Unplanned, the sun rose in the horseshoe–shaped gap between El Capitan and Half Dome.
It was 6 A.M. in Yosemite National Park, and I was officially 50 years old. From our perch away from all other people, my wife Denise and I popped the fine Iron Horse Vineyards brut she bought a few days earlier in Sonoma County—fittingly called Reflection. Sunrise over Yosemite is even better with bubbles.
I’d never considered 50 a big deal, until it was only three months away. When I turned 40, Denise and I were newly dating and I lured her to the Grand Canyon for sunrise. So it made sense to mark my next milestone in a similarly glorious way.
Yosemite is better than I imagined. Waterfalls streak over jagged cliffs, millennia-old giant sequoias rise 20 stories high, spellbinding vistas open out of thin air. What could be so special about El Capitan, I once thought, until I became mesmerized by its silvery, undulating granite. Bewitched by Yosemite’s splendor, there’s no better place to mark a half-century.
California Road Trip Sequoia National Forest (Photo by Kelsey Chauvin)
Admittedly I am late to the Yosemite fan club. Famous naturalists and artists like John Muir and Ansel Adams were drawn to the third ever U.S. National Park as far back as 1860 and 1916. Rock climber Alex Honnold earned Yosemite fame in 2017 when he free-solo climbed El Capitan’s 3,000 feet in four hours (the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo is a must-view).
On the main Valley Floor, visitors can hit the art and wildlife centers, cafés, Indian Village shops, museum, and historic Ahwahnee hotel. Trailheads seem to spur off in every direction. If you’re feeling chill, try the one-mile Lower Yosemite Fall Trail; or challenge yourself with a 14-mile hike up (way up) to Half Dome. You can arrange everything through Travel Yosemite (travelyosemite.com), including a Valley Floor bus tour or park excursions via bike, raft, or horse.
On a practical note, some of Yosemite is closed in winter, and summer visits require reservations. I learned that the park’s outer flanks have much to offer. At the south entrance, the Wawona Hotel (travelyosemite.com/lodging/wawona-hotel) is an old-school lodge with lovely grounds (FYI, not all rooms have private baths). Better still, it’s near the Yosemite History Center, and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, a forest dotted with enormous sequoias, the planet’s largest living organisms.
At the park’s western edge near Mariposa, AutoCamp Yosemite (6323 CA-140, Midpines. Tel. 844-993-9888. autocamp.com/location/yosemite) is a sweet luxury campground, with outfitted tents, accessible cabins, and fantastic Airstream suites with individual firepits doubling as grills. Make time for local tastings in the lodge, and on-site meditation, yoga, stargazing, and other experiences.
Autocamp in Yosemite (Photo by Kelsy Chauvin)
Though I love a road trip, Yosemite conveniently comes with an affordable public-transit option to the Valley Floor from Fresno, Sonora, and Mammoth Lakes Merced (via Midpines for AutoCamp guests). YARTS (yarts.com) buses are big, take reservations, and run on regular schedules May through September. (Mammoth route is July-September.)
On my visit, we spent a night enjoying historic Merced’s cool El Capitan Hotel (609 W. Main St. Tel. 209-383-1234. elcapitanhotelmerced. com). A total overhaul in 2021 turned this century-old boutique property into a destination, featuring local artists’ work, a huge breezy courtyard, and the best of central California’s ingredients, wine, beer, and spirits at its Rainbird (rainbirdmerced.com) restaurant and Native Son café/bar. Its adjacent Mainzer Theater (themainzer.com) entertains guests as a speakeasy/drag stage, cinema, game room, live theater, and lofty bar with a nice happy hour.
SONOMA’S DELICIOUS BEAUTY
As one of my favorite all-time places, Sonoma County had to be part of my milestone birthday. I’ve returned here several times, but I got to enjoy this trip anew by bringing Denise for her first visit. We anchored in Guerneville, the LGBTQ+ enclave about two hours north of SFO Airport.
The good news is that Guerneville is still somewhat mystifying. Part old-school Russian River logging village, part hipster, part queers-in-the-woods vibes, and yet everyone gets along just fine. This tiny town has just a few blocks of Main Street (aka River Road) to stroll, featuring the retro Guerneville 5 & 10 (16252 Main St. Tel. 707-869-3404. guerneville5and10.com) for river and camping gear plus quirky souvenirs; and Pat’s International (16236 Main St.Tel. 707-604-4007. patsinternational.com) for classic diner and veggie-forward, Korean-inspired dishes.
Guerneville, Sonoma County (Photo by Kelsey Chauvin)
The same blocks are home to farm-to-table bistro Boon Eat + Drink (16248 Main St. eatatboon.com); Mexican-inspired cocktail spot El Barrio (16230 Main St. elbarriobar.com); and the new American/global Roadtrip (16218 Main St. eatatroadtrip.com) restaurant—all three owned by Crista Luedtke, chef, entrepreneur, and local lesbian luminary. Her small empire also includes the boutique, adults-focused Boon Hotel + Spa (14711 Armstrong Woods Rd. Tel. 707-869-2721. boonhotels .com), as well as The Highlands (14000 Woodland Dr. Tel. 707-869-0333. highlandsresort.com) forest resort, a dreamy place to unplug in the fresh air outside Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve two miles away.
