"CRAP! IT'S NYE!?"

Sequoia National Park

[ It’s 10 days to New Years Eve and we realize “CRAP! IT’S 10 DAYS TO NEW YEARS EVE!” ]

Living in a major city, it’s expensive and somewhat difficult to go out for NYE, especially last minute! So we were left scrambling for things to do. It was our first New Year as a married couple and our previous New Year was spent playing duo Monopoly, saying “HAPPY NEW YEAR” and going to bed at 12:03, literally. So this time around, I refused to be THAT boring while bringing in the New Year.

So with the 10 (technically 9) days left to plan, we scoured the internet for last minute, close and CHEAP options to ring in the New Year and came across Sequoia on handy dandy Expedia. We’ve both always wanted to visit Sequoia but never found the time to make it happen so I jumped on this as soon as the option was presented.

All of the resorts at the top of the mountain were booked [ unfortunately ] but we were able to score a nice little Bed and Breakfast at the bottom of the mountain in a town called Lemon Cove. The BnB was actually really cozy and we were able to talk some friends into coming up with us so it wasn’t as awkward as we had envisioned (this was our first BnB experience). Not to mention, the place had an awesome backyard (that we didn’t get to really enjoy considering it was 12* outside), hot tub, fireplace in our room, and a living room full of games to play. All for about $120 bucks - for New Years Eve, it wasn't too shabby).

Backyard of our BnB. Conveniently called "Plantation Bed and Breakfast"

Questionable art work that was in our room

If we had to do it all over again, we’d absolutely stay at the top of the mountain (ideally at Wuksachi Lodge).

Wuksachi Lodge

That way, the only time you have to worry about driving up and down the ICY/SNOWY mountain is at the beginning and end of your trip. And too, you’re surrounded by a winter wonderland when you stay up the hill.

Considering this trip was last minute, we experienced some expected hiccups and other “road blocks” that we weren’t exactly prepared for. We’ll dive into this trip over the next few posts.

Cheers to '17!

Trippin. Road Trippin': Hearst Castle

"You guys... We got to visit the real Great Gatsby House!"

Okay, so this isn't actually the real Great Gatsby house, but it sure as heck could have been! We don't even know where to start in explaining just how out of this world this place truly is. From the gardens, to the detail, to the billions of dollars that were clearly dumped on this place, I don't think our jaws ever removed themselves from the floor. Mr. Hearst was a dreamer and an amazing dreamer at that. We don't want to spoil to many of the facts because we want you guys to make your way there and find out more for yourselves but we will share a plethora of photos with you guys. Disclaimer: Photos do NOT do this place any kind of justice. Something to experience first hand.

We truly had zero idea what we were getting into. This was recommended by a co-worker about a week before our trip. As soon as we walked up to this entrance, we knew we were in for a treat.

So how did this all come about? William Hearst decided he was tired of camping out in the hills and reached out to Julia Morgan, a female architect (which was truly unheard of in these times) to build what Hearst originally considered to be "a little something". Hearst and Morgan were the dynamic duo who brought these thousands of acres to life. Everything was thoughtfully considered and created.  Every. Last. Detail

The Hearst Castle sits on top of La Cuesta Encantada, which translates to "The Enchanted Hill". This hilltop is the home 165 rooms, gardens, extragant pools, tennis courts, and even a ZOO filled with animals flown in from all over the world! Including Africa! No, we're not kidding. Hearst truly went all out here.

This is the Roman Pool. Caped with statues and detail saluting to Roman Gods/Goddesses, this indoor pool is the definition of Marvelous.

Even the bottom of the pool tips it hat to all things Roman. Which we appreciate. Fun fact: Each of the tiles in the Roman Pool Room and in the pool itself were HANDMADE. And this 1,665 sq. ft. room is decorated from floor to ceiling with these 1" tiles.

The Roman Pool was one of the "TURN UP!" spots on the castle's premises. Mr. Hearst was kmown to host insane parties and "gatherings". Just like Gatsby! Except Mr. Hearst's parties  were invitation only and were plagued with only high rollers and the who's who of the early 1900's. *insert "oh you fancy, huh" joke here* ;)

A corner shot of one of the rooms is the Casa Grande. A CORNER shot. Look at how many items are in one small corner of this castle. From the ceiling design and molding, to the furniture and decor... it was insane!  

The Library of our dreams! Can you imagine posting up in one of those plush chairs with a great book right next to the window... on a rainy day? I die!

Vantage points for days! Again, peep the detail!! Pretty impressive to say this was all popped up in the late 1800/early 1900's

You even have amazing views of the Pacific Ocean from a lot of the rooms throughout. The life!

This right here is the famous Neptune Pool. It's currently under reconstruction as it was leaking hundreds of gallons of water a day. Which doesn't actually make for a good situation when the state of California has been in and out of drought emergencies for the last 5 years and counting.   

Not sure what's more impressive, the views or the pool. This beasts holds 345,000 GALLONS of water.

We're still scheming how to build a home this extravagant. But once we strike it rich in the next billion dollar lottery, we'll be sure to invite you.

Have you ever been to "the real Great Gatsby house"? Tell us what your thoughts were in the comment section below!

Trippin'. Road Trippin'

CA-1 Highway (Pacific Coast Highway)

 There’s an unwritten law that states: “One may not live in the state of CA and simply NOT drive the PCH.” For valid reason too.

 We decided to humor everyone that raves about this drive and took on the Pacific Coast Highway. Turns out, the road is legit! It ended up being one of our favorite road trips of all time. Not only were there great views, THE ENTIRE WAY, but there’s so many different cities that you can pop in and out of along the way. Unfortunately, our time was limited on the route up to SF so we didn’t have too much time to explore endlessly; however, we made as many stops as possible. Let’s recap, shall we?

We cheated a little bit and stayed the night in Ventura to get a 4 hour head start on our day. Doesn't sound that pressing, but when you’re trying to visit/explore/tour more than 10 cities in 16 hours, every. Second. Counts. Here's how our trip went:

1. San Diego, CA (Starting Point)

2. Ventura, CA (Resting Point)

3. San Luis Obispo, CA (Gas point and apparently Car Wash Point)

4. Morro Bay, CA

5. Hearst Castle

6. McWay Falls

7. Bixby Bridge

8. Santa Cruz

9. Mystery Spot

10. San Francisco

We made our trip up the CA-1 in literally 3 days and it was manageable but we'd absolutely recommend taking your time with this drive. We're talking a full week, plus some, kind of time. Trust us - it is beyond worth it. There's truly so many things you can do and see on this route - to this day, we're continuously learning about a lot of the stops, views, trails, etc. that we missed out on since we didn't have the time to truly take on the 1. But you bet your bottom dollar we will be re-visiting this scenic route very soon!

Have you been on the CA-1 before? What was your favorite pit stop?