Road Trip Summary...with maps

If you're just catching up on my travels, or have found this site when researching your own trip, over 12 days I traveled from Phoenix, Arizona to San Francisco, California.

The following is a bit of a summary using to help you find the bits you're interested in:

Day 1: Phoenix - Arizona Hiking Shack - Fry's Supermarket - Payson - Pine - Strawberry - cowgirl at Cape Verde - Sedona - campsite near Beaver Creek

Distance: 290kms
Driving time: 4hrs

Link to post: A change of scenery - Waikiki to Phoenix


View Day 1: Phoenix to Sedona in a larger map

Day 2: West Fork Trail - Oak Creek Vista - Flagstaff Barnes & Nobel - pumpkins - Grand Canyon Eastern lookouts - Backcountry Information Centre - campsite in forest along FR310

Distance: 175kms
Driving time: 2.5hrs

Link to post: To the Grand Canyon


View Day 2: Sedona to Grand Canyon in a larger map

Days 3 & 4: Grand Canyon Hermit's Trail hike to Granite Rapids (return) - Williams Red Garter hotel - Red Raven for dinner

Link to post: Hermit's Trail to Granite Rapids (and back!)

Day 5: Bakery breakfast - Govt shutdown news - Seligman - Route 66 to Kingman - Hwy 93 to Hoover Dam - Boulder City and Boulder Dam Hotel - The Dillinger for burger and $1 beer

Distance: 350kms
Driving time: 3.5hrs

Link to post: Route 66 to Boulder Dam


View Day 5: Williams to Boulder City in a larger map

Day 6: Las Vegas - Hwy 95 to Hwy 373 junction (Alien Centre, Fireworks and brothel) - Death Valley Jct - Death Valley with Japanese tourists - roadworks - Lone Pine - camping at Alabama Hills

Distance: 450kms
Driving time: 5hrs

Link to post: Bright lights of Vegas and depths of Death Valley


View Day 6: Boulder City to Lone Pine in a larger map

Day 7: Hwy 395 - Lone Pine - Independence - Bishop - Erick Schat's Bakkery - June Lakes lunch -Mono Lake - Tioga Pass (Hwy120) thru Yosemite NP - Fire zone - Jamestown

Distance: 420kms
Driving time: 6hrs

Link to post: From the desert to alpine meadows


View Day 7: Lone Pine to Jamestown via Tioga Pass (Yosemite NP) in a larger map

Day 8: Sequoia's at Calaveras Big Trees State Park - winding Route 4 - Hunters - camping at Highland Lakes

Distance: 130kms
Driving time: 2.5hrs

Link to post: From the desert to alpine meadows (same post for days 7&8)


View Day 8: Jamestown to Highland Lakes in a larger map

Day 9: Lake Tahoe (Oktoberfest) - Truckee - Reno - Pattie at Wildflower Village - Airmail Markers with Karol

Distance: 210kms
Driving time: 3.5hrs

Link to post: Wildflowers in the desert


View Day 9: Highland Lakes to Reno via Lake Tahoe in a larger map

Day 10: Drive to San Francisco via Sonoma (Napa Valley) - Gundlach Bundschu winery - The Girl and the Fig for cheese plate lunch - Bella Vista Winery - staying at HI City Centre (Downtown would be better!)

Distance: 390kms
Driving time: 4hrs


View Day 10: Reno to San Francisco via Sonoma in a larger map

Day 11: Embarcadero wharfs, Bay Bridge, Ferry Terminal farmers' market, Pier 39 sea lions, Coit Tower (and birthday), California St Trolley, Swan Oyster Bar, Malcolm Gladwell and Michael Lewis at Castro Theatre

Link to post: San Francisco and a night with Malcolm Gladwell


View Day 11: Walking tour of San Francisco in a larger map

Day 12: Coffee at Four Barrel Coffee, Breakfast at Tartine, Golden Gate Park, Virgin Atlantic flight to London

San Francisco and a night with Malcolm Gladwell

Made it to San Francisco! After travelling almost 2,000mi (1,785mi precisely), the equivalent distance of driving from Adelaide to Darwin, it's time to put the car away and start exploring by foot.

