California Campervan Road Trip | Part 3: San Francisco and Napa | Sister Inspiration & Solo Closure

California Campervan Road Trip Part 3: San Francisco

I left Yosemite behind, and the third portion of my California campervan road trip began with an early morning rise and a peaceful two-and-a-half-hour drive from my dispersed camping spot along Highway 120 near Moccasin to Half Moon Bay. Misty, still, and undisturbed mornings seem to be very common on the west coast, and they refresh and calm me. Half Moon Bay is a cute coastal town about 30 miles south of San Francisco. I spent part of the chilly morning writing and eating an omelet in a cafe called Caffe Mezza Luna. I followed my breakfast and writing time with a walk along the shoreline at Mavericks Beach. I was bundled in layers to protect myself from the morning ocean breeze. Tons of crabs and clams littered the beach, but unfortunately, they all seemed to be pretty dead. 

My calm morning was followed by a drive to my campsite, Anthony Chabot Campground, which is nestled up in the mountainous portion of Castro Valley, east of the Bay. The drive from the town of Castro Valley to the campsite took 20 minutes in the short seven miles because the roads were so winding. I seemed to have gained a decent amount of elevation by the time I reached my campsite because the views were beautiful! Along the drive, I could look out over the edge and see the rolling mountains that stretched toward Las Trampas Regional Wilderness Park. The campsite itself looked out over a sparkling blue view of Lake Chabot.

I quickly checked in and then rushed over to Lake Chabot Marina and rented a kayak. I was in a light and happy mood as I paddled along the lake that afternoon, singing upbeat songs loudly as they played from my phone’s speakers and dipping my toes into the cold water. Since the lake was fairly deserted, I felt safe to be as loud as I pleased and believed that no one could hear my out-of-tune singing. 

My evening was spent cooking dinner at my campsite, chatting with my camping neighbor, Bonnie, and petting her two Australian Shepherds, Moody and Finn.

The following morning began at yet another coffee shop. I just adore coffee shops, and they tend to be a happy highlight of many of my trips. It’s the writer in me, I suppose. I wrote at the Bean Bag Cafe in San Francisco as I munched on a crepe and sipped on a chai latte. 

Then, I finally got to experience the Golden Gate Bridge! Not surprisingly, it was a cloudy and foggy day on the Bay. I later learned that the fog has a name. It’s called Karl. The massive red bridge literally disappeared into the clouds; it was so tall!

After driving across the bridge and taking in the views at the vista points, I found a spot to park. The path I took to walk up to the bridge included a graffiti-infested, low-ceiling tunnel that I enjoyed walking through. During this walk, I put my headphones on and listened to my chill indie folk playlist that feels like a heated blanket wrapped around my heart. 

About halfway across the Golden Gate Bridge, Karl the fog lifted a little, and the water became bluer! I had views of Alcatraz, the surrounding islands, the city, the ocean, and the cliffs that hugged the coast. Way down below the bridge, I watched a few dancing seals.

After my iconic hike, I met up with an old friend from high school, Andy! He and his boyfriend, Ivan invited me into their absolutely adorable home in Golden Gate Heights. It was perfect and wow, I would love to live there. The cost of living is what is holding me back. Dammit, it’s a lot out there. But I can see why! Their place sits up quite high, as the street I took to get there from the ocean was super steep. When I looked out of their windows, I could see pastel-colored homes stacked neatly in rows around the city, and I could see the ocean!

The three of us headed to Ocean Beach, where we cooked a (very sandy thanks to the wind) meal of turkey burgers, potatoes, and zucchini over a fire that Andy made. I felt so carefree and happy with them, and they made me laugh so much. I love their energy and humor. 

My sister, Courtney, showed up just in time for dinner. She had driven 13 hours from Seattle to spend a few days of my trip with me! Of all people I know in this world, she’s the coolest person to travel with. When I think of traveling, I think of my sister. I give her a lot of credit for lighting the wanderlust fire in my heart. 

We headed to our campsite above Lake Chabot and stayed up pretty late talking about life and happiness. 

Our first morning together was spent at our campsite, journaling and slowly eating breakfast and sipping on hot drinks as the sun rose higher over Lake Chabot and the surrounding mountains.

There are a lot of things about Courtney that inspire the hell out of me. One simple thing is how she doesn’t appear to be in a hurry when she’s traveling. She’s like a relaxed sponge, mindfully soaking in the beauty of nature. Even when we hike together at a brisk pace, she will still take moments to stop and quite literally smell the flowers.

