It was 2am when we pulled into the parking lot of a Reno Nevada Indian food restaurant. Attached to the restaurant was a run down Econo-lodge with a flickering neon vacancy sign. The picture was exactly what I had expected of Reno. A run down sleazy mini Las Vegas in the middle of the desert. I went in to inquire about a room while my friends unpacked the car. I managed to get a big room with extra beds for only $59 since it was already 2am and we would be leaving early in the morning. At this point in our journey we had no idea what we wanted to do. We had scrapped the plan of hitting up Las Vegas and the Hoover dam on the way to LA in favor of a more northern route that would include San Francisco. Unfortunately there is very little to do between Las Vegas and San Francisco. Even the highway system has a huge gap out West. Going anywhere involves either an indirect route, or very narrow sometimes dirt roads.
After stopping by the hotel pool and checking out, we returned to the Route 80 and headed West yet again. We crossed the state line from Nevada into California and finally saw some civilization again near lake Tahoe. Unlike other state border crossings, the one to enter California had a customs check where they asked if we had any agricultural problems. This was strange to me as I was used to crossing state lines in the east where there nothing but a sign denoting the border. Anyway, after stopping at a gas station near Sacramento for popsicles to keep us alive in the scorching heat, we finally made it to San Francisco. Or at to the line of cars waiting to enter San Francisco. Traffic in California was unbelievable. The traffic to get into the city rivaled I-95 through Connecticut. When we finally made got into the city I made some questionable city driving maneuvers before making it to the Comfort Inn and Suites alive. As I went over the speed bump to enter the parking garage I hear a metal on metal crunch. Not Good! I felt my stomach drop.
When I finally pared the car deep under the city I went up to the speed bump and found this piece of metal. Although I was nervous it seemed that it was noting to important. With some quick googling and a phone call I determined that it was the catalytic converter heat shield. We would be fine without it as long as I didn't park over any dry grass or flammable materials. This was a huge relief.
After dumping our backpacks in the hotel room and admiring the view of the city, we decided to venture out into the downtown area. Only a few blocks from our hotel we came across the famous lombard street, where we were entertained as a Segway tour group attempted to make the descent with cars trying to pass laying on their horns.
Next on the list was the Golden Gate Bridge. How could we come all this way without walking across the bridge?
After the strenuous walk across the bridge we got food by the piers where we were able to watch seals fighting each other. We could also see Alcatraz in the distance.
When night fell, we were tired and after eating at a great Chinese place, we headed back o the hotel on an old fashioned streetcar. It was a change of pace from the Honda Pilot and the countless Ubers we had taken advantage of through the corse of the trip.
The next morning we woke bright and early and drove to Sausalito. There, we caught a bus to the Muir woods, one of the best places we went on the entire trip. Seeing the redwood trees in real life was one of the coolest experiences of my life, right up there with seeing a full solar eclipse, and a few other natural wonders. For anyone who gets the chance to see the Redwoods, I would highly recommend it. The trees are so enormous that pictures and words cannot show what they are really like.
After seeing the Redwoods, we decided to drive south on Route 1 along the scenic California coast to Santa Cruz. We stopped at a farmers market along the way to get fresh produce for dinner.
When we got to the beach, it became stormy and rainy and got cold and dark. We jumped into the Pacific anyway. The next few hours were spent wet and cold in the car with the heat blasting as we drove to the Lake Isabella KOA where we would spend the night. Swimming in the Pacific was very much worth it.
It was after midnight when we arrived to the KOA. We signed up at the night time check in and pitched our tents before sleeping very well. The low tire pressure light had been on for the last 50 miles or so, but we were not too concerned knowing that we would find a gas station at some point the next day.
To be continued in part 7
Link to part 5 here
https://steemit.com/travel/@aaronburt/great-american-road-trip-part-5-arches-salt-and-mormons
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Thanks
--Aaron
The Redwoods looked nice. Is that vintage looking bus thing an electric trolley?
The Red Woods are amazing- and yes, it is! San Francisco has a whole fleet of old electric trolley cars that are really cool