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: 6/14/2008 Subject: California Fly Drive in October
Question QUESTION: Hello Mr Tufft
You made some very good suggestions to a previous question I asked and hoped you may be able to help a bit further. We are staying in San Francisco for 4 nights in Mid Oct and were planning to travel down to Big Sur/Monteray area and stay for 1 night before heading over to Yosemite. However, my neighbours son is visiting from L.A. and recommends us using one of our days whilst in SF to drive down to this area which would give us an extra day to fit in something else. You did suggest visiting the Napa Valley and we would like to do that. Is there anything you can recommend - also a good overnight stop off to reduce drive to Yosemite next day. Any advice re Yosemite would also be good, should we stay in park or would it be fine to stay just outside. We liked the suggestion of driving the Tioga Pass route if open before travelling down to L.A. but would this make it too long a drive?
We had thought of spending a night at Furnace Creek Ranch to break the journey. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
ANSWER: Ann,
I'm delighted to have helped you. Though a little short of typing time at the moment, I do have a few thoughts to help you. Your neighbor's son will be traveling north? If he plans to visit during this trip, he would help you greately by driving to the Monterey Bay area for adventure there. From Monterey, the trip to Yosemite is best done without stop a stop over because the corporate agriculture of the Central Valley is of only passing interest. San Juan Bautista Mission, and some Sierra Foothill Motherlode Mining towns are worth stops for lunch or to stretch the legs from a long drive, but you will find the trip from Monterey to Yosemite not unduly long--about 4-6 hours--depending upon the number of stops you make along the way. I do recommend staying inside the park and highly recommend getting reservations immediately. Be careful about places claiming to be "near" Yosemite. There are a few motels at El Portal, but even that town is 30 minutes or so from the main entrance. Other places are an hour or more, and you will enjoy every moment inside the park. There are no substitute nature hikes or recreational lakes comparable with Yosemite's breathtaking beauty that is truly unique in this world. Ideally, find a place right within Yosemite Valley (see the national park website I linked earlier), but Wawona and even Tuolumne Meadows have tent cabins, camping, and other overnight facilities worthy of considering. At least a full day, hopefully two or three can be spending hiking around or from Yosemite Valley. Another day trip to Wawona Hotel, Glacier Point, Mariposa Grove of Giant Redwoods, is also a must. During the drive through to Tioga Pass, and Mono Lake, Lake Tenaya and Tuolumne Meadows are spectacular alpine experiences. As for Napa Valley, I recommend choosing a few different types of wineries in different parts of the valley, allowing the winery to introduce the wines, rather than you trying to tell them what you like, and not trying to consume too much or do too much in one day. There are 600 wineries in Napa Valley, so there's no sense trying to take it all in within a day trip. See my pages for St. Helena, Napa, Calistoga, and Oakville at Virtualtourist.com for photos and more tips...Good luck...
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QUESTION: Sorry I seem to have created some confusion - my neighbours son lives in L.A. is actually here in the U.k. at the moment. He was recommending to us to drive to Big Sur during our S.F. stopover and then at the end of our stay there to drive up to the Winery region stay overnight there and travel on to Yosemite from there. Would that be a possibility? I had looked at cabins (Redwoodsinyosemite) but had seen mixed reviews on those also Yosemite View Lodge which is a El Portal.
Would you recommend a stopover point on the way to Las Vegas? Also considering Monument Valley and then Sedona before flying back to England from Phoenix.
Thank you for your expertise and time.
Answer I'm sorry for the delayed reply. I've had troubles logging in. I'm delighted that you have advice from others than myself, but I can't comment upon the value of their recommendations. I do recommend that you visit Virtualtourist.com and study the recommendations made by myself and other travelers for all of these places in detail. Monterey Bay area (Monterey, Santa Cruz, Carmel, etc.) is a region worth visiting. I think I may have recommended skipping Big Sur in favor of Big Basin in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Perhaps your friend's son has not yet visited Big Basin, the oldest of California's state parks, and the park with the largest forest of old growth redwoods south of San Francisco (thus larger than Big Sur). The route you'll want to take from the Monterey Bay area could stop at the Mission San Juan Bautista, nicely preserved California mission and set for the Hitchcock movie "Vertigo", and through the Pacheco Pass and city of Merced, on the way to Yosemite. The cabins you found at EL Portal and so-called "redwoodsinyosemite" are poorly reviewed probably in part because they are not authentic to the National Park. On the other hand, some tourists who arrive at the great natural wonder mistakenly expect to be furnished a luxury resort hotel. The National Park System in the United States does not maintain luxury resort accomodations within the natural wonders because these are irrelevant to the appreciation and preservation of these wonders. When I was a child, for example, Yosemite had a nightly "fire falls", a fall of burning embers pushed off the precipice at Glacier Point, and at Mariposa Grove, travelers could drive their car through a cut-out of a Redwood tree. In the modern era, these are not considered preservation, and trust me when I say that the natural wonders of Yosemite need no Disneyland like attractions to bring in millions of visitors annually. However, if you are particular about the quality of your accomodations, then I recommend staying at the Ahwahnee Hotel, the grand old hotel where the president stays. But, expect to pay the price. Meanwhile, my recommendation is to find a tent cabin at Camp Curry, which is right at the foot of great day hikes leading past Happy Isles, Nevada Falls, Vernal Falls, on the way to the top of Half Dome. Again, visit Virtualtourist.com for more details and images on these places.