That morning, as we both wrote at the picnic table, I realized how rare this slow moment was. It’s easy for me to get lost in the mindset that I must see and do more, more, more when traveling because I don’t get to be in that new place for long! But oftentimes, you’re actually going to absorb a whole lot more if you slow down, don’t rush from one place to the next, and simply pay close attention to all of your senses in that one simple spot. I love how Courtney takes time to do that as she sips her coffee, journals about whatever comes to her mind, and takes moments to pause her writing and just observe her surroundings. 

California Campervan Road Trip Part 3: Napa

That afternoon, we drove into the town of Napa and ate at the first restaurant that caught our eye as we walked through downtown. Morimoto Napa was a high-end Japanese restaurant that gave us the fun opportunity to treat ourselves to quite the delicious meal and wine! 

Courtney and I always feel out of place in these fancier settings. Everyone around us was dressed up in apparent high-end fashion, painted in makeup, and demonstrating proper table manners. We, on the other hand, were sporting $10 thrifted dresses, dropping silverware on the floor, and makeup wasn’t even a thing either of us packed at all on our trips! Not to mention, you could very much tell I had been outside for two weeks straight when you observed my burnt, peeling skin and dry, straggly hair. But we had fun being out of our element! And we continued to do so because our next stop was wine tasting in Napa Valley Wine Country!

We hadn’t reserved any wineries or done any research at all on Napa Valley, for that manner. All we knew was that Napa was a place to explore vineyards. We drove out into the valley and passed by many acres of grape vines and driveways that led to beautiful estates and vineyards. We chose to stop at a very empty (thanks to the late time in the day) Monticello Vineyards - Corley Family Napa Valley. Our tasting was $45 and consisted of five preselected wines, and all were delicious. Although we were surrounded by a beautiful rose garden and vineyard, my favorite part of the experience was acting goofy with my sister. :)

My favorite sample was the Chardonnay, but Courtney and I agreed the Rose Pinot Noir was a close second, and since that bottle was half the price of the Chardonnay, we purchased that one and brought it back to our campsite Skyline Wilderness, which was a horse camp! As we sipped on more wine and cooked our dinner, we listened to the whinnying of horses and pawing of their hooves.

Guess what we did the next morning? Yes, of course, a coffee shop. We went to Le Paris Artesian & Gourmet Cafe in Napa, which was a cafe Courtney had been to on a previous trip. Their pastries were delectable and their matcha latte was so good I had two! Normally, I do not ever consume caffeine because my stomach doesn’t prefer it, but I was helping myself to the matcha and chai lattes on this trip, and thankfully my digestive system was cooperating! I wrote for two hours that morning while Courtney read, and then once we reached a good stopping point, we left for a hike. 

We found a 3.5-mile hike on a mountain bike trail in Napa. We talked about life the whole time we hiked and embraced the beautiful views of sweeping countryside and vineyards.

My little sister is my biggest inspiration. Currently, she’s a travel nurse, and in order to transition into that position, she had to overcome a lot of negativity from other people who held her back and didn’t support her desire to move around often. She’s also an avid hiker and backpacker and has dreams and plans to hike one of the three 2,000+ mile thru-hikes in North America. And I bet she’ll continue on to hike many of those across the world. She’s a badass! She knows what she wants and she goes after it. 

It’s been so eye-opening to me to watch her persevere over the years. I remember she went on her first solo trip when she was eighteen or nineteen years old. I got a phone call from her while sitting in my dorm studying. She said, “Guess where I am! On the border of North Carolina and Tennessee!” She had found the perfect whitewater rafting kayak on Craigslist. It was located in North Carolina, nine hours away, and she knew Mom and Dad wouldn’t support her decision to go drive out there and pick it up. So, she didn’t tell them. She had only told a couple of her closest friends and then called me once she was already out there. I thought she was a wild and brave maniac! I kept her secret for her for years, but always thought she was erratic for driving out there alone, picking up a kayak from a stranger, and staying in a hostel or Airbnb by herself. 

It’s funny how different my views are now that I’ve had time to grow up, unlearn certain teachings and social stigmas, and form my own opinions that aren’t the result of brainwashing from someone else or from society. To be a woman, no matter how tiny or inexperienced you are, and to travel alone to somewhere new - is amazing! It’s brave, wonderful, freeing, and totally manageable! It’s not crazy or erratic like I had once thought.

Like I mentioned in my Part 2 blog post, women do have to be extra aware when they travel because many men are predators out there. Our society is crawling with people who will attack solo women. But we can properly learn, prepare, and travel anyway because women shouldn’t have to hold back from adventuring and chasing dreams just because something bad might happen. Bad things can happen anywhere, to anyone, even in the comfort of your own home. 

