A Coastal Trip and College Visits – Part 1

We are currently traveling Yellowstone National Park, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and other states.  But while we are I wanted to share with you about our most recent trip last weekend.

The first verse of the official California State song reads . . .

I love you California, you’re the greatest state of all

I love you in the winter, summer, spring and fall.  

I love your fertile valleys; your dear mountains I adore.

I love your grand old ocean,

and I love her rugged shore.

Yes and yes!  We do love the beauty of our state!  It is amazingly beautiful from the Sequoias to the oceans, the mountains, forests, and more.

Last weekend we took a trip up the coast centered around visiting colleges but also made some amazing stops along the way.  While I’m a native Cali girl and my husband has been here many years, we have made this trip however our daughter hadn’t.

I wanted to share this trip with you as many of you followed along on social media and several asked questions about our college visits and our fun itinerary.  So here’s a little wrap up.

Our first overnight stay was in Ventura (right by the beach).  Our first visit was to Westmont College nestled in Montecito, neighboring Santa Barbara.  This was a large part of why we took this trip and we LOVED the visit day, the people, school, faith based education and outreach, students and more.  It was an amazing visit that day and just seemed to fit so perfectly!  The Admissions team was absolutely wonderful and it was an incredible experience for both students and parents.  This is definitely a top pick and we are really praying.  What a special day and start to our trip.  Here are some photos from our visit to Westmont.  At any time in any of the photo areas, click on a photo and it will enlarge and allow you to scroll through the photos.

We headed up the coast after our special day at Westmont and made it just in time for the sunset near Big Sur (such splendor).  Before we got to Big Sur we stopped to visit the elephant seals near Hearst Castle.  Twenty years ago, my husband and I were down on the beach with these beauties.  Not a good idea for a photo op as they can be dangerous but we are wiser.  There is now a special viewing platform . . . much safer and great view.

We settled next in Monterey where we had a guided tour of Cal State Monterey Bay scheduled.  The campus used to be an Army base; Fort Ord and it was fascinating to see how they have utilized the established building but built new.  Go Otters!  We also spent some time at Cannery Row and the famous Monterey Aquarium!  We had so much fun at the aquarium!  There was also a fantastic art exhibit made of recycled materials like bottles, etc.

I’ll be sharing more about our trip up the coast and college visits in Part 2. I’d love to know what staycations or vacations you’ve taken this Summer?