We pulled into the San Francisco RV Resort in Pacifica, CA on May 5th for a 2-week stay. This park is situated on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Lucky for us our assigned site allowed for us to pull into our spot facing the ocean. We loved looking out our front windshield and seeing the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Sleeping to the sound of the waves was an added bonus and very relaxing! The sunsets were also stunning. The park is within walking distance to stores and restaurants as well as only being about a 10 minute drive to downtown San Francisco.
Our daughter, Alyssa, drove up from L.A. to visit with us during our stay. She had previously lived in San Francisco for a few years, so she knew the city well and happily chauffeured us around to some of her favorite places. We had also spent a lot of time in the area in the past. No matter how many times we've been here, though, there is always so much to experience in the "City by the Bay".
We spent our time hiking the nearby Mori Point Trail, Baker Beach and Lands End. As usual, Myah loved playing on the beach and posing with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. We took her to Alamo Square for some off-leash time as well as a pic in front of the iconic Painted Ladies (pastel-colored brownstone houses).
Pat and Alyssa went to a SF Giants-Rockies baseball game one night while I stayed back at the RV with the pets. They had a great time, and the Giants won!
Sadly, our time with Alyssa was over too soon, and she headed back to L.A. We still had another week in San Francisco. We spent our days exploring Golden Gate Park, taking Myah to Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman's Wharf, as well as eating at some of the many wonderful restaurants.
One day we took a stroll on Devil's Slide. This is a former portion of Hwy. 1 which has been made into a trail and covers 1.3 miles high above the rocky coast of the Pacific. We enjoyed beautiful views of the ocean as we walked along this section of the old highway. We actually had driven on this road 24 years ago before it was closed off. Due to frequent rockslides, this section of road was deemed hazardous, so a tunnel was constructed through the mountain to create a safer passage.
We really enjoyed our stay in San Francisco. There is always something to do, so we were never bored. It was great spending time with Alyssa, too. We were sad to leave the area, however, our 2 weeks were up, so it was time to move on. Next stop Sacramento!
On May 19th, we arrived in the state capitol of Sacramento for a 2 night stay at the CalExpo Fairgrounds.
The RV park bordered the American River Bike Trail. We biked the 32.3 mile paved trail into the city one day. Pat enjoyed a brew from a local brewery in Old Sacramento. We had a great time riding our bikes on this trail!
We also checked out the capitol during our stay. It was pretty hot, so we didn't stay long.
We arrived at Ponderosa RV Resort in Lotus, CA on May 22nd for a 5-night stay. As with most Thousand Trails parks, the sites are first come first served. Luckily, we arrived just as another RV was leaving an un-obstructed river-view site, so we grabbed it.
It was so nice to look out the front windshield and see the majestic American River. We enjoyed watching the kayakers, rafters and paddle-boarders as they floated by the RV every day. We decided to take out our kayak a couple of times during our stay. It was the first time navigating the Class II rapids in our kayak, and we had a blast! Our neighbor was kind enough to take some pictures of us as we paddled by the RV.
The California Gold Rush started in this area back in 1848-1855. Gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, CA. We visited the Marshall Gold Discover State Park, which is located just down the road from the RV park. The park has several exhibits depicting the history of the gold rush era.
One day we took a 20-minute drive to nearby Placerville. Placerville was once known as "Hangtown", because of the numerous hangings that occurred in the town in 1849. We walked through the historic downtown area and also visited nearby Gold Bug Park and Mine where we hiked along a trail before heading back to the RV.
On May 27th, we arrived at our next stop, Snowflower RV Resort in Emigrant Gap, CA, for a 9-night stay. I chose this RV park because of its close proximity to Lake Tahoe.
The park is in a beautiful, natural setting complete with a a couple of lakes for fishing or kayaking. There are also some hiking trails with gorgeous views within the park.
We took a couple of day trips to Lake Tahoe. The first trip was to the North Lake Tahoe area. We were truly amazed at the clarity and color of the water. If we didn't know any better, we would have thought we were in the Caribbean. Myah enjoyed cooling off at the shores of this pristine lake.
We went for an awesome hike on the Eagle Rock Hiking Trail. We were rewarded with an amazing view when we reached the summit.
After our hike, we visited the Tallac Historical Site on the shore of South Lake Tahoe. We walked on the grounds of the unique little village which told the story of a bygone era.
We decided to take a drive to Reno, NV, about 56 minutes from the resort. We had a great time strolling along the riverwalk, having lunch, and exploring the city.
We had a wonderful 9 days in the Tahoe area. It is such an amazing and beautiful place to explore. Sadly, our time in California has come to an end. We had spent a total of 6 months in different areas of California and truly enjoyed our stay. I'm sure we'll return again at some point because it is a great state to spend the winter. But for now we must move on.