I think my sister and I are both proof that women can safely and happily travel alone. I waited for my little sister, who has always been braver than me, to do this first just like I waited for her to ride a roller coaster and do a flip off the super high dive before I would. Courtney is my hero who has guided me to take brave steps forward, expose myself to my fears, and persevere through obstacles as I follow my dreams.

California Campervan Road Trip Part 3: The Last Day

That next Saturday morning, Courtney and I parted ways. She drove back to Seattle and I drove to Point Reyes National Seashore right after the sun had risen. I really took advantage of my last full day on my epic California road trip and packed in the activities. The drive to Point Reyes was so tranquil and pleasant amidst the fog and sprawling evergreens. 

I found a very secluded beach early that morning called Limantour Beach. There were only a few surfers and a few lone men here and there. I was the only woman in sight that whole morning, so I was careful to keep my pepper spray at bay and pay attention to my surroundings and my gut. I spent about 45 minutes hiking around the beach, tall grasses, and wildflowers, then I continued the winding drive through the national seashore and tiny towns until I reached Stinson Beach. I grabbed an infamous matcha latte and headed to a cozy spot on the beach, where I propped up a chair and read peacefully to the sound of crashing waves. 

After a few chapters, I hopped back in my campervan and headed toward Muir Woods. Once I arrived, I found that parking reservations were required in advance, so I drove around until I found a parking spot several miles away and hiked the Panoramic Trail and Redwood Trail instead. They both certainly lived up to their names.

I decided I wanted a more intense workout, so I meandered over to the trailhead for Mt Tamalpais. It was a 4-mile out and back that involved over 1500’ of elevation gain! I ended up hiking further, totaling 2,000’ of elevation gain in 4.2 miles, so I was very happy with my workout! This was my favorite hike of my entire solo trip. The hike began amidst fog and lush evergreens. As I ascended the steep rocky trail, I grew hot even though the temperature remained in the 50’s and 60’s and the clouds stayed present. After shedding a few layers, I realized I was walking through the clouds. But suddenly, the sun shined through and my view opened up into a panoramic view of the Bay area. I managed to walk through and above the clouds! On one side of me were mountains and the city and on the other side were just white cotton balls of puff! I was flying like a bird above the clouds!

Sausalito was my next stop, and it’s an adorable city known for its Richardson Bay houseboat enclaves. I parked on a street, drank a bit of wine in my bed in my campervan (because why not?), and then walked around shops and restaurants and down docks lined with hundreds of large white boats that overlooked the Bay!

After a scrumptious wood-fired pizza, I headed to Black Sands Beach. There was quite the descending little hike down to this hidden beach of black sand speckled with an abundance of other colors. I loved how secluded this beach was! I found a spot to set up a camping chair and had a whole little cove to myself, where I ran out into the waves, totally soaked my sweatpants and shoes, and danced around happily as the sky grew darker. 

My last camping spot of my trip was found on the iOverlander app, and it was simply street parking (with no ‘No Overnight Parking’ signs in sight) in a very nice neighborhood in San Francisco. Aside from the occasional car passing by, I actually slept pretty soundly.

I woke on the last morning of my trip at 5:45 to stroll along the beach with a hot drink one last time. After that, I had to part ways with Atman, my bright and colorful campervan that I had driven 2,230 miles through the magical state of California. I had gotten to know that van pretty well. After all, it was my home for 16 days. I would be lying if I said I didn’t shed any tears when I said goodbye! 

After ubering to the airport, writing and reflecting as I waited by my gate, and finally taking a seat on the plane, I felt pretty weird. It was both an overwhelming and underwhelming sense of emotions. That trip I had been dreaming about for years was completed! I had done it and it was absolutely magical. Instead of looking forward to this trip or enjoying it in present time, I’d be reflecting on it. Everything I’d taken from that trip; everything I learned about myself, life, and California, would stay with me! I think that the time and money spent on solo trips are investments because they pay for an experience that molds me into a more capable, confident dreamer of a human. I love everything about that beautiful solo California campervan road trip. 

But I also love my life with the people I love, and returning home to Nino, all of his love, and our lifestyle made me really, really happy. I admit I was afraid that when I returned home, I would feel devastated that I was no longer living freely in a campervan on the west coast. But love is just as important as freedom. And I personally would choose love over the freedom to travel. I am so grateful for this year. In addition to this trip and the giant career change I made from engineering to writing, I have more travel plans and big changes coming my way and Nino’s way, too. :)

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I am not a medical professional, therapist, or mental healthcare professional. The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only, comes from my own personal experiences, and may be read, interpreted, and practiced at your own risk. Do not rely on this information as a substitute to medical advice or treatment from a healthcare professional.