Made it!

I started out early this morning and headed towards the Embarcadero wharfs and the Bay Bridge, stopping for a (good) coffee and chocolate croissant at Peet's Coffee and Tea.

It was beautiful down by the wharfs in the early morning sun and mist, shrouding everything in a golden haze and casting strong shadows. I entertained myself by photographing the bridge and wharf and keeping an eye out for interesting San Franciscans on their way to work.

Bay Bridge, San Francisco

Embacardero wharfs

To work in style

Heading north along the piers I passed the Exploratorium museum (something for a later visit) and Tcho chocolates, where I couldn't resist a quick visit. Then it was on to Pier 39 with its tacky tourist shops, although the views of Alcatraz and sea lions are worth negotiating the trash beforehand! The sea lions were smelly but entertaining.

Pier 39 sea lions

I didn't linger in the fishiness, but headed uphill through some lovely suburbs, with pastel painted townhouses - some getting ready for halloween - towards Coit Tower.

Halloween houses

On arrival I found a group of artists clustered around the entrance. It appears it is the Tower's 80th anniversary on 8 October, and the community were celebrating.

Inside the tower are a number of life-size murals that depict early life in San Francisco. Industry, baking, streetscapes and complimentary to the amazing views over the bay stretching from Bay Bridge all the way to Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Views over San Francisco

I descended the disjointed and hidden stairs that wound through secret gardens, and gates entwined in bougainvillaea and made my way back down to the wharfs, and the ferry terminal where a farmers market had set up. I love fresh produce! The colours, the crispness, the displays of food that you know have been harvested in the hours beforehand. Even though I wasn't cooking, or staying long in the city, I picked up a punnet of tomatoes and some pears to snack on.

Then it was over to California St, past the shoe shiners, to catch the cable car. Another "must do" in hilly San Francisco. We rattled, stop started and lurched up the steep street, peeking out between the buildings at each intersection to see what views were revealed. Much better than walking!

California St Cable Car

It was time for lunch, and I joined a line of locals waiting outside Swan's Oyster Depot for fresh seafood. I'd read that this was a unique place in the city, and a favourite for fresh food and great service. Needless to say, I had plenty of time to meet the people around me in the line, as we waited for the small, 18 ppl only bar to turn-over!

Yum! Swan Oyster Bar

After discussions on things to see and do in the city, my favourites so far, impacts of the government shutdown, good restaurants to eat at and some time reading my book, I'd made it to the front of the queue and moved in to pull up a stool at the bar. A number of burley servers decked out in white aprons and gumboots stood on the other side, relaxed, but constantly on the move, shucking oysters, cutting open sea anemone and putting together your dish on the spot.

Made it in!

I grabbed an Anchor Steam beer and a cup of clam chowder with crusty sourdough. Mmmm... the perfect way to start lunch. Next was a plate of fresh oysters with lemon, tasting of the sea. The menu was sketched across the wall in front of me, and there were still many things I wanted to try. The guy next to me ordered a delicious looking plate of sashimi with salmon, Ahi and scallops. Further along people were eating plates of fresh crab and prawn salad. And I watched some smoked salmon being delicately carved from a fillet.

Sea anemone

I settled on a crab meat cocktail. Delicious! Tender, tasty meat. Simple in a glass with sauce on the side. The man on my other side recommended the horseradish - whoa, it had a kick! The atmosphere is jovial and fun, with everyone chatting to the people around them. I'm not sure if it's the freshness of the food, the candour of the men serving or just the relief at being able to eat after waiting in line for so long (!), but everyone was in a good mood.

Crab cocktail

Very full, and with a few pints of beer filling any potential gaps in my stomach I slowly made it back down the hill towards the hostel, for a Christmas-style post lunch nap before the evening's activities.

By luck, I'd chanced across an event being held at the Castro Theatre - Malcolm Gladwell talking to Michael Lewis about his new book, David and Goliath. I couldn't believe that two of my favourite authors would be together, on the one night I was in San Francisco! The show was sold out, but I was hoping to find a way in.

