Trip Report Golden State of Mind: Our August 2017 California Adventure

11 Days
10 Nights
9 Miles walked on our busiest day
8 Months of planning
7 Days with a rental car
6 Hotels
5 Boat rides
4 Flight segments
3 Disney park days
2 East coasters
1 Unforgettable vacation​

Hello and welcome to my trip report! For those who don't know, here is the essential information:

Me (Bee): 28, opera singer/voice teacher
DW (M): 28, writer/academic administrator
We: grew up in Florida, have visited WDW many times, have been together 10+ years, have been married almost 3 years, now live in NJ just outside of NYC

Dates: August 4-14, 2017
Flights: Southwest, EWR-MDW-SMF and LAX-MDW-EWR
Transportation: Rental car, Lyft, local public transportation
Major locations: Sacramento, Napa Valley, San Francisco, Muir Woods, Sequoia National Forest, Los Angeles, Anaheim
Lodging: 6 different hotels varying from 1-3 nights in each

And here is a link to my PTR: Not our typical Disney trip

I will add the usual disclaimer about us having only smartphone cameras. I am working on uploading all my photos to a third party site which is free and allows me to easily embed them here; however, they only allow 150 uploads per day so it will take some time. All my photos are uploaded and ready to post!

The first six days (August 4-9) we toured various parts of northern and southern California. From August 10-13 we visited Disneyland, including both parks and Downtown Disney. On August 14 we flew home to New Jersey. If you'd like to skip ahead to the Disneyland part of this trip, click here. Otherwise, continue reading for the entire trip report!

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

Finally we arrived at Muir Woods!

A 3D map of the woods and surrounding area

There were lots of different bridges and paths to take. Without a plan in mind we wandered, taking in the beautiful sights.

Up next: More trees!

 

[coachwnh]

Day 3, cont.

Finally we arrived at Muir Woods!

A 3D map of the woods and surrounding area

There were lots of different bridges and paths to take. Without a plan in mind we wandered, taking in the beautiful sights.

Up next: More trees!

A definite must do for me in the future!!!! Thanks for sharing.

 

[*Flynnderella*]

Loving this report!!! I hope to get over to the West Coast of USA at some point in the next few years. San Fran is definitely on my bucket list & of course you can't go ALL that way and not visit Disneyland !! Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip!

 

[bee]

A definite must do for me in the future!!!! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for reading! It's absolutely a must-do and must-see!

Loving this report!!! I hope to get over to the West Coast of USA at some point in the next few years. San Fran is definitely on my bucket list & of course you can't go ALL that way and not visit Disneyland !! Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip!

Thank you! I hope you make it to the West Coast as there is SO MUCH to do and see!

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

As the morning progressed the fog cleared up and we even got some sunshine peeking through the trees. More tree pics (and a video!):

Though the trails near the entrance were pretty crowded and a bit noisy, the deeper we got, the quieter it got.

Obviously we needed some coffee, so we made our way to the cafe.

Up next: Leaving the woods, Sausalito, and LUNCH!

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

On the way out:

Blue sky!

This time M sat in the window seat so I wouldn't get nauseated from the drive down the mountain! As the bus made its way down we saw cars parked on the side of the road for MILES since the main lot had filled up early in the day. I absolutely would recommend this tour. We found the cost to be worth having comfortable transportation, not having to worry about narrow mountain road driving, not having to find parking, and not having to wait in line to buy tickets. Plus we got to visit Sausalito, a beautiful town north of San Francisco.

We had just over an hour in town so we made finding lunch a priority. We ended up at:

Napa Valley Burger.

The whole place was decorated with various wine-themed items, like the lamp below, and wine barrel barstools like we'd seen at Grgich Hills the day before.

I'm pretty sure I had a glass of the Merlot and M had a glass of the Old Vine Zinfandel. We shared a Napa Field Green Salad and Silverado Trail Veggie Burger.

After our heavy breakfast this was just what we needed! All the veggies from the salads were fresh and flavorful, and the burger itself was excellent and obviously housemade and not prepackaged.

