California Archives - 2 Travel Dads

Rob Taylor and LittleMan at Wapama Falls at Hetch Hetchy Yosemite National Park 2

Hiking Hetch Hetchy: the unknown Yosemite National Park

Going off the beaten path is something so many travelers strive for. You know that we’re usually traveling with kids, so we try to experience the less-crowded areas of the world when we can so they can see what the earth is actually like. When you ask somebody if it’s

Taylor Kids at Battery Point Lighthouse Crescent City 2

Battery Point Lighthouse: worth getting your feet wet

I went to Crescent City, California once when I was a kid. I just remember being told that in 1964 a tsunami (tidal wave) crashed into the town… and then I was terrified of visiting Crescent City or any place on the coast. Well, I’m a grown up now and

Hunting for gnomes in Redwood National Park

We grew up in a great period in film history, where there were movies like the Land Before Time, Ferngully and, from even before we were born, The Gnome-Mobile. On our way to California’s North Coast and the Redwoods, the boys got to watch The Gnome Mobile in the car

The Carter House Inn of Eureka, California

As we made our way through Northern California and explored the beaches and National Parks, we stayed in all kinds of hotels and lodges. When we left the Bodega Bay Lodge and headed north along the coast, we landed in Eureka, CA and were welcomed by the Carter House Inn.

Sometimes you hike to amazing sights and sometimes you regret not reading the map correctly... Like at Trinidad Head Lighthouse. 2traveldads.com

Finding the Trinidad Head Lighthouse

When you live on the coast you get accustomed to certain maritime things. You know, like hearing fog horns, continually sweeping up sand in your house, having lighthouses in half of your family photos. We love lighthouses, but then you probably already knew that. While we were touring the Northern

Taylor Family at Bodgea Head Bodega Bay 1

Staying at the Bodega Bay Lodge: quite luxury on the Sonoma coast

After spending so much time up in the mountains and loving Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, we really needed to get to the ocean. At home we live across the street from the beach and can look at water whenever we want, so we’re used to it. Being

Taylor Family Golden Gate Bridge from Welcome Center GGNRA 2

A stop at the Golden Gate Bridge: an American icon

Ooh, we love a good tourist attraction. Not a tourist trap, but a genuine attraction. Of all of the classic American icons a few really stand out: the Statue of Liberty, the White House, the Golden Gate Bridge. In our house, being the family travel folk that we are, we’ve

Taylor Family at Entrance Sign in Yosemite National Park 3

The amazing Yosemite Valley tram tour

While we typically just do our own thing and plot out sights we want to see, every now and then we’ll do a tour. National Parks are so easy to explore on your own, especially when you’re planning on hiking a bunch, but when we were in California, we opted

The Evergreen Lodge at Yosemite National Park: amazing.

Such a variety of accommodations in this world. We’ve seen them all and stayed in half of them. On our epic road trip through the National Parks of Northern California, we got to experience some wonderful places. The Evergreen Lodge at Yosemite National Park is so different from the other

Why you must stop at Tunnel View in Yosemite National Park

Everybody seems to have an opinion about overrated sights and places to visit. Roadside attractions are totally cliched to stop at, but why not stop? Viewpoints on highways that have pull-outs are usually there because the view is incredible. Why wouldn’t you want to stop at a vista like that’s

The Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite National Park

It was so great to stay in lodges on our #2TDgoparks2016 roadtrip. After several days of snow chains and foiled hiking plans it was nice to arrive at the Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite. We’d stayed in some pretty small lodges within Sequoia and Kings Cayon National Parks for our nights

Kings Canyon National Park in any Season

You know when you’re excited for sweeping views, spring flowers, newborn baby animals and getting your first tan of the year? That’s where we were at prior to driving into Kings Canyon National Park. As we drove up into the hills from Fresno, California we felt the temperature drop, but

Sequoia National Park with Kids

Traveling with kids is always fun…and a challenge. We love to visit National Parks and typically do so in the summer when the hiking is good and the sun will be shining. We were invited to California to experience Sequoia National Park with kids and jumped at the chance. This

Chris Taylor and kids Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park 2traveldads.com

The Wuksachi Lodge at Sequoia National Park

So, we always camp when we go to National Parks. For our big #2TDgoparks2016 trip we’ve taken a totally different approach: lodges. Why lodges? Two reasons: we are doing the trip in the spring when the weather is totally unpredictable and we were kindly invited to explore the Parks and

Tag: California