This was the first
travelling we did after we began dating, apart from a trip to each other's
parents' houses every once in awhile. As most of you know, college students are
financially strapped so this trip was on strict budget.
Stops:
1.
Los Angeles, California (Hollywood!!)
2.
Big Basin Redwood State
Park, Santa Cruz, California
3.
San Francisco,
California
I would like to start by
letting everyone know I am writing this 6 years after the fact, but I will try
to keep everything as accurate as possible.
Erin and I seem to have an admiration for California, more so than other western states at least. We decided hitting up L.A., camping for a week or so, and then heading to San Francisco and staying with her cousin would give us the most bang for our buck. This was important because we were about halfway through college and all the way into debt.
We flew out of Chicago straight to Los Angeles. We had booked a hostel directly on Hollywood Boulevard so we could walk as many places as possible. The location was impossible to beat for the price. We literally walked out the hostel door and were standing on the Walk of Fame.
We were able to walk the Walk and see plenty of Hollywood, including the Chinese Theater and the Hollywood sign.
After we left our hostel, we took an uncomfortable taxi ride to the bus station to catch a Greyhound to Santa Cruz. We thought we were being smart by booking an overnight bus so we could crash on the 8-9 hour drive there, but this turned out to be more of a headache than we anticipated. About every hour, we were awakened by the bus stopping, lights coming on, and passengers climbing on and off the bus. After a long night and little sleep, we arrived in Santa Cruz around 7 am where we boarded a local bus to take us to Big Basin Redwood. Another 2 hours of riding and we were hiking to our first campsite in the park.
The first campsite was considered wilderness which means there is no water, no fires, and no support nearby. Prior to leaving Santa Cruz, we loaded up at a local grocery with non-perishables such as ramen noodles, granola bars, and trail mix. This first campsite was about 10-12 miles from the main lodge, and after little sleep and a pack that was significantly overloaded, we were ready to for a good night's sleep. The gigantic redwoods and incredible terrain we came across during the hike helped us stay positive.
From this first campsite, we were able to make a trip to the beach, where I built an awesome sandcastle, and several other day hikes that offered beautiful views of the ocean from as far as 5 miles inland!
We stayed in 2 other camps that week and hiked several of the highest peaks in the park.
By the time the last day in the park came, we were ready for civilization again so we boarded the bus to San Francisco and recharged on the way.
Arriving in San Francisco was less dramatic than I was expecting, mostly because Erin's cousin lives south of the city in San Mateo, so we didn't get to see any of the sites until the following day. Erin's cousin was awesome. They gave us a futon to crash on which felt like a luxury mattress after camping.
Erin and I seem to have an admiration for California, more so than other western states at least. We decided hitting up L.A., camping for a week or so, and then heading to San Francisco and staying with her cousin would give us the most bang for our buck. This was important because we were about halfway through college and all the way into debt.
We flew out of Chicago straight to Los Angeles. We had booked a hostel directly on Hollywood Boulevard so we could walk as many places as possible. The location was impossible to beat for the price. We literally walked out the hostel door and were standing on the Walk of Fame.
We were able to walk the Walk and see plenty of Hollywood, including the Chinese Theater and the Hollywood sign.
After we left our hostel, we took an uncomfortable taxi ride to the bus station to catch a Greyhound to Santa Cruz. We thought we were being smart by booking an overnight bus so we could crash on the 8-9 hour drive there, but this turned out to be more of a headache than we anticipated. About every hour, we were awakened by the bus stopping, lights coming on, and passengers climbing on and off the bus. After a long night and little sleep, we arrived in Santa Cruz around 7 am where we boarded a local bus to take us to Big Basin Redwood. Another 2 hours of riding and we were hiking to our first campsite in the park.
The first campsite was considered wilderness which means there is no water, no fires, and no support nearby. Prior to leaving Santa Cruz, we loaded up at a local grocery with non-perishables such as ramen noodles, granola bars, and trail mix. This first campsite was about 10-12 miles from the main lodge, and after little sleep and a pack that was significantly overloaded, we were ready to for a good night's sleep. The gigantic redwoods and incredible terrain we came across during the hike helped us stay positive.
From this first campsite, we were able to make a trip to the beach, where I built an awesome sandcastle, and several other day hikes that offered beautiful views of the ocean from as far as 5 miles inland!
We stayed in 2 other camps that week and hiked several of the highest peaks in the park.
By the time the last day in the park came, we were ready for civilization again so we boarded the bus to San Francisco and recharged on the way.
Arriving in San Francisco was less dramatic than I was expecting, mostly because Erin's cousin lives south of the city in San Mateo, so we didn't get to see any of the sites until the following day. Erin's cousin was awesome. They gave us a futon to crash on which felt like a luxury mattress after camping.
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