(A) Los Angeles
(B) Seattle
(C) Mt. Bachelor
(D) Umpquoa Hot Springs
(E) San Francisco
(F) Yosemite
(G) Las Vegas
(H) Zion & Bryce
(I) Grand Canyon
(J) Joshua Tree
Before I get into it, I want to let you know that this road trip was very full on. We wanted to see as much as we could in the little time we had so we packed everything in like sardines. After our trip we calculated all of our miles to be 5,000 (8047 k) in 18 days. I personally didn’t mind doing it this way but it’s definitely not for everyone. If you are planning to do a road trip similar to this, I hope this gives you some information that helps you plan!
Los Angeles to Seattle (Roughly 16 hours)
We landed in LA around 2pm. Alex was so close to not being let into the USA because his passport photo looks nothing like him. Thank goodness that they decided to overlook it. After a few hours of sorting that out, we took a taxi to Jucy to pick up our camper van! This was really exciting for me because it was my first time travelling and living out of a van. We used the first few hours to get all of the boring stuff out of the way (food, sim card, maps, petrol). Then we got straight on the road and headed north to Seattle, Washington. This was the least exciting part of the trip. We just wanted to get there as quick and safe as we could.
We didn’t plan for any stops except to find somewhere to sleep on the way. We came across this drive-thru tree located in Leggett, California. Funny enough, our van wouldn’t fit but it was still super neat to see! This tree is 276-foot tall and 6-foot wide. It was a $10 usd entry fee and we spent a good hour in the gift shop. Wicked find and worth the stop.
One of my favourite moments on the road were the things we didn’t plan. For example this Elk farm we came across. Apologies, I don’t have the location it was just something we stumbled upon on our way north. I’m sure you could just google one if you’re interested π
Seattle, Washington
Alex finally meets the family! After two years together, it was pretty awesome to finally introduce him to my family. It’s never easy when you move countries and you basically have two different lives! It was pretty cool to bring him into my other world. We spent 4 days here including Christmas. Unfortunately with everything else we had planned, this was all the time we had. I plan to make a seperate blog about Seattle but I decided to include a few places that we visited whilst here. It was Christmas time so we wandered the streets and found awesome xmas lights. I had to show Alex the touristy areas ~ Space Needle, Kerry Park, Great Wheel, Pike Place Market, and of course the Fremont Troll.
Most of this part of the trip I put the camera away to spend some quality time with the fam. We ate and drank a lot in those four days.
Mount Rainier ~ I prefer spending my time outside of the city so I decided to show Alex Mt. Rainier. The great thing about Seattle is it’s surrounded by natural beauty and so easy to escape the city. (Seattle > Mt. Rainier 1 hr. 30 min.) Unfortunately where I wanted to go was closed due to snow but we ended up finding another road to take us into the park. It was a winter wonderland!
Seattle > Mt Bachelor (Roughly 6 hours)
We woke up super early to head back down south to Oregon for our next exciting adventure! We decided to make a stop in Portland for breakfast. My sister recommended this place called called Gravy located and it was DELICIOUS.
Portland >Mt Bachelor ~ This was the only time during our trip that we needed to put chains on our tires. Thankfully we rented some through Jucy. There was so much traffic going through the mountains mainly because of the snowy conditions.
We arrived just in time for DOG SLEDDING! I’m talking seconds! This was Alex’s favourite part of the whole trip. It was such a cool experience and those dogs are bloody legends. It was so awesome to see them in their zone. I always wondered about the whole ‘animal cruelty’ with dog sledding but I now that I saw it with my own eyes, I see nothing wrong with it. I spoke to the trainers about how they’re treated and I saw how happy the dogs were. I can not wait to go again when we go to Finland! If you have the choice to go for sunset, DO IT. It was beautiful to see the sun reflect off the snow and through the trees.
We left Mt. Bachelor that night and headed to Crater lake (roughly two hours) but it was closed due to snow. Unfortunately no-one was working to plow the snow for a few weeks (gov’t shutdown). It was super late and we were both tired so we parked our van in the middle of nowhere and slept. We thought we were gonna be freezing with the conditions around us but the van stayed quite warm throughout the night.
Crater Lake > Umpiqua Hot Springs (Roughly 45 minutes)
The next morning we headed to what is MY favourite part of the trip! Umpiqua hot springs! I’ve never been to a hot springs before and I did not think the name was literal. When we first rocked up, we were the only ones there. We quickly got in, relaxed and enjoyed peacefulness surrounded by lush forest. It was definitely worth getting into my swimsuit and freezing my tootsie off. What an experience this was.
What’s a trip without a good ‘ol waterfall? Few minutes away from the hot springs you’ll find Tokette Falls. I’ve seen heaps of Instagram posts of this waterfall close up so I figured it would be easy to get down to. NOPE. There is a rope on the right hand side that you can climb down. It’s very steep and not for me (I’m very scared of heights).
When we finished checking out Tokette Falls, we hit the road while there was still light. We wanted to get as close as we could to our next destination, Cypress Tree Tunnel to make the next day easier (Tokette Falls > Cypress Tree Tunnel ~ 8 hrs). This is the ultimate Instagram-worthy spot! We slept somewhere close to the area and woke up to take photos in the tunnel. I’m going to tell you the truth, this place was crowded with people. I was very lucky to get a few shots with no-one in the photos.