I arrived early and started wandering the line outside asking if anyone had a spare ticket. There were a few others also lingering, hoping for the same thing. I just missed one opportunity, but was convinced I'd get in somehow. Positive thinking! Luckily enough, a few tickets were returned to the box office. I practically leapt the 4m from where I was standing, and soon enough had one in my hand. Woohoo!

Success!

The conversation started with Michael Lewis exploring how Malcolm Gladwell had become a writer, and a bit about his life growing up. Malcolm Gladwell is a great story teller, and diverged into tales of being the sports journalist at his school and making up characters and weekly reports from the football team that no one watched. Of having parents with no rules, and great flexibility that made it hard for him to feel like he was rebelling. At one point, he and a school mate devised a new metric system, whereby their school result would be calculated as the product of their grades x absentee days (i.e. you're judged on doing the best without actually turning up). His mum said this was fine, and even wrote him absentee notes!

Later at college he wrote a regular Zine on the art of slander - essentially they had to attack someone every article - and even had "best of" editions.

From university, he first attempted to get a job in advertising, but was unsuccessful. He ended up applying for a role as a journalist at the American Spectator, from an ad at the back of a magazine. He knew nothing about the publication and when asked "why do you want to join AS?" he responded, "doesn't everyone want to work for AS!".

He managed to get the job at the right wing magazine, based in Indiana, but it didn't really suit him (unsurprisingly!). He worked for a magazine owned by Reverend Moon - a very relaxed role, involving lots of trips with mates and eventually moved to a job in Washington and where he worked as a freelancer and eventually the Washington Post.

Malcolm Gladwell and Michael Lewis

From here the conversation shifted to his recent release David and Goliath. The book is about our irrational perception of what is an advantage (that what we often believe is an advantage, isn't). He argues that in the battle between David and Goliath, David wasn't the underdog - he had superior technology, and potentially Goliath was partially blind. The book follows his thinking in Outliers about advantage, but questioning what an advantage really is.

Gladwell spoke about how he wants to focus on narrative more in his writing (like Michael Lewis does), and had attempted to do this through a story about an Indian father wanting to spend more time with her daughter by coaching her basketball team. The father has never played basketball before (initially seen as a disadvantage) but takes an unorthodox approach, and encourages his team to focus on full court defense. His team of unlikely winners, make the national play-offs with this approach.

Both authors joked about their styles - Michael Lewis would have turned this story into a 300 page book, whereas Malcolm Gladwell needed to pull together a number of stories on the same theme. Gladwell didn't say it, but his strength is connecting the dots, and pulling insight out of a number of initially disparate stories.

When asked by the audience if he sees himself as David, Gladwell quickly responded that he didn't - that he'd been lucky to follow one advantage after the other in life.

What a great night!

Wildflowers in the desert

It was so nice sitting up at Highland Lakes that I had a slow start to the day. Cooked scrambled eggs, had coffee, then reluctantly packed up my gear and headed back down the dirt road.

Yum! Scrambled eggs for breaky

It was a beautiful drive down from Ebbett's Pass - through a grove of golden birch trees, then crossing West Fork stream where a number of fishermen were trying their luck for trout.

West Fork creek

It wasn’t long before I was missing the peace and quiet of the lakes – arriving in Lake Tahoe, I was met with traffic, tourists and hustle and bustle as people jostled for parking spaces and darted across the highway to ski-village type shops or to take a photo from a scenic outlook. Two things intensified the situation – firstly, the town was celebrating Oktoberfest which had brought additional crowds, and secondly, with the national forest entries closed, people were now parking on the side of the highway and walking in to the scenic lookouts, beaches and picnic spots. It was definitely a high energy place!

Emerald Bay

I pulled into a Starbucks to use the internet and search for potential campgrounds for the night, and made a quick Skype call to Billy. It was nice to have a slower day with less driving.

Lakeside

There were a couple of camping options along Sage Hen road in the forest off highway 89, and near Stampede Reservior, but I felt like a quiet night and so did a quick search for hostels in Reno, the nearest larger town.

I’m so glad I did! I found a quirky looking place, Wildflower Village, gave them a call, and was on my way.