Our server, Dan, was excellent as well. He noticed that M was wearing a Star Wars shirt and we all geeked out a bit over the movies and the new theme park lands. We talked about how the Muir Woods look just like the Endor scenes in Return of the Jedi (because the Endor scenes were filmed in a similar forest-not the same place).

Up next: More Sausalito and heading back to San Francisco

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

We still had some time until our bus pickup so we walked over to the water for some views of the city.

We walked back toward the bus.

There was a chocolate shop along the way, but a huge family entered just before we did and we knew they would take awhile, so we settled for gelato bars.

Chocolate for me. M had coffee.

These were pretty meh. I liked M's okay from what I tasted but mine wasn't much better than a Fudgesicle you can buy at the grocery store. I wish we'd stuck it out for chocolate. Oh well!

We got back to the bus and soon were on our way back to the city.

Our drive back, of course included driving south over the Golden Gate Bridge.

The last few pics are of the Palace of Fine Arts from the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. We would see it again tomorrow!

Up next: More pictures of cool buildings!

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

More photos of our drive back:

Even the Super 8 is distinct!

We passed by Ghirardelli Square!

If only the bus had dropped us off there!

Up next: Bay Cruise!

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

Antonio was an excellent driver and guide. He told us lots of history and trivia about all the places we went and even answered questions from the passengers. He played us San Francisco-related music on the way back, like Otis Redding's "On the Dock of the Bay."



The bus dropped everyone off at Fisherman's Wharf. I thought it odd that the tour didn't end in the same place it began, but our tour included both people with vouchers for the Bay Cruise (like us), people with vouchers for other water activities, and people who had only purchased the Muir Woods/Sausalito tour and didn't have vouchers for anything else.

We thanked Antonio and walked over to the ticket stand for the Bay Cruise. We thought it was interesting that the Bay Cruise tickets weren't for any particular date or time but could be used any date or time within the next six months. Of course we were going to use them immediately since it was a clear day and we'd be busy the next day. It was around 2:10 by this time and the next cruise was scheduled for 2:30.

The line was HUGE! As the people at the front of the line started boarding the boat it became clear that we wouldn't make it on the 2:30 cruise, but luckily the next was scheduled for 3:00.

At least we had flowers to admire!

I kept eyeing the Ben & Jerry's nearby...

At one point the line for Ben & Jerry's got really short so I went and waited on line...and of course as soon as I was next to order, the line for the boat started moving and M waved me over. Oh well, no ice cream for us!

I hopped back over to the BOAT line and soon we were boarding. We figured everyone would rush up to the top (open) deck so we found seats by the windows in the middle deck. The bottom deck sold snacks and beer but we didn't bother buying anything. After we left our dock M and I both spent some time outside the covered parts for better views and to get some photos, so some of these are from behind the glass and some are not.

Alcatraz

We didn't take that many pictures as we wanted to just stay in the moment and enjoy the cruise. Not to mention, there were some very rude children running around and touching us and getting in our personal space and we didn't want to drop our phones into the Bay!

If you look closely near the center of the photo you can see a sea lion!

I don't think this was our exact boat, but we took one like it.

Up next: Getting back to Oakland, and San Francisco pizza

 

[Figgy1]

Considering you flew out of Newark, I'm impressed that you actually made it to your destination (albeit, via the scenic, connecting flights route, that is . . . )

This is a great TR so far. You two are on a roll -- lots of fun places and experiences. Oh,I love how you got pulled over by the cop--glad he let you two dangerous types go with just a warning!

Really looking forward to the rest of your TR!

Maybe because I don't work there any more

 

[Figgy1]

Day 2, cont.

After the tour Gustavo brought us to a private tasting room.

Each place setting had five pours of wine, five cheeses, an information booklet, and a bottle of water.

You may notice there are five glasses on the table but six wines listed on the left of the book. After we tasted the Sauvignon Blanc (far left) Gustavo poured us the 40th Anniversary Chardonnay. We continued through each of the tastings and there wasn't a single one I didn't like.

