San Francisco & The Pacific Coast Highway

Since I was interviewing in Santa Cruz, I decided to make a road trip of it and hit up San Francisco and drive back via the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway).  My good friend, Sariah, joined me and we had the best time.  She'd never been to San Francisco before so it was fun to experience her excitement.  Our friend, John Cho (pictured below), joined us on some of our adventure and also found us a place to stay with some girls in the Palo Alto mid-singles ward.

Day 1 - Drive to Palo Alto via I-5
Road trips are my favorite!  Especially with Sariah.  We can laugh non-stop for dayssssss.  Met some friendly new people at FHE as it was conveniently located at our temporary place of residence.

Day 2 - Santa Cruz
Had my interview first thing in the morning and went out exploring in the afternoon.  Ok.  So EVERYONE talks up Santa Cruz like it's this ritzy glamorous little beach town, but do you wanna know the truth?  It's actually pretty run down and ghetto.  I don't know if I'd want to live here anyway.  The beach has it's perks, but a large homeless population doesn't.  Got a phone call while out exploring with a job offer!

Day 3 - San Francisco
Spent a few hours getting poured upon and drenched in the Muir Woods.  Those Redwood trees will never cease to amaze me.  They are ginormous.  I felt like I was back in Oregon with all the rain, ferns, and greenery everywhere.  Absolutely beautiful!

Took a few scenic shots of the Golden Gate Bridge on our way back into San Francisco, with our first stop being lunch... the most delicious fresh fish ever!

Spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around and exploring the city from Fisherman's Wharf to Ghirardelli Square to Chinatown to Painted Ladies (Full House anyone??) to Lombard Street (we may have gone down those curvy streets 2 or 3 times in a row...hey, there wasn't even a line!).  We tried to make it to Alcatraz Island, but all boat tours were sold out.  One of these days I'll make it there.

Day 4 - Drive to LA via the PCH
So the drive up took about 5 or so hours, but driving back via the Pacific Coast Highway extended our drive to almost 12 hours!!!  Granted we stopped a million times (breathtaking views) to check out Carmel-by-the-Sea, McWay Falls, the Bixby Bridge, some beached seals, and even spent a few hours at the Hearst Castle (highly recommended!).  I absolutely loved driving the PCH.  Windy roads are my favorite!

Side note: I was EXTREMELY bummed this amazing pool was under construction and was drained of water.  That drained the life right out of me.  Check it out here.