April 2025

Back to Reality and National Parks

It was fun exploring Valle de Guadalupe. We enjoyed our remaining time in Mexico before we returned to the US. On Saturday, April 5th we crossed the border at Tecate around 8am. We didn't wait in line very long, but in the few minutes that we did, we were able to purchase burritos and snacks from the roadside vendors. Our first destination back in the states was to Santee, CA. We were getting power steps installed on the van and while our home was in the shop, we stayed at the Best Western Santee Lodge.

Once the power steps were installed we made headway towards Joshua Tree National Park. To break up the drive we stayed a night at Taza Creek Orchard. This was a special place as they grow avocados, passion fruit, and the area where we parked was beautiful. We were on a hilltop with great views, and it was also nice and quiet. It was great to see the avacodo and passion fruit trees, and even pick the fruit directly from the tree. The next day we made it to Joshua Tree National Park but it was super hot. We stayed on BLM land and it was another quiet and peaceful area.

We had reservations to go to Santa Cruz Island, part of the Channel Islands National Park, on Saturday, April 12th. We found a Boondockers Welcome who allowed us to park on their property in Oxnard, CA. We also found a dog sitter for Lucky so we didn't have to worry about her for the day. The boat ride out to the island was rough. A lot of people (Hailey included) got seasick. However, it was great to walk around the island and see the flora and fauna.

The remaining weeks of April were spent getting service B done on the van at the Mercedes-Benz of Oxnard, exploring Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Pinnacles National Park, Big Sur, and Yosemite. We didn't know what to expect at Pinnacles but we were not disappointed. There are some neat hikes that go through caves and those were super neat. Pinnacles is one of the smallest parks we've visited but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Finding dispersed camping near Pinnacles was challenging. For our security, peace of mind, and to ensure we weren't breaking any laws, we booked a night at the Harvest Host 43 Ranch Olive Oil and then a night at the campground in Pinnacles National Park. Staying at 43 Ranch was a lot of fun - cows came right up to the van, we had a huge area to ourselves, and it was a beautiful property to walk around. Tasting the different types of olive oil was great too!

From Pinnacles we headed to Big Sur. Although we couldn't drive the entirety of Highway 1, we were able to get to Pfeiffer State Park, which we considered a win - especially because this was our third attempt to see the area! In 2020 we couldn't get to Big Sur due to wildfires, and in early 2023 we couldn't explore the area due to landslides and flooding. We had a great time seeing the Calla Lily Valley, McWay Falls, Bixby Bridge, and stopping at the local stores along the way.

Along with Pinnacles, Yosemite did not disappoint as a national park either, and this was an area we had heard so much about. The waterfalls, cliffs, and valley are all impressive. We got lucky and were able to make reservations at Wawona Campground, Upper Pines Campground, and Hodgdon Meadow (we think most likely because other people cancelled at the last minute). Upper Pines was our favorite campground as it was super easy to walk to other areas in the valley.

Some of our favorite attractions at Yosemite include:

Bridalveil Falls
Yosemite Falls
The views of El Capitan and Half Dome
Walking through the Ahwahnee Hotel and seeing their fancy dining room

We celebrated Josh's birthday in Yosemite by getting pizza and beer from Pizza Deck and Bar 1899 at Curry Village. We had cocktails and a slice of chocolate cake at The Ahwahnee Bar. After having dinner we realized we could've had a nice buffet meal at The Ahwahnee Dining Room; we might try the buffet the next time we're at Yosemite!