Gustavo was full of information about the wines, and the cheeses! We ended up buying a bottle of the 40th Anniversary, which we're saving for a special occasion.

Although the tour "officially" was supposed to last 90 minutes, we actually stayed about two hours. The tour cost $65 per person and we got a small discount since we purchased a bottle at the end. We found the experience absolutely worth the cost for everything we saw, learned, and of course tasted. Gustavo was a personable and knowledgeable guide and was happy to answer everyone's questions throughout the tour. I would highly recommend this tour.

A stool made of an old wine barrel!

Up next: Lunch! And coffee!

Darn I knew I should have stowed away in one of your suitcases. The vineyard tour tour looks like so much fun

 

[Figgy1]

Day 2, cont.

We actually got so distracted by the sights that we passed Mondavi and had to turn around. But we made it in plenty of time.

Once inside we checked in for our tour and were given orange stickers and told where to meet our guide.

We went outside to the designated meeting spot and noticed the beautiful flowers planted all around.

Soon our tour guide, Andrew, gathered those of us with orange stickers so we could begin the tour. On the way to the first room he pointed out this statue, which sits on a field used for outdoor concerts during the summer:

There were about fifteen guests in our group. In the first room we all introduced ourselves and where we were from. Another couple was also visiting from New Jersey and we would become tour buddies. After the introductions Andrew told us some of the history of the winery, then we went back outside into the vineyard.

As you can see by the little sign, these are Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

We learned more about different techniques of growing grapes and Andrew pointed out the older vines and the newer vines. Then he brought us over to the newest building on the property, which houses the fermenting and aging barrels.

Ivy: nature's air conditioning!

Olive trees in the foreground. Mr. Mondavi had these planted as part of his Italian heritage. The olives are not for consumption but the branches are used as compost. The winery is a certified Sustainable Winegrower due to its environmental practices.

Up next: Inside the cellar!

Day 2, cont.

Andrew lead us inside the cellar and showed us various barrels and equipment (and more statues!).

Okay, remember how I told you to remember the red wine stains on the barrels at Grgich Hills? Every time the barrel is unplugged to test the wine, a bit of the wine leaks out. Mr. Mondavi apparently didn't like the inconsistent look of wine stains so he had all the red wine barrels painted with actual wine to hide the stains.

More barrels in a different room:

All of the letters and numbers at the top indicate the type of wood used and how much smoke was used, which of course all affect the flavor of the wine that's aged inside.

This is the white wine aging room. Apparently all the barrels had just come of age so to speak and they had been removed for bottling just a few days before our tour, hence the empty room.

It was almost time for tasting!! We had to wait outside a few minutes for the previous tour guide to clear the tasting room. This is where we made friends with the other couple from NJ. They live outside of Philadelphia and were visiting family in San Francisco and decided to see some wineries on the weekend.





Finally it was tasting time!!





Instead of having premade place settings, Andrew poured the wines one at a time. He also demonstrated the proper way to open a bottle of wine and gave us tips on tasting in general and specifically for these wines. In addition to the wines listed on the left, we also tried a "bonus" slightly fizzy Moscato. We enjoyed trying all of them but didn't like any of them enough to buy a bottle. After the tasting Andrew took us to the gift shop to end the tour.

On the way we noticed lots of rose bushes! Andrew explained the tradition of growing roses in and near vineyards.




Look at all those BEE things!!


More on the other side???




Seriously, how cute are these???

As I said we didn't purchase anything here, and soon we were on our way back to the car.

We liked both tours and are glad we visited two different wineries. Grgich Hills was definitely the better experience of the two. Our group at Grgich was only eight, while the group at Mondavi was double that, so there was more opportunity to ask questions and have a more personalized experience at Grgich. The Mondavi property was much busier and louder; my guess is that Robert Mondavi is more well-known to most Americans. And of course we got to try more wines at Grgich Hills...and there was cheese! We paid $65/person at Grgich and $40/person at Mondavi, so it's understandable that we had a better tour at Grgich.