I loved it! As I walked in the door, I was greeted by a group of women, catching up over a few glasses of wine. They didn’t seem to mind that I’d just burst in, and I easily fit into their conversation.

Pattie showed me to my room, a wonderfully decorated space with queen bed and small kitchenette. A great place to relax. There are a couple of different styles of accommodation here – hostel, motel, studio apartments. It also appears to accommodate longer term stays, and supports artists and their work. There is also a chapel, pub, coffee shop and galleries – a whole community!

My room at Wildflower Village

I went back to “the Pub” to use the internet and met Karol, a local pilot. She told me about a hike she was doing with a friend later in the week to find an “Airmail Arrow”. When I asked what this was, she explained they were giant concrete arrows used as navigational aids, built in to literally point the way of the transcontinental airmail route from New York to San Francisco.

These arrows were built every 10miles between New York and San Francisco between 1924 and 1929 before there were reliable aviation charts or GPS systems on planes. Each arrow was painted bright yellow and had a 51ft steel tower in the middle, lit by a beacon powered by a generator shed at the tail end of the beacon.

You can read more about it here:

By Ken Jennings, The Daily Traveller, 17 June 2013

It’s uncertain how many still exist, and in most cases the beacon has been removed for scrap metal. You can see the one near Reno on Google Earth at 39°30'36"N, 119°55'20"W. Here’s a screenshot - how cool is this!

Airmail marker beacon, Reno, NV

After being distracted on this fascinating story, I returned to the task at hand and spent some time researching accommodation in San Francisco and driving routes for tomorrow’s trip to Napa Valley.

Pattie gave some great suggestions, and said her favourite places were Gundlach Bundschu and Buena Visa Winery in Sonoma the valley over from Napa. She really sold it when she mentioned the Sonoma Cheese factory! Planning done, it was time for bed.

If you’re even looking for a place to stay, the drop in and see Pattie. If I haven’t convinced you, Wildflower Village also recently featured in the NYTimes as the place to stay in Reno.

Wildflowers community

Pattie's suggestions for Sonoma worked out well! I bought a couple of bottles of Chardonnay to share with Laura in London (one from each winery) and an extra bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Gundlach Bundschu just in case we run out. 

I also had enjoyed a cheese plate and at The Girl and the Fig, and cake and coffee at Scandia Bakery. A day of treats!

From the desert to alpine meadows

What a perfect place to be! It's Sunday morning and I’m currently sitting with the sun on my back, mountain air perfectly still, beneath some pines next to a small alpine lake, part of the Highland Lakes area of the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness in Stanislaus National Forest.

Highland Lakes - a great campsite

Where is that?!? I’ve never heard of it! Fair enough question, neither had I until about 3pm yesterday afternoon as I travelled the winding route 4 road from the western side of the Sierra headed towards Lake Tahoe – a tip I’d gathered from a retired commercial pilot, Bob Cushman, who I met yesterday morning at breakfast.

Bob has recently retired from being a commercial pilot for GM, and is celebrating with the purchase of a burgundy coloured Harley Davidson touring bike and a long road trip. He’d passed this way earlier in the week, and said it was spectacular. With no firm plans of my own, it seemed a good one to try.

Meet Bob Cushman, retired commercial pilot on a Harley road-trip

Ah, the twists and turns of an unplanned adventure!

I had found myself in Jamestown after crossing through Yosemite via road 120. It wasn’t a great experience and brought back the disappointment that I wouldn’t be able to hike in the National Park, as was part of my original plan. By comparison, today has been terrific!

But to start from the beginning. I set out from Alabama Hills on Friday morning and headed north west along the beautiful US 395 Sierra Mountains highway that travels straight up the Owens Valley – the Sierra Mountains on your left, the mountains surrounding Death Valley on your right.

Sierra Mountains from Alabama Hills

The towns here are small, but feel more genuine than the ones I found on Route 66. I passed through Independence, and made a stop at Bishop for a coffee and pastry from Erick Schat’s Bakerri, a true German bakery filled with warm and flavoursome smells of sourdough, rows and rows of loaves and glass cabinets filled with all different types of strudel. I picked up a loaf for lunch, a strudel for morning tea, and a coffee for breakfast.

