We picked up our Jucy relocation van on 4/2. It was an easy pick up. The prior renters had worked the van hard and it needed some rehabbing at the Los Angeles office. There weren't any significant issues that made the van not useful so we were fine with it. We packed up and began our drive down south.
Our first stop was in Monterey. We did not visit the aquarium. Knowing we only had a few hours of day light and we did not have any plans on where we would be setting up camp, the aquarium did not seem like a good idea. Also, given our boys' young ages, they probably would not appreciate the aquarium enough to justify the expense (adult: $39.95 and children: $24.95) for the limited amount of time we would be spending there. In fact, a typical family of 4 should consider the added benefits of purchasing a fully tax-deductible membership ($195). If you envision visiting the aquarium at least one more time during the membership term, it is totally worthwhile. A typical family of 4 will spend $129.80 but none of that amount is tax deductible. However, the entire $195 membership amount is tax deductible and the membership entitles the member to discounts and a full year of free admission.
As an alternative, if we had planned to on go to the aquarium, we would have purchased the City Pass which included admission to the aquarium and the sight seeing tour bus, which would have made the need to purchase the muni passes unnecessary. However, the City Passes are not tax deductible. I have seen discounted City Passes at Costco, Groupon, and www.smartdestinations.com.
In Monterey, we just walked up and down Cannery Row and had ice cream at the Nestle store. The kiddos were totally happy with that.
After leaving Monterey, we headed south on the 1 and saw some amazing coastal views. We ended up at Pfeiffer State Park in Big Sur. They had an open camp site so we grabbed it. I was interested in this site because the campground sits on the Big Sur river. You know how kids love the water. I was first considering camping by the beach but we really did not want to have to run after our fearless 2 year old the whole time. The river was perfect because the water level was pretty low at the time of our visit. In fact, the river only came up to my 2 year old's shin for the most part and the current was so gentle that he could maneuver in the water without being knocked down. However, the water's frigid temperature and the river rocks made it uncomfortable enough to hold back my 2 year old from running off.
We spent one night at Pfeiffer State Park in Big Sur then packed up the next day to drive down the coast a little further. We left the campground around 2 p.m. We only stopped a few times to look at the breathtaking scenery. The kiddos were unimpressed. They were more interested in the movie they were watching in the van. Nevertheless, we forced them out of the car to take a few pictures. Yes, we made them pose. Not sure if you can see it but if you look at the body language of my middle child in the top photo, you can see that he is tightly wound up in a brooding temper tantrum because we forced him to come out and see the majestic view. Kids!
We finally arrived in "Southern California." We were all bushed but not quite ready to finish our vacation. We (the adults) were done camping, however. We opted to stay at the Embassy Suites hotel ($108 per night, AAA rate). Hotel guests received complimentary beverage/snacks 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The beverages included bartender mixed drinks, wine, scotch, and your plain old soda or Shirley temple. Hotel guests also received made-to-order breakfast in the morning. In addition, the hotel had a heated pool and jacuzzi. This was what we needed to end our vacation on a high note.
We let the kids play in the pool after breakfast the next morning before checking out. I also soaked my travel-weary bones in the jacuzzi for a bit.
After checking out, we drove to Solvang, a small Dutch town, where we rode a surrey (a bike made for multiple people) and toured the town. 
After our self-guided tour, we headed back to Jucy and had hot dogs and cup of noodles. Since the trip to Solvang was totally off the cuff and the decision to rent the surrey totally impromptu, I did not have a chance to look up deals or discounts. However, I did not sweat it too much because I had saved so much money on the Jucy Campervan, I could afford to loosen the purse strings and splurge a little.
After lunch, we walked around the town. We made the kids sit inside a wooden shoe. We have a picture of our oldest (who was not quite 2 at the time) in that same shoe. I thought it would be funny to have a before and after photo. I promised my first born I will not make him sit in the shoe the next time we go to Solvang...or will I...
We ended our vacation with ice cream (just for the kids) then loaded the kiddos in the campervan again and drove home. We arrived home in about 2 hours, tired and very glad to be home. We were grateful that the final leg of the trip only took 2 hours. The best part of campervanning was being able to break up a long drive into smaller chunks so that we were not driving for 5+ hours. I think the longest time span we drove was about 3 hours.
The end of our Jucy Campervan Springbreak. You know, everything is better with ice cream. And, yes, Jucy's relocation special really was $1 per night. It was great.
No comments:
Post a Comment