After our experiences travelling by camper van in Australia and New Zealand, we were excited to get back into that way of life again for two weeks. We knew it was going to be a little bit different, for one it was a bit colder – even the sunny state of California gets chilly in February. We had anticipated that the roads would be bigger and busier – but had underestimated some of the distances (especially troublesome in winter when it gets dark so much earlier) and the famous traffic around Los Angeles, although the carpool lane worked brilliantly for us there.

There were other differences that we hadn’t anticipated, for one how booked up the campsites get in advance, and how different rural state-run sites are compared to private RV sites near the coast and more built-up areas – where you pay through the nose for a parking space under a motorway with enormous motorhomes on either side.

It was frustrating too that freedom camping was virtually impossible to do anywhere in the state – especially as we were completely self-sufficient with a loo and shower onboard and electricity and water so only needed a hook up every few days.

We found a practically empty Walmart carpark on the hills above Pismo Beach which had spectacular views – and as we had read that it was legal to stay overnight in Walmart carparks, we headed inside the store to check with the manager. Sadly, we were told that it was no longer possible as the car park was owned and run by the state rather than Walmart, so we were forced to pay at a campsite nearby.

We had also read that you were allowed to camp overnight in casino carparks, so nearly went to Palm Springs to check that option out, but in the end we ran out of time and were not certain that was true, especially considering minors would not have been allowed into the casino itself!

We had to make the choice of what to see north / east simply due to time – we would have loved to have gone to Napa Valley, to Sacramento, to Lake Tahoe – but what with other jewels glistening down south where it would also certainly be warmer – we had to leave them for another time. 

It was quite an epic journey to get the campervan in the first place – we had to take an Uber to a hotel to get picked up and taken out to the San Francisco suburb of Dublin. In the hotel Molly got going on a game of chess which we had to abandon as our bus arrived.

Once in the RV office we had to sit through numerous safety videos and decide which essential items we would need to rent (how many plates or pillows?). Once we hit the road, we realised we weren’t going to be able to get that far before it got dark, so it was lucky we had thought to go to Mount Diablo for our first night, just an hour’s drive from Dublin. First stop though was to Target for crucial supplies – not only food but also jeans, gloves and long-sleeved pyjamas – you have to remember we had been chasing summer for over a year!

As the light was going and the road looked incredibly windy up at the top of Mount Diablo, we decided to stay in the lower campsite, Live Oak. No one official was around so taking the advice of a couple of fellow late-to-arrive campers, we trustingly put our fees in an envelope at the entrance, filled in a form and picked a spot.

Tom had cleverly sneaked a packet of marshmallows into the supermarket trolley – so here, in a deserted mountain campsite in probably around 8 degrees Celsius, we had our first forage for wood and lit a fire.

Not something we had been able to do in Australia of course given the forest fires (which were on their way to California) or New Zealand, as it was never dark enough, or allowed. This would become a bit of an obsession over the next two weeks. Yet again we realised there were rules to follow, which made sense – certain campsites sold wood, for others you needed to bring your own.

Tom went for an exploratory run in the morning up to a viewpoint at Sentinel Rock which we all walked to after breakfast after a bit of wall climbing around a small cave.

After that we drove up to the summit for absolutely stunning views of the whole bay area.

We learnt a little history of the state park.

But it was incredibly windy so we didn’t stay long!

Time was ticking however, and we took a few wrong turns on the way to Walnut Creek, where we had arranged to meet Aran, a cycling friend of Tom’s from Dubai.

Waiting in the wrong Peet’s coffee (which felt a bit Central Perk!) meant that we only had a short time with him – and for us it was already lunchtime and we had quite a long drive ahead of us: first back to the RV office to get the pilot light fixed and then on to Yosemite National Park where we were booked into the Upper Pines Campground for the next two nights.

Yosemite wasn’t directly on our route, but we had decided it was a not-to-miss segment on our trip and we are so glad we made the effort to get there, it was truly an unforgettable experience.

Going to Yosemite in winter certainly had its advantages – lots of the campsites were closed and even the ones that were open were a quarter empty, so you had a lot of free space – and the same went for all the tourist hotspots.

It would be hard to imagine how different it would be full of people, probably impossible to park in any car parks or get a seat on the bus that goes around the park.

We were exceptionally lucky to have crisp, clear days with a bright blue sky and slight frost underfoot.

Speeding through the mountain passes towards Yosemite, we listened to Bruce Springsteen and were dazzled by a dramatic sunset through the back window of our campervan.

The girls very excited by the patches of snow and ice by the side of the road as we neared our destination, I was more concerned we might need to work out how to attach snow tyres.

It was very dark when we arrived at Upper Pines, after the warden had left for the day, so we saw a note with which site we had been allocated and would have to formally check-in the following morning. The most concerning piece of information in our welcome back were the rules regarding bears – such as not being allowed to keep any food items with us – and the basic fact that furry friends were all around us…potentially coming out of hibernation….

We were thankful that sensible Tom had packed head torches and bought an extra hand-held torch as we needed them to get our bearings. It was below freezing however so we didn’t explore for long!

I woke up early and went for a run around Mirror Lake, taking in part of the valley trail. A sign at the start of the route warned about the presence of mountain lions – to add to my fear of bears it was all I needed! It definitely put a spring in my step, picking up the pace especially when I was entirely alone, which was for most of the route.

It was cold but beautiful.

Tom opted for more of a dramatic route the following morning to get to a viewpoint we hadn’t made it to altogether, to see Vernal Falls which was a hilly, chilly run with views of a frozen lake, very memorable, and probably better than mine.

With one day to explore the park we headed off after breakfast to tick off some highlights that were possible to walk to with little legs. First on our list were the Yosemite Upper and Lower Falls, a gentle, circular walk to see the waterfalls which were pretty impressive, and we stopped in a nice spot for a picnic lunch.

Information plaques taught us about early tourism and the achievements of John Muir. Next on the list of natural feats to see was El Capitan, the famed vertical rock formation that is more than 3 times as high as the Eiffel Tower.

We first went to El Cap Meadow to get a sweeping view and then drove on to Tunnel Viewpoint before walking to Bridalveil Falls.

Next was Cathedral Rocks and Half Dome. Blown away by such natural feats, we took some time out in the village, enjoying the Ansel Adams Gallery, watching the film ‘The spirit of Yosemite’ in the Visitors Centre and learning about early settlers in the Indian village at the back of the Yosemite Museum.

Back at the campsite before darkness fell, we watched some school kids playing a funny blindfold game which we them replicated and had a great evening around the fire feeling more in tune with nature than ever.