AboutErnest Tufft Expertise I am knowlegeable about most all parts of California, but am most knowlegeable about San
Diego, San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas, Wine Country regions, North Coast, Yosemite,
Mother Lode, Tahoe, and Central California.
Experience I'm a fourth generation Californian and know the history, culture, and geography of the state very well. Born and raised in the Francisco Bay Area, I lived 8 years in San Diego, and now reside in Stockton, CA. I worked 6 years in the Napa/Sonoma wine industry. I have also traveled to 19 different countries, on all continents of the world except Australia and Antartica
Organizations I'm a gold star member at VirtualTourist.com.
Publications Virtualtourist.com
Education/Credentials I have a Master's degree in English, and have teacher's credentials for grades K through 12. I currently teach at the community college level.
Past/Present clients I have helped many visitors from all over the world appreciate the great state of California, and I have also helped Californians visit other parts of the world.
Expert: Ernest Tufft Date: 5/26/2008 Subject: California, July - August
Question We're thinking about a 3 week self-drive trip in July / August (2 adults and our 16 year old daughter)- flying into San Francisco from England, then north along the coast, inland to Lake Tahoe, down to Yosemite and maybe Kings Canyon / Sequoia NPs, across to the coast and back up to SF. We'd like to stay at least 2-3 days at some places, maybe longer, and get out and do some walking, cycling etc rather than drive long distances every day. Does this seem a reasonable basic route for first timers in California? Have we left it too late to find hotel accommodation at some of the hot spots like Yosemite? We're not that keen to drive as far south as LA but I'm sure my daughter would enjoy some time on a hot beach if you can recommend somewhere not too far south. Thanks a lot, Ian & Linda
Answer You can do a lot in a 3 week vacation in California, and so I think it's possible to spend some San Diego, particularly if you skip Kings Canyon/Sequoia NP. A great substitute for So California beaches is Santa Cruz. Actually, the surf and bikini action at Santa Cruz is certainly world class for both young folks and adults alike, plus the Beach Boardwalk, Arcade, and Roller Coaster are the best on the west coast, in my opinion. You and your daughter will both love the Monterey Bay in general. I just returned from a weekend there myself and had a wonderful time. See my www.virtualtourist.com pages (under the member name of atufft) for Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel-By-The-Sea, Aptos, Moss Landing, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, Mount Hermon, and Felton for more images and details of what to do in this region. Another good place to visit is Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo in the south central coast region. Paso Robles is a good region for winery tours.
You do need to research and get reservations for Yosemite right NOW. I'm sure that you still have a chance, but basically the further away from the Yosemite Valley, the longer your drive to where the water falls and beautiful vistas that make this place great. If you can't get a tent cabin at Camp Curry, try finding a cabin in the Wawona area, on the road leading to Glacier Point, or perhaps a tent cabin at Tuolumne Meadows in the alpine region. If you visit the Maripose Grove of Big Trees, this will substitute to some extent the experience found in Sequoia NP. My virtualtourist.com pages for Yosemite provide additional information and pictures, and I also have well developed pages for San Francisco, and Napa.
If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask...
