We thought we'd had enough of national parks on this trip.We thought they'd all be the same - until we arrived at Yosemite.It was hard to imagine a park in the US that would have a 3500 ft. shear drop without so much as a railing or warning sign; it was exactly what we were looking for.The night we arrived, we had an incredible introduction to what Yosemite had to offer.We watched as the sun set from Glacier Point and then stayed long enough to see the full moon rise just behind Half Dome.The next day we embarked on a 5 mile trek that passed over Sentinel Dome and led us to Taft Point and the Fissures where we were scared that one misstep would plunge us to the valley floor below.Thinking we had seen it all, the next day we took a leisurely 5+ mile stroll gaining over 3000 ft. in elevation that contained 600 steps on the way to the top of Vernal Falls.We must've taken close to 150 photos of the falls with the full rainbow at its base (mostly by Jo).Needless to say, we really enjoyed Yosemite.

The Big Sur (a 90 mile stretch of Pacific Coastal Highway Route 1 between Monterrey and Cambria) would be our next destination.The plan here was to drive to the start of the Big Sur and find a place to camp for a few nights.The thing we forgot about was Labour Day weekend (apparently when you travel this much, you're on a different calendar).So we saw the first third or so of the amazing coastline in the light and then the sun set on us without a place to stay or much of a prayer of finding one.We finally settled for a ridiculously overpriced motel way too far south to double back and see what we missed in the dark of the night (you know what they say…OH WELL!)…We will just have to come back! Santa Barbara was our beach of choice the following day rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, well it was the only place we could find a bed.The 4th had us arrive into San Diego to celebrate Jo's birthday.We jumped up a class or two, from hostels and camp food to a 5 star Marriott hotel overlooking the bay and food to match.(Those Marriott rewards points finally paid off).We arrived to an upgraded room, followed by a delivery of a cheesecake and bottle of wine from Mum and Dad (thanks you guys) and another delivery of a huge chocolate cake that Greg had ordered.Spoilt or what?We lazed by the pool, sipping cocktails and champagne before heading to an elegant seafood restaurant, where our taste buds were brought back to life. Calamari to start followed by an Ahi Duo for Greg and pan seared scallops with a goat cheese and portabella ravioli for Jo, and a rich desert to finish.We had forgotten what real food tasted like.The next day, we took full advantage of the hotel facilities for as long as we possibly could, and late afternoon Greg had sneakily booked me into a spa and salon for the treat of a lifetime, where I was pampered and made to feel like a movie star, he knows how to get some brownie points! Now we are back in hostels, back to reality! We have had a lot of beach time over the last week, working ever so hard on our tans; it is a full time job.Tomorrow we press on to Mexico, not sure of any details as yet, but that's what makes this trip so fun.