Up next: A few more sights on the way out, and we make our way toward San Francisco.

Now I have to trick er um make my dh think a trip to California is his idea

 

[Doc Disney]

If you look closely near the center of the photo you can see a sea lion!

I feel like I'm probably blind but I can not see it

 

[MinnieM123]

Wow--you two are having a VACATION!! What a fun itinerary. Love the redwood trees--my brother lived in CA for a few years, and at one point, he went to the redwood forest (or park--probably the same place you went). He thought the redwoods were just amazing.

He played us San Francisco-related music on the way back, like Otis Redding's "On the Dock of the Bay."

The drummer for that song (original recording) was a studio musician. His family lived on the street where I grew up, and to us, he was like a big celebrity!

 

[bee]

@Doc Disney

 

[PacNWTigger]

I'm glad you did that because I couldn't see the sea lion either...hehe!

 

[bee]

Wow--you two are having a VACATION!! What a fun itinerary. Love the redwood trees--my brother lived in CA for a few years, and at one point, he went to the redwood forest (or park--probably the same place you went). He thought the redwoods were just amazing.

There are a few places with redwoods so it may have been the same place or a different place. Regardless, they really are incredible! Photos don't do them justice!

The drummer for that song (original recording) was a studio musician. His family lived on the street where I grew up, and to us, he was like a big celebrity!

So cool!

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

We ended up back by the piers, so we began the not-short walk back to the nearest BART station so we could back to Oakland. We we walked we noticed the old school trolley cars going the direction we needed to go, so we found the nearest station and hopped on!

This was actually a super awkward experience. These trolleys are clearly just used by tourists and no one really knew how to pay and the driver was clearly annoyed with all of us. I can understand why! We sort of figured it out but because we paid by machine inside the vehicle and then the driver handed us tickets I think we may have underpaid. The cool thing was that each vehicle was themed to a specific city; ours was Milan, Italy! Since my DW is 1/4 Italian (her grandpa is 100% but born in the US) and since I'm an opera singer we both have a special appreciation for the language and culture. Our first international trip together was also to Italy back in college.

Uscita=exit

Uscita

Bye bye, awkward trolley!

Then we took the BART for the first time. This was also awkward as we didn't realize you were supposed to line up by the yellow rectangles. No matter, we got on and got to our stop in Oakland!

It may look light out in these photos, but to us it felt very late. We were hungry but didn't really feel like going out so we decided to order in. But first, we needed wine!

And no, we didn't drink both of these in one night! This night we had the Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel. We saved the Pinot for the next night.

Soon our dinner arrived, and as I hinted at in the previous post, we went with pizza.

Pizza funghi. It wasn't bad but after living in NJ it's hard not to be a pizza snob. This crust was a little too thick and chewy for my taste.

This night we also watched Game of Thrones. Since I'd been away in upstate NY for three weeks this was the first episode of the season we watched together. We also realized that we didn't have to wait until 9:00pm local time to watch!

We got ready for bed and had a very comfortable night's sleep!

Up next: Day 4! More cool buildings, Walt Disney Family Museum, Yoda, and lots of driving!

 

[amjt660]

Hi Bee!!
Loving the pictures of San Fran , the GGB , and Muir woods

Went way back in the hard drive to find these shots (2010)
We went first thing in the morning and were able to enjoy the quiet until others made it in the depth of the woods.

So glad you were able to have a bright sunny day
Looking forward to the Disney museum and of course- the statue !!!!!

Max

 

[bee]

Hi Bee!!
Loving the pictures of San Fran , the GGB , and Muir woods
View attachment 224484 View attachment 224485
Went way back in the hard drive to find these shots (2010)
We went first thing in the morning and were able to enjoy the quiet until others made it in the depth of the woods.
View attachment 224483

So glad you were able to have a bright sunny day
Looking forward to the Disney museum and of course- the statue !!!!!

Max

Great photos of your family! We got really lucky with the weather on the entire trip but especially in San Francisco!