Continuing on 393 I passed the turnoff to the Bristlecone Pines, which would have been interesting to see as they are the longest living trees in the world - apparently over 5,000 years! I have seen photos of their twisted, gnarled and wise trunks. But I wanted to spend my day in Yosemite, so skipped this detour this time. I did take a small detour to June Lakes, a 15mi scenic road that passes a number of small mountain lakes, cold water with autumn colours along their outherwise barren banks. I had a simple lunch with my sourdough loaf, an avocado, some tomato and some Mesquite honey I’d bought in Pine earlier in the week for dessert.  A simple meal, so enjoyable in the cool mountain air.

Lunch at June Lakes

From there it was up to Tioga Pass at an elevation of 9,945ft in the Sierra Mountains, and the heart of Yosemite. It was such a beautiful place to be. The shrubs are flowering golden yellow, and any deciduous tree had started its transition to oranges and reds. Against the grey backdrop of the granite mountains, it appears a perfect combination.

Route 120 to Tioga Pass

Feeling uplifted by where I was, it was an abrupt encounter to meet the rangers at the Yosemite Park entrance. I could continue to drive through the park, but no turning off the main road, no stopping and no photos – I was issued with a notice confirming these things. I think if they could have put blinkers on you they could.

Whilst I understand the federal budget has not been approved to man services in the national parks, I don’t agree with disallowing access to those who are willing to take on the risks alone – I was quite happy not to use any of the park services. I had a guidebook to suggest some areas to walk, a map to follow, all my equipment and food. I didn’t need a guided tour, wasn’t interested in going to the visitors centre or to even use the bathrooms.

However, this time, I was going to have to be content with a drive by visit. Needless to say, I was moved on by a ranger twice as I slowed to admire the natural features en route – Lembert Dome near Tuolumne Creek and golden meadows. They seemed to be taking enforcement of the rules quite seriously!

A sneaky shot of Tuloumne Creek

Lembert's Dome

It was a pretty drive, but only made me more curious to discover the park further.

On the far western side of the range, I was surprised to find a large area of recently burnt forest. I partially recalled hearing about fires in Yosemite, but wasn’t aware of their duration, extent or proximity to the main thoroughfares.

Scarred forest

A small information tent was set up at a lookout, so I pulled over and spoke to Timothy Evans, the Natural Resources Staff Director of the Tahoe National Forest. He explained that the fire started on 17 August in the Stanislaus National Forest, and had consumed more than 400 sq miles. The fire was continuing to burn in a few areas. We squinted over the range, and in the far distance could spot the smoke. The fires must have been intense, as the landscape was completely charred, from the forest floor to the canopy.

Barren landscape of the Stanislaus National Forest, west of Yosemite NP

Tim was a great guy, and was thrilled to hear I was Australian. He had travelled to Australia in 1995 for work and had managed to enjoy a short holiday in Melbourne. A highlight sounded like the St Kilda Festival!

Meet Timothy Evans of the Tahoe National Forest

It was nearing 4pm and was about time for me to find somewhere to camp. The forest fires had made this a little difficult as now a lot of the areas I’d marked on the map to explore were charred and closed. I stopped in the small town of Groveland to investigate their hotel, but it had inflated Yosemite tourist prices, so continued further. I had a quick look at the Don Pedro Lake for a sunny spot on the mountain side, but everywhere was too steep to put up a tent, and the formal campground was uninviting.

By 6pm, I decided my time was up, and pulled off the road into another small town, Jamestown, and walked into the Royal Carriage. They seemed reasonable, so decided I’d have another evening in a comfy bed and with internet access.

It turned out well, as otherwise I wouldn’t have met Bob at breakfast and “discovered” the route 4 highway which led me to my great campsite now. It’s funny how these things work out!

On Saturday morning, after breakfast with Bob, I headed north, with my first stop planned to be the Calaveras Big Tree forest. I’d done some research the previous night on redwood forests and found a great blog by Dave Baselt Redwood Hikes which lists all of the redwood forest locations, and hikes you can do, with a rating on the sequoia experience!