Dawn Ranch (16467 CA-116. Tel. 707-869-0656. dawnranch.com) is another rejuvenating lodging option just down River Road. Its 22 acres are dotted with 86 picture-perfect cabins and chalets, plus The Lodge is where guests enjoy local seasonal and foraged ingredient dishes, and partake in tastings. The Spa at Dawn Ranch is truly special for its redwood soaking tubs, where you can enjoy mineral baths under the trees, then head to the sauna or steam, get a treatment, or unwind in the meditation garden.
New to the scene is Mine + Farm (12850 River Rd. Tel. 707-869-4466. mineandfarminn.com), a low-key, cozy B&B three miles east from Main Street, where you can partake in homegrown cannabis pre- rolls as you chill at the porch, lawn, or living room. Local wines, brews, and other fare are always available, and guests can request “elevated experiences” dinners, or weekend retreats, featuring cannabis-infused dishes and/or pre-roll flavor pairings. You can BYO too, perhaps sourced from long-running, lesbian-owned Natural Cannabis Company (301 E. Todd Rd. naturalcannabis.com) in Santa Rosa.
California Road Trip Accommodations (Photo by Kelsy Chauvin)
LGBTQ+ travelers will appreciate the beloved mainstays in town, like the gay watering hole Rainbow Cattle Company (16220 Main St. Tel. 707-869-0206. queersteer.com), and always-lively R3 Hotel (16390 4th St. Tel. 707-869-8399. ther3hotel.com), with its Main and Pool Bars and on-site restaurant. At gay-owned Equality Vines (16215 Main St. Tel. 877-379-4637. equalityvines.com) tasting room, sip and discuss Sonoma vintages while supporting a range of LGBTQ+ organizations.
Sonoma has several great LGBTQ+ events every summer, including June’s Sonoma County Pride (sonomacountypride.org); July’s Gay Wine Weekend (outinthevineyard.com) and Lazy BearWeek (lazybearweek.org); and August’s Women’s Weekend (womensweekendrussianriver.com).
Sonoma’s magic is owed partly to tasting wines in the gorgeous settings where they’re made. Iron Horse Vineyards (9786 Ross Station Rd. Tel. 707-887-1507. ironhorsevineyards.com) is one of my favorites. It’s a family-owned winemaker producing some of the best sparkling wines anywhere, and notably has been the select White House sparkling-wine choice for decades. It’s outdoor tasting experience is idyllic, overlooking the Green Valley’s vineyard vistas. Another enchanting spot is Russian River Vineyards (5700 CA-116. Tel. 707-887-3344. russianrivervineyards.com), with a lovely choice of outdoor tables or lounge areas to taste wines as well as gourmet food boards, sandwiches, and other dishes of prime local ingredients.
Explore wine and much more at Sebastopol’s sprawling market district The Barlow (6770 McKinley St. Tel. 707-824-5600. thebarlow.net), featuring delightful tasting rooms (for wine, craft beer, and cider), cafés, cheese shops, a French bakery, and boutiques selling Sonoma-centric and global merchandise. Don’t miss Fern Bar (fernbar.com) for incredible “garden-to-glass” cocktails and enticing brunch and sharing menus.
Fern Bar in Sebastopol (Photo by Kelsy Chauvin)
If you’re drawn to the ocean, head to Sonoma Coast Vineyards (555 CA-1. Tel. 707-921-2860. sonomacoastvineyards.com) for tasting flights overlooking Bodega Bay. You can stay nearby at the Lodge at Bodega Bay (103 CA-1. Tel. 707-875-3525. lodgeatbodegabay.com), a big, mellow resort near Lucas Wharf and the oceanside-hiking Kortum Trail. At the lodge, you can play bocce, hang out poolside, dine at Drake’s, and enjoy drinks at the indoor/outdoor lounge overlooking Bodega Head. Nearby at Terrapin Creek (1580 Eastshore Rd, Tel. 707-875-2700. terrapincreekcafe.com), seafood and other Bay-Area ingredients are celebrated with bright, well-crafted details—the kind of place that feels like a secret you won’t forget.
Bodega Bay Beach (Photo by Gilberto Mesquita)
PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY HEAVEN
The third leg of my California milestone expedition led me to Highway 1, aka the Pacific Coast Highway. Though it famously travels the length of California, devastating landslides in recent years have temporarily closed sections of the highway around Big Sur. The good news is that most of Highway 1 remains open, and I was eager to explore this famous byway.
I drove to the 100-mile stretch of Highway 1 (highway1roadtrip. com) through San Luis Obispo County, because it worked great for access from both Sonoma County and Yosemite, and to see more of Central California. We started in the village of Cambria (visitcambriaca.com), where the ocean air instantly soothes all muscles. Checking into the Cambria Beach Lodge (6180 Moonstone Beach Dr. Tel. 805-927-4624. cambriabeachlodge.com), an inviting, newly renovated seaside motel, I was reminded of classic motor-hotels, only this time with fresh finishes befitting its perch across the road from Moonstone Beach.
