Back in 2006, my family travelled out to California to visit some of my relatives and visit a few landmarks along the way. This was my first significant trip since being more invested in photography, so my camera was up to my eye pretty much everywhere we went. I have to give my family a lot of credit for the patience they had waiting for me a get some of these shots.
Our trip started in Sacramento, from which we headed down Rt. 99 past Modesto and Merced destined for a motel in Mariposa. We stopped along Rt. 140 a few times to see the rolling hills.
The next two days were spent driving around Yosemite National Park which was truly unlike anything I had ever seen on the east coast. The redwoods, waterfalls, mountains, and sweeping views of the valley were something to behold.
We took a short jaunt out the east side of the park to visit Mono Lake, whose salt formations were quite interesting.
After Yosemite we made our way down the coast on Rt. 1. We passed through Monterey and Carmel, taking in magnificent views of the Pacific along the coastal roadway. We stopped at Julia Pfeiffer State Park which had a beautiful little cove with a waterfall splashing down right onto the beach.
We continued on Rt. 1 to Santa Barbara, spending a night with my Aunt before we all headed further down to San Diego. We stopped at a few well known locations, including La Jolla Beach and Old Seaport.
Pelican at La Jolla Beach
Coast at Old Seaport
Our last major excursion was to San Diego Zoo, which definitely lived up to its reputation. The zoo was clean and the animals seemed to have a much more comfortable and natural environment compared to other zoos I've visited.
That concluded the trip, but I would love to get back to Yosemite and spend a little more time hiking around the park. With so many amazing sights to see, I could easily spend an entire week there alone.