Once we were finished at the Cypress Tree Tunnel we drove straight to San Franciso (1hr 30m). We only spent a few hours wondering San Fran. I wasn’t a massive fan of the city and the only part that I really wanted to see was the bridge. We basically left on sundown and headed straight to Yosemite. Sorry if you were looking for more insight on San Fran, but I got nothing! Maybe i’ll go back one day π
San Fran > Yosemite (3 hours)
More in my element. I was happy to escape the city again and head to Yosemite! I think this is where I was most disappointed with the government shut down. There wasn’t anyone to clear the roads so we missed out on a few of the best spots like taft point. There were people everywhere, bins over filling, illegal parking, etc. It wasn’t the best experience but the national park was still stunning. I need to go back and experience this place when it’s up and running properly.
We were going to spend the night in Yosemite but for us it just wasn’t worth it (this time around). We headed straight to Las Vegas when the sun went down. (Yosemite > Las Vegas ~ 7 hours)
NEW YEARS EVE – DAY ~ Hello Nevada! This part of the trip I put the camera away. We met up with a few mates from Australia and enjoyed New Years with them on the strip. It included a lot of gambling (Vegas, duh), few drinks and fireworks!
Las Vegas > Valley of Fire ~ (1 hour)
I now know where they got the name from. This place is on fire! Valley of Fire is located in the Mojave Desert which is very close to the Las Vegas strip. We only spent a few hours here before heading off again. This place though is insane! It makes for the perfect day trip if you’re looking to get outdoors and do some hiking and sightseeing.
Then we went over the boarder to UTAH! I really wanted to see the two national parks, Zion and Bryce. We were so close so why not! I’m so happy we did because these two National Parks have so much to offer.
Zion National Park
We were a little bit rushed with Zion plus it was bloody cold! We spent a few hours wandering around the park. There were so many trails that I would have loved to do that we didn’t. I remember it being very hard to find motivation to move (basically a wimp). Then there was Alex who got up early to go for a run and came back with icicles on his mo (sigh). I would love to return to Zion in the spring or fall. We will return Zion.
*You can find this switch back on the way out of Zion on the way to Bryce.
Bryce National Park
Quick reminder ~ we are still on planet earth.
This place was magic. Bryce is known for the ‘crimson-colored hoodoos. I’ve never seen anything like these formations. I’m so happy that I was able to experience Bryce with snow. It was unreal. Unfortunately because of the govt. shutdown this was the only lookout we got to see due to road closures. Not complaining tho, i’m happy with what I saw. I recommend go walk down to the Rim Trail hiking path. We weren’t going to do it but i’m so happy we did!
*Best viewing times are around sunup and sundown
Once we left Bryce National Park we headed to Arizona (5 hours)! First stop was Monumental Valley. Now i’m not going to lie, I did cheat and I booked us a cheap hotel near the Valley. We didn’t get into Arizona until late and I was craving a shower and I wanted to sleep in a proper bed.
We wanted to see the famous Forest Gump road for sunup and i’m so happy we did. The lighting over the valley was unreal. It wasn’t on the list but we then wanted to wander more of the valley so we entered the National Park which had a fee of $35. I highly recommend you go and see everything close up. You also get a chance to learn more about the Navajo Indians who lived on the land.
Monumental Valley > Horsehoe Bend (2 hours)
We almost didn’t make it to see sundown mainly because we couldn’t find a park! There were SO many people. I did not expect for it to be as crowded as it was. Also the photos you see of this place don’t do it justice, this place is massive! It is so beautiful and scary at the same time. One wrong step and yeah, you’re done. That’s just me being super paranoid of heights cause like I said before, i’m a whimp (haha)
Horseshoe > Grand Canyon (1h 45m)Probably the most famous canyon in the USA and unfortunately we only spent a few hours here. We rocked up and majority of it was closed down due to snow so we didn’t bother to stay any longer. From what we did see though, it was beautiful and a tease!
Enroute back to Los Angeles! We decided to check off another National park, Joshua Tree (Grand Canyon > Joshua ~ 6hrs). When I think of Joshua Tree I think of cactus, rock climbers and Joshua trees. There really isn’t much going on but it was cool to drive through.
When we left Joshua Tree and headed back to LA we saw these massive life size dinosaurs on the side of the road. I had to see what these were about so we had to stop. One of the dinosaurs is actually a gift shop so we spoke to the clerk and she told us that the guy that created this was inspired by bored kids on road trips. He went on and made something exciting for kids to see whilst on the popular road in Cali! Pretty neat hey.
Hollywood
We spent our last 2 nights in LA and I felt like the biggest tourist ever.
βHollywood sign ~ the photos below were taken at Lake Hollywood Park. Right below this photo is a dog friendly park. You can park near it, you’ll just need to walk a little bit.
βWalk of fame ~ I honestly don’t see what the big fuss is about the Hollywood walk of fame. I’m also hopeless when it comes to actors and singers so this part is probably just not for me.
βFood ~ We ate a lot. Alex and I tried to eat at as many diners as we could. One of my favourites would have to be Mels Drive In. So delish!
My doggo has a star!
For our last day we spent it in the beautiful Venice. We parked the van, rented our bird scooters and wandered around the Venice beach. It was super fun and relaxed. I highly recommend renting the scooters out. You don’t have to worry about parking and you can drop and go as you please. We went pretty cheap throughout the whole trip with food so we decided to treat ourselves to a nice fancy dinner for our last night. We found this place called Neighbour and it was AMAZING. Cocktails were strong and the vibe was exactly what we wanted to end our trip.
& that’s it folks! That is how we spent our days in the USA on the road. It was very busy but so fun! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!
~ Ash!