The Author Enjoying Fiscalini Ranch Preserve Near Cambria (Photo by Kelsy Chauvin)
I’d never considered 50 a big deal, until it was only three months away. When I turned 40, Denise and I were newly dating and I lured her to the Grand Canyon for sunrise. So it made sense to mark my next milestone in a similarly glorious way.
The actual town of Cambria is a quick drive from the beach, and is home to cute boutiques and cafés. Our first stop was special: massages at Vyana Wellness Collective (4090 Burton Dr Tel. 805-235-8785. vyana.life), where we began with time in the infrared sauna, then melted into euphoric deep-tissue work that included CBD oil and gua sha (a skin-flushing treatment). Without exaggeration, it was one of the most soothing spa experiences I’ve ever had.
In post-massage bliss, we headed right across the street for dinner in the roomy courtyard of Robin’s (4095 Burton Dr. Tel: 805-927-5007. robinsrestaurant.com), where we chose from an international menu that worked in seasonal farm ingredients, like the mezze plate with white- bean hummus and pickled vegetables, and Burmese curry with Bok choy and snap peas.
The following morning was an all-in heavy brunch at Linn’s (2277 Main St. Tel: 805-927-0371. linnseats.com), a family-owned eatery open since 1989. Linn’s serves classic American comfort food all day, though it’s famous for desserts, especially pies filled with olallieberry, a delectable blackberry-raspberry hybrid. If you can’t stay for a meal, duck into the restaurant’s small mercantile for olallieberry jam and other tasty baked treats.
Later that day, we headed north for a 15-minute drive to San Simeon where I would reach one the most curious historic homes in America, Hearst Castle (750 Hearst Castle Rd. Tel. 800-444-4445. hearstcastle.org). The estate of 20th-century media mogul William Randolph Hearst, the “castle” is a really a ranch and a California Historical Monument. It begins in a large visitor center where you can soak up history, get a snack, buy some Hearst Ranch Beef (yes, his cattle farm lives on), and pickup your reserved tickets to tour the marvelous mansion on a hill.
Hearst Castle Indoor Pool (Photo by Daniel Shummy)
There are six castle tours offered, and the Grand Rooms tour is a great starting point through the main floor, garden terraces, and pools. It’s mystifying to think of the expense of outfitting the mansion with centuries of priceless European art, tapestries, cathedral elements, and furniture, not to mention architect Julia Morgan’s patience in collaborating with Hearst for 28 years to build it all. I was especially wowed by the indoor pool’s gold-leafed tiles from floor to ceiling and the 3,500-year-old Egyptian statue of Sekhmet. Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, and Winston Churchill were all guests here, many of them arriving on the ranch’s private air strip.
You can’t lodge at Hearst Castle, but at least you can follow your tour over to Hearst Winery (442 Slo San Simeon Rd. Tel. 805-927-4100. hearstranchwinery.com), across Highway 1, to ponder its absurd opulence. The winery just reopened its renovated tasting room/terrace overlooking San Simeon Bay, serving a nice range of wines and locally inspired food menu.
California Road Trip Highway 1 (Photo by Kelsey Chauvin)
The trip was winding down, and our final days brought us southward via the historic town of Cayucos for lunch at gay-owned Lunada Garden Bistro (78 N. Ocean Ave. Tel. 805-900-5444. lunadagardenbistro.com), an inviting restaurant with a big, lush courtyard. We pressed on to Avila Beach (visitavilabeach.com), where we hiked through one of the state’s top coastal parks, Montaña de Oro, home to 29 trails from bluffs to peaks to creeks. Nightfall brought us to the contemporary Avila Lighthouse Suites (550 Front St. Tel. 805-627-1900. avilalighthousesuites.com), a lovely hotel/mini resort located right on the beach, with big rooms and water-view terraces.
Our grand finale day featured a Sidecar Motorcycle Tour (Tel: 951-840-0178. sidecartoursinc.com) to two SLO County wineries. This is a fun way to see more of the rolling valleys and wineries—just dress comfortably for the custom-made two-seater sidecar.
In Avila Beach, we were tipped off to try shucking our own oysters at Sinor-LaVallee Wine Room (550 1st St. Tel. 805-459-9595. sinorlavallee.com), and were mostly successful with the bivalves, but more successful at enjoying the wines on tap. Capping off a wonderfully sea-inspired PCH journey, we strolled to the far end of Avila Beach Pier for classic fish and chips and clam chowder in a sourdough bowl at Mersea Restaurant (3985 Avila Beach Dr. Tel: 805-548-2290. merseas.com).
The California vibes come in waves, sometimes with ocean breezes, other times in forested nature scenes, and always with an easy flow worth riding out. It felt right to mark a major birthday in a state with so much to see, do, taste, and learn. In every great destination, there’s never enough time to pack it all into one visit, but like the giant sequoias growing to unbelievable heights, the most epic part of a mile-stone is carrying onward and upward.
