Our Return West

After a vacation from our vacation, we all headed back to LA to pick up our car and continue our trip. Upon landing at LAX, Kevin met us with the car, and we quickly loaded our mountain of luggage into the rooftop carrier before heading back to Sherman Oaks. That evening, we had a great dinner out with all nine of us, followed by one final sleepover in Sydney’s room.

The next morning, we hit the Pacific Coast Highway.

We couldn’t drive the entire PCH—partly because of limited time, and partly due to landslides that had closed sections near Big Sur. But we did manage to drive as much as we could: starting out of LA, then cutting back over around Monterey.

We stopped in Monterey for a long lunch, some shopping at the pier, and a walk along Cannery Row. Lunch on the pier was a kid’s dream—while we ate, the kids watched sea lions and seals playing in the harbor. Cannery Row gave us a chance to stretch our legs, browse some shops, and enjoy some well-earned ice cream.

After Monterey, we continued up the coast, soaking in those classic Pacific Ocean views. About three hours later, we arrived at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. We made it just in time to meet Dad and Jean for a stroll along the water and enjoy a crab dinner at the Franciscan.

It was a perfect way to restart our road trip. We saw much of the coast between LA and San Francisco, explored Monterey, and kicked off our San Francisco adventure right at the Wharf.