California is a state that has it all. From endless desert highways, mountains tumbling into beautiful beaches, jutting cliffs from the pacific coast and majestic giant redwood forests, California is the gift that keeps on giving.

Cue 2pac & Dr.Dre: ♪ California Looooveee, dunununun ♪

Day 1: Toronto -> Los Angeles -> Palm Springs

I have been to Los Angeles a few times and for this particular trip, I wanted to get out of the city right away to explore the rest of California. We rented a blue Mustang convertible (because why not do this in style?) and left the city. The first stop was Palm Springs, a vibrant desert resort city bursting with palm trees and surrounded by mountains.

After exploring the city, we checked into a beautiful log cabin in the area. The cabin was pristine and surrounded by mountains and windmills. The interior was beautiful and the actual logs used to build the cabin had been imported from Canada (because we know a thing or two about cabins!).

After we checked in and got ourselves settled, we took a sunset drive through the beautiful endless windmills in Palm Springs. There’s an area with over 4000 windmills and it makes for a pretty cool photo. The top of the convertible was down, the music was playing, hot summer air clung onto my skin and I felt like a scene from Thelma & Louise. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I felt free and alive.

Day 2: Palm Springs -> Joshua Tree National Park

On day 2 we drove to Joshua Tree National Park and if you’ve never heard of it, do yourself a favour and google it. Joshua Tree is beautiful. It’s unlike any place I’ve ever been to. It’s a massive protected park in the South of California, well known for its giant boulder sized rock formations and beautiful desert terrain. The park gets its name from the Joshua Tree, and some say this is where Dr. Seuss got his inspiration for his quirky tree creations in his books. See the side-by-side comparison below to decide for yourself.

We hiked around a few different spots and drove through the barren highways. It’s a pretty cool place to explore and you can easily spend an entire day here. There is so much to see.

Must see: Cholla Cactus Garden, an area filled with cool shrub-like cactus.

In the afternoon, we checked into one of the most incredible Airbnb experiences I have had to date: An airstream in the middle of the desert with the most amazing stock tank pool to cool off in. The Land Yacht air stream was surrounded by mountains. We grabbed some beers and wine, a couple of steaks, turned on the BBQ and cooled off in the pool. It was epic.

How cool is this airstream? I love that it looks so vintage and oldschool and yet kind of modern at the same time. Super cool.

Tip: Palm Springs & Joshua Tree area is hot during the summer months. Many prefer to come in the winter months when it cools down a bit. It’s REALLY hot. It’s a different type of hot than a hot summer day in Toronto. It is a stingy, dry hot. When you blow on your arm, you feel heat. That kind of hot. Drink loads of water and use lots of SPF.

Day 3: Joshua Tree -> Santa Barbara

Day 3 wasn’t fully planned and sometimes you need those kind of days. I’m all for having an itinerary and a basic outline of ‘must do’s’ but I also think it’s important to be spontaneous. When we arrived to Santa Barbara, we explored. We ended up at the beach for a while, rented bikes and biked around the Santa Barbara pier.

Side story: I legit almost died on my bike. I was distracted while taking in the scenery, drove into sand pile at full speed and flew forward a few feet, landing with a mouthful of sand. All this happened while a group of teenagers watched on a bench. Some laughed and I wasn’t going to let them get the best of me so I dusted myself off and walked (limped) away with my bike, holding in the excruciating pain until I was clear, and then nearly collapsed from the pain. Good times.

Santa Barbara is beautiful. It’s like very beautiful. It’s the perfect California beach town. We stumbled upon Santa Barbara's Moreton Bay Fig Tree, believed to be the largest in North America. It was massive. This is the kind of stuff I enjoy about travel. Finding random things I didn’t know existed and taking it all in. We ate authentic Mexican tacos for lunch an in the evening we hit up a seafood restaurant overlooking the wharf. Overall, a beautiful chill day in a very beautiful town.

Day 4: Santa Barbara -> Big Sur -> Monterey

Day 4 was a beautiful drive along the jutting pacific coastline. This is the most scenic part of the drive. This day was spent exploring many stops along the way.

We drove to Bixby Creek Bridge, one of the most photographed bridges that overlooks the coast. I’ve seen this bridge many times in photos and commercials. Most recently it’s featured on the opening credits of ‘Big Little Lies’. It’s massive and beautiful.

Tip: Head to the North East lookout for the best view of the bridge

Next stop was Monterey, California where we had lunch and spent the afternoon relaxing.

Day 5: Big Sur -> San Francisco

Our first stop on day 5 was something we decided last minute. We knew we wanted to see the beautiful large redwood trees, but weren’t sure where and we had a few options in mind. We decided on Henry Cowell Redwoods as it was on our way to San Fran. Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains and is known for its large concentration of old redwood trees. We spent the morning walking through the woods, admiring these giant trees. Believe me when I say that photos do not do it justice. These trees are ginormous and seem prehistoric.

After spending the morning taking in the red wood forest, we headed to San Francisco. I had never been to San Francisco, and it was definitely on the bucket list. Our first stop was the famous golden gate bridge. We found an amazing little spot down by the water where we could get a great view of the bridge, walk around barefooted on the beach and snap a few photos. After that, we crossed the bridge, which in itself was also pretty amazing.

*Flash back to the opening credits of Full House, channeling my inner Michelle Tanner*

First stop in San Fran was the famous Painted Ladies houses, made popular by a childhood favourite show of mine, Full House. I spent many days watching Full House as a kid and I always wanted to go to that spot in the opening credits. It was everything I wanted. A little crowded for my liking, but amazing and nostalgic. The houses themselves are beautiful art, with their vibrant coloured facades.

We spent the afternoon wandering around the city and ended up by the wharf where we stumbled upon a company that was offering sunset tours of the harbor for $15 US. Even better, you could bring your own booze on the boat. It felt like a bargain so we did it. This tour was definitely a highlight of San Francisco. The boat was pretty much empty and therefore it felt like a private tour. We got pretty close to the golden gate bridge during the sunset. On our way back, we cruised by Alcatraz where we received a 5 minute summarized overview of the infamous jail. It was more than enough. If you ever go to San Francisco, do this tour. It’s well worth it. I would have paid 3x the price.

Day 6: San Fran -> Half Moon Bay –> San Diego

Day 6 was a surf day. We headed to Half Moon Bay for a surf lesson because it was California and it only felt natural to go surfing. I had been surfing once in Australia and loved it. I was actually pretty decent at it. We took an hour surf lesson and spent the afternoon catching waves. It was pretty fun and I managed to get on my board a few times. There’s something super freeing and satisfying about surfing. I actually really enjoy it. If you’ve never done it, try it!