I’m excited to announce that I’m starting a travel series called Travel with Tracy! In this series, I’ll be taking you with me on my personal travel adventures. Are you looking for an adventure? Are you ready to hit the open road and explore the beauty of Southern California? If so, this blog post is for you! I recently had the opportunity to take a road trip through SoCal and it was an unforgettable experience and very fast-paced. In seven days I visited seven places! We started in LA, where I got to spend Chinese New Year with my family. From there, we headed to Santa Monica to enjoy in the beautiful ocean views. Then off to Morro Bay with the cutest sea otters! We got to visit three national parks – Channel Islands, Sequoia and Death Valley. Finally, we ended our trip with a quick stop in Vegas before driving back to Phoenix. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and can’t wait to share more travel adventures with you all!
Los Angeles
Even though I haven’t lived in the same town as family in years, I’ve loved being in Phoenix over the last 3 years and taking roadtrips out to LA to see my extended family. We were celebrating Chinese New Year and my grandparent’s 90th and 86th birthdays! I figured I’d make the most of the roadtrip and add in more than few stops before heading back to home. The farthest I’ve gone up the southern California coast was Malibu. Happy New Year to all!
Malibu for the Best Lobster Roll
On our way north, I had to stop in Malibu and get the best lobster roll in California from Broad Street Oyster Company. My first visit was a couple years ago during the pandemic. It was definitely worth it! The beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean were unbeatable, the lobster rolls were delicious and I had some of the best mussels ever! After refueling, we continued our journey to Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is about 2 hours north of LA. I did some work at Dune Coffee Roasters and regretted forgetting to buy a bag of their beans. We started out by exploring downtown Santa Barbara, taking in the beautiful architecture and admiring the unique shops. Lunch at Shoreline Beach Cafe was delicious with tacos and right on the beach. After the recent rain storms in California, there was already great progress on cleaning up debris on the beach. If you’re looking to explore some tide pools, check out nearby Carpinteria State Beach. We bought some michelda mix and beers and had our own little happy hour. I don’t think a California sunset will ever get old for me or any sunset to be honest. If you love uni (sea urchin) or are looking to try them, check out Santa Barbara Shellfish Company or Santa Barbara Fish Market! We pick up some fresh mussels and clams at the fish market to cook later at our campsite.
Channel Islands National Park
One of my most excited destinations was definitely the Channel Islands National Park. It’s not an easy park to reach, but I was determined to get there. It’s about a 1.5 hour boat ride from Ventura, CA with Island Packers to get to Santa Cruz island and let me tell you, the journey there was just as amazing as the destination itself. Through the winter months is prime whale watching season as blue whales are migrating further south. We spotted 2 breaching when we got closer to Santa Cruz island. Island Packers was fantastic about taking a detour to see the whales closer and provided great educational information about them. Then to top off the boat ride, we ran into a huge pod of bottleneck dolphins that swan right beside the boat. I arrived at the islands and was in awe of its beauty. I spent the day hiking to Cavern Point and Potato Harbor and even spotted a couple adorable island foxes. The clear blue waters, the abundant wildlife, and the stunning natural landscape left me mesmerized. I’m so glad I made it out here, it was definitely a highlight of my road trip through Southern California.
Morro Bay
The little town of Morro Bay is about 2 hours north of Santa Barbara. You must visit the pier along the bay to see the cutest sea otters up close! Lunch at Tognazzini’s Dockside Too provided just the perfect view to see the otters foraging for mussels. I found the perfect spot at Morro Strand State Beach Campground to camp for a night, which offers classic beachfront camping with three miles of state beach. We could also see the famous Morro Bay Rock and surf break from the campground. The Morro Bay beaches are a bit wild and windy, but that just added to the charm. We bought plenty of warm layers and blankets for camping in January! We steamed up some local mussels and clams and sucked some oysters for a seafood feast and a side of hot dogs on the grill. We were so glad we took the time to enjoy this beautiful place before continuing our road trip!
Sequoia National Park
After our beach camping adventure in Morro Bay, we decided to take a drive to Sequoia National Park for a dose of nature and awe-inspiring views. The drive from Morro Bay to Sequoia National Park is about four hours and takes you through the rural countryside of California. I wish we had more time to check out Paso Robles and do some wine tastings! Ok y’all, some sad news about Sequoia NP. The road leading up to the world’s largest tree, General Sherman, and other Sequoia trees was closed when we arrived. It’s open now but during that time the roads were damaged during the rain storms. We were so bummed. A lesson to always check the National Park Service website for alerts. We spent a little time exploring near the entrance where the road was not blocked and headed back on the road. I’m thinking I’ll have to make another attempt when I cross off Yosemite in the future.
Death Valley National Park
After spending a night in Bakersfield, we’ve finally made it to Death Valley National Park after a long four and a half hour drive. This incredible place is full of fascinating geology and unique landscapes. On our way to Badwater Basin, we drove by the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Badwater Basin is a salty basin that’s the lowest point in North America at -282 ft. below sea level. It’s nestled between two mountain ranges on both sides that contributes to its hot temperatures. Visit in the winer months for the best weather! After a short pitstop to Golden Canyon, a popular hike, we made our way to Vegas.
Las Vegas
There are no shortage of activities to fill your time in Las Vegas. With only an evening to spare, we filled up with AYCE at Top Sushi and Oyster. They even had uni, ebi shrimp and toro on the ACYE menu. Next stop was Fremont Street! I loved the old school vibe of Fremont way more than the Strip. It was my first time checking out Fremont even though I’ve been to Vegas a few other times. We got last minute tickets to see Kascade at Zouk before calling it a night. Rise and shine, we were headed back to Phoenix on Day 7. A fun little stop outside of Vegas you need to check out is Seven Magic Mountains. If you love art, nature and photography, then this is for you.
Wow, I can’t believe I squeezed all those Southern California destinations in a week, but it’s definitely possible to make this a two week long trip and take it more leisurely. If you love a mix of beach coastal views, seafood, nature and cute towns, this is the trip for you! I can’t wait to share more of my travel through this series. Subscribe to my mailing list to be the first to see any updates of my future travels. Until next time, ciao!