Most appeared to be in national parks, but there was one State Forest, the Calaveras, nearby. Yay! Spending some time with the grandeur of the Sequoia, was one of the things I really wanted to do whilst in the States.

I chose to spend the morning on the 5mi loop around South Grove, an area with 1,000 large Sequoia trees.

Starting out on the South Grove loop hike, 5mi, Calaveras State Park

The forest was beautiful in the morning. Still, but with many birds chirping and happily flirting from tree to tree. The dogwood in the undergrowth was in colour – oranges, pinks and reds, and I passed over a small stream, glistening in the morning light as it flowed over a series of granite slabs.

A beautiful morning to be in the forest

After a short climb I rounded a bend and came across the first Sequoia. Wow! Whilst you know these trees are huge, it’s still amazing to be in their presence and feel them towing over you. Their deep red or cinnamon coloured, fibrous bark seems almost like deer fur, and the morning light deepened the grooves burrowing in this thick, outer layer. The trunks extend all the way to the sky, and are topped with a sparse and narrow rounded crest of branches, that don’t seem to start until at least 100ft high. What you see at ground level is an enormous base – the ones I saw were up to 6m in diameter, but apparently they can attain widths of 11m. Some had grown buttresses to stop them crashing over.

These trees are unbelievable huge!

Hard to capture scale in a photo!

As I walked through the grove, each tree looked like it had weathered some tough times. Some had deep fire scars, others had been hollowed out completely. There were insect marks, and a few had obviously toppled in large storms. Regardless, it was amazing to think that these had been living for more than 2,000 years.

Fire ravaged

Apparently, sequoias are resistant to diseases, insects, rot and drought, and are fire adaptive. Much like eucalypts, they need fire to survive. Small and frequent fires produce heat to release large volumes of seeds from the cones, reduces competing undergrowth to allow through sunlight, and clears the forest floor to reveal the rich soil in which the seeds germinate.

Cones

They also appeared to grow in clusters, and it seemed a bit unusual to see 2 trees almost touching each other, like twins. Why compete when the forest is so large! I guessed it was because the seeds don’t travel far when dropped, and so if conditions are conducive to germination and growth, a number of trees will succeed in the one spot. With a narrow canopy, two trees can happily grow up together. Awww…

Twins

I enjoyed walking through the forest and spending time with these trees that would far outlive me.

After a bite to eat, it was time to continue. On a whim I decided to follow the tip and continue up route 4 towards Lake Tahoe and see what I could find. It was a great drive up a narrow and winding road. I felt the environment change to a more alpine scenery, a few bare hills covered in golden grasses and still alpine lakes.

Winding route 4

I stopped by a small turnout and found a sign that had a map of the region. Yay! There appeared a few campsites around. The area seemed pretty quiet, and I hadn’t spotted a single RV, so I was willing to check them out.

A place named “Highland Lakes” at the far end of a dirt road sparked my interested, so I turned off the bitumen and started bumping along the dirt. It felt quite remote and I drove for almost 30min without seeing anyone. The road followed a small, rocky creek, which offered a few potential camping sites, but I decided to keep exploring. It was only 4pm, so there was plenty of time.

A few hunters drove past in their raised ute, both wearing bright orange caps. I hoped there weren’t bears around! Further up there were a set of stock yards – this area must still be used for grazing, and I was reminded of the first chapter in John Muir’s book “My First Summer in the Sierra” where he joins a shepherd with his flock of sheep to find pastures in the mountains.

Mountain cabin

By 5pm I’d reached a small lake. Perfect. The place to myself too! A small sign indicated to only camp in designated areas, so rather than a lake side spot, I continued a further few hundred meters to the designated area. Picnic tables and fire rings. I could even have a fire tonight!

Highland Lakes 

I moved from lazily dreaming to action. Tent first, then a quick drive back to the forest for wood (it’s pretty sparse around a campground!), dinner prepared, fire started, some good coals, and the pot simmering away. The stars came out and I played around with my camera to see what I could capture.

Preparation...

Success!

A great place to be