere felt just as great as the warm sun did on our backs. We explored as many of the Casinos as we could, the Bellagio and New York, New York to name a few. The Venetian is an Italian-themed casino with an actual canal inside where you can jump on a gondola – CRAZY!
Bonus: while playing at any table or poker machine inside a casino, drinks are free! Of course waitresses expect to be tipped, as do most places. We tried our hand at blackjack in the Pink Flamingo – if you hit blackjack you won a deck of playing cards used in the casino. There is so much fun to be had in Vegas and I can easily see how you would lose many days (and money if not careful).
As you know, we didn’t pre-book any accommodation & were hoping to stay a few nights at a caravan park located close to Circus Circus. Upon arrival, we were told that as our vehicle didn’t meet the standards of a proper campervan with toilet facilities, we weren’t allowed to stay. Thankfully the owners were lovely & let us use their phone to call around hotels for availability but no luck. We noticed a small hotel down the road and managed to book in a few nights… the joys of budget travelling.
We booked a sunset helicopter tour to the Grand Canyon, as we wouldn’t of had enough time to comfortably drive there. The rewarding views of the canyons & hoover dam are seen from above as the sun changed the colours below. On arriving back to Vegas, the sun had set and the strip was lit up in all of its glory – I really recommend this option if you are short on time!
Las Vegas to Lake Tahoe via Death Valley
Our next destination was Lake Tahoe via Death Valley, where we bought local beef jerky and saw sand tornadoes in the distance. It took a little longer than anticipated, as many roads were closed for the ‘winter’ months (it was April?!) due to snow fall. Soon we reached rugged terrain of snow-capped mountains in the distance so we stopped at a cute little camp site, mostly empty, to recharge and roast marshmallows by the fire – the simple joys in life!
Lake Tahoe was only a few hours away. We continued on the drive up the mountain towards South Lake Tahoe, watching paragliders above us. I mentioned to Wade how I’d love to paraglide again, as we enjoyed it so much in the Swiss Alps! but to our horror, we noticed the man was gliding out of control and was headed for the ground. Fast. We were unable to pull over safely as the road we were driving had no break down lanes. Fortunately, there were other paragliders in the area who went to his aid but I hope they were okay!
As we approached the lookout at Eagle Falls overlooking Emerald Bay, we couldn’t get over the stunning scenery, beautiful blue skies, rushing waterfalls and snow-capped mountains that surrounded us. This is nature in its purest form.
We left the lake, headed towards Yosemite National Park on search for a place to sleep, both bursting into laughter as we drove past an animal with a massive tail and bucked teeth waddling down the side of the road – it was a beaver! Not far up the road we pulled into a lake side camping spot. The sun had set sooner than we anticipated. We paid for the night through the honesty box as reception was closed, staring at the warning signs for rattlesnakes. The camping spot was the scariest night of the whole trip and it didn’t help that we arrived in the dark of night. We picked a camping spot and attempted to cook dinner via the interior car light. Scared that our cooking might attract bears, we locked ourselves inside before falling asleep. We awoke in the morning to a normal camping site that wasn’t as scary as we thought.
Above: Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe / The drive between Lake Tahoe & Yosemite National Park
Lake Tahoe to Yosemite National Park
We spent the whole next day at Yosemite National Park. Wade hit the breaks suddenly as we noticed a dog-like animal trotting along the side of the path leading into the national park – our first siting of a Coyote! By the time I switched on the SLR, he had disappeared. We continued along the path, passing fern springs where we could fill up our water bottles with fresh water. Soon after we pulled to the side of the road, Wade with the camera ready in his hands to jump out and take a photo of the flowing stream adjacent to the road. As I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, I yelled at Wade to not leave the car as a coyote approached our vehicle. She looked scared and uncertain of our presence as she walked closer then backed away yet seemed to be posing perfectly for us to take photos. It wasn’t until later that I google searched Coyotes, reading that they are known to attack humans! Glad I stopped Wade in time.
We explored the national park, viewing Yosemite Falls & the huge Half Dome as people rock climbed the side. We pulled up at a picnic spot near a little stream to cook up our lunch as beef, vegetables & rice sat in the esky. I was a little worried about cooking in bear country, especially in the spring but thankfully no bears approached us. As dangerous as they are, I would have loved to have (safely) seen one.
Yosemite National Park to San Francisco
A tip from a friend had us drive to a carpark on the south side of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was here we found their recommended sleeping spot which turned out to be the most perfect free accommodation of our whole road trip, or round the world trip for that matter! As we parked up the van, we searched for signs stating ‘no overnight parking’ but couldn’t find any so we got comfortable and enjoyed the views of the Golden Gate bridge as the sun set! The jetty nearby was popular with the fisherman as they cast their line into the waters as sea lions played beneath them.
We spent a day visiting Alcatraz (which so many times I accidentally called Azkaban from Harry Potter). We ate seafood chowder out of bread bowls at Fishermans Wharf, watched the crazy sea lions bark and play at Pier 39, ate at Bubba Gumps, relaxed in the park opposite famous Alamo square, visited winding Lombard Street and watched the trams drive past with Alcatraz in the background. We simply loved San Francisco! Our sleeping spot definitely made the experience all the more better but the city has such a great vibe.
San Francisco to LA via the Big Sur Coast
We were headed south, our road trip almost coming to an end. We drove along the Big Sur coast, passing many sea side towns and state parks along the way, always greeted by the cutest squirrels and chipmunks! We watched baby seals and sea otters playing in the cove while we ate our lunch! Stopping by a random car park that overlooked a beach, we were amazed at all the Elephant Seals that had beached themselves on the sand. We pulled up overnight at one of the campsites along the Big Sur coast, cooking up another delicious stir-fry and melting s’mores by the camp fire.
We parked Timmy on the streets of Malibu, waking up to the beautiful stretch of beaches before our drive into LA. We visited Beverly Hills and Hollywood first, checking out the views of the Hollywood sign from Griffith Observatory. Universal Studios is a must for a fun day of roller coasters and simulation rides – It also includes a behind the scenes studio tour. There are lots of little shops and cute little restaurants at Universal Citywalk and Wade tried our the iFly indoor skydiving. We drove around the Hollywood hills looking for a spot to sleep the night, pulling up outside giant mansions for the night. When we woke we decided to book an extra night back at the Crowne Plaza. It had been an awesome but tiring two weeks, we needed the comfort of a nice bed and a proper shower.
We walked the streets of Hollywood Boulevard and the Hollywood walk of fame. We measured our hands and feet to stars such as Harry Potter, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robin Williams at the forecourt of the stars in front of Grauman’s Chinese theatre. We visited Downtown LA, which wasn’t really our thing so we headed back to the beaches from Santa Monica along to Venice Beach.
California really surprised us with everything it had to offer. From lakes, national parks, snow-capped mountains, deserts, wildlife to bustling city life in San Fran & LA – if you have the time, my best recommendation is to hire a car or camper!
Campervan: Lost Campers – Sierra Van
Price: $1,633 with all inclusions
Hotel: Crowne Plaza LAX
Room type: 1 King Room – Breakfast Included
Price: $110 per night
ONLY HAPPY WHEN I TRAVEL 
