Nearing Yosemite, the air was thick with smoke carried by winds from the devastating wildfire that struck Sequoia National Park and the surrounding area. The drive from San Francisco took me through the Central Valley, where cherries, berries, watermelons, and everything else that grows this time of year was sold in roadside stalls directly from the source. I spent the first two nights “roughing it out” inside a tent at Curry Village and the last two nights in pampering fashion at the historic Wawona Hotel.
Due to COVID restrictions at the time, the only way to enter the park with a car was to either score one of the scarce vehicle day passes or to overnight in one of the lodges or campgrounds inside the park. Yosemiteīefore entering the desert, I wanted to do a bit of tree-hugging at Yosemite National Park. Sure, they’re mostly used by tourists these days but it’s a San Francisco experience that’s not to be missed, along with calorie-heavy sundae at Ghirardelli. If you want to “cheat”, you can always hop on one of the iconic cable cars. In San Francisco, it’s wise to do a bit of stretching before heading out because walking up its hills can be mighty tough albeit rewarding. I particularly enjoyed strolling through Chinatown on a busy weekday, visiting San Francisco’s scenic lookouts at Coit Tower and Bernal Heights, seeing the powerful street art at the Mission District, and following the shoreline from Fisherman’s Wharf all the way to Baker Beach via the Golden Gate Bridge. I knew that I wanted to return to catch my flight home via the Pacific Coast Highway, so it basically meant that a big loop around the desert would be made. I did have a rough idea of a few places I wanted to visit but I had no bookings made and no clue if my rough plan was feasible. The Best Plan is No PlanĪs a traveler who meticulously plans his trips (just look at the travel guides featured on this website), landing in San Francisco without a plan and with five weeks to kill was quite a scary proposition. She and I would need to cover miles of dirt roads and perhaps even spend a few nights together with some in-the-car camping. I didn’t rent a convertible like the one featured in the iconic 80s clip but I did rent this American-made baby that was tasked with leading me through the desert and back in one piece via a few bucket list spots. It’s time to turn that desert road trip dream into a reality. I already had a stop in San Francisco planned en route to Tahiti so this became a no-brainer.
However, as luck, fate or destiny would have it, COVID-19 made it impossible to enter Tahiti at that particular time and a last-minute scramble for a plan B had to be put together.
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