In preparing for our 2021 trip to California, we knew that we had only one day to travel from the LA area to Monterey, CA. What we didn’t know was if we could drive up Highway 1 or if we needed to take the more inland route via Interstate 5. Google maps insisted on showing me only the I-5 route, and nothing I found on the internet was able to really, truly answer my question. We really wanted to make this drive via Highway 1 if at all possible, and knew that this was likely our only opportunity for the foreseeable future, so we needed to know if we could do it or not! If Ryan were a bucket list kind of person, this would have been on his. So I really wanted to make it happen!

IS IT POSSIBLE to drive Highway 1 from LA to Monterey in one day? Or is this a situation where you have to drive so slow that you can’t make it in a day? Google maps had previously steered me wrong on some more curvy routes in the mountains–routes that Google said would take a few hours ended up taking several hours, putting us at our destination very late at night. This is not fun when you are a family with young children! We need to be prepared! What I needed was a realistic answer, but I couldn’t find one anywhere. Google maps refused to tell me how long it would realistically take. The nerve…!

So we just decided to give it a try and see what happened. I’m here to tell you today, that yes, definitively, you CAN drive Hwy 1 from LA to Monterey in just one day with time to spare! Hooray!

Now, the locals will tell you that you don’t want to. They will say you might as well not even do it if you don’t take the time to truly enjoy it. The closest related discussions I could find on TripAdvisor all essentially scoffed at the idea. “Don’t be crazy,” they said. But, I say that ain’t so. If what you want to do is drive, possibly stop to take in the sights of elephant seals (bonus if it is during mating season!), take a few bathroom breaks, and just enjoy the ride, you can do it! Dare I say you should do it! It’s gorgeous. You don’t need to stop a bunch of times. You can drive straight through, and you will enjoy it and you will survive.

We left Anaheim at 5am to beat LA traffic, and made it to Monterey well before dinner time. We made this drive on the Fourth of July (which was a Sunday), so traffic was probably a bit lighter than typical. But it was very doable.

Here is a rough itinerary of what we did, so you can gage for yourself if this is the right undertaking for your family. Skip this next section if you aren’t looking for nitty gritty details.

We drove from LA to Santa Barbara on Hwy 101, and met up with Hwy 1 at that point. Google maps will absolutely not tell you that this is an option unless you force it to. But, you can put in multiple stops to help you stay on track. I recommend putting in Santa Barbara, then Cambria, then Monterey. From Cambria to Monterey, the maps app will direct you inland around Big Sur. But pay no mind. You can drive North via Hwy 1 past Big Sur just fine. It’s gorgeous!

You will likely lose cell & data service multiple times, so make sure you have the route started before you get to Santa Barbara and your phone connected to a charger so you don’t run out of battery. This way, Google maps should keep you going in the right direction even if you can’t see the map super clearly due to lack of data. Note, there are not a bunch of places to stop, so I recommend you:

Once you get to Monterey, you can eat at In-N-Out (yum!) and get a good night’s rest. For those interested, we stayed at the Embassy Suites right in “downtown” Monterey. It was a great location and felt very safe.

I sadly don’t have any photos to share of the ocean view. We were too busy enjoying it! These are all free stock images, but they are real photos that give a good idea of the beauty you can expect. Hopefully this answers some questions and maybe even inspires you to give it a go. Enjoy the ride!

For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,

Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flow’r,
Sun and moon, and stars of light,

Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild,

Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.

-Folliott S. Pierpoint, 1835-1917

I am a closet “end-of-the-year-favorite-things-list” lover. I read them all. So I thought it might be fun to do my own list of my favorite things from this year. This list is full of all sorts of “things” including places and what-have-you. If it is a noun, it can be on my list. My motivation is multifaceted. It is part journal for me to remember my favorite encounters of this year. Part list just because I love lists. And it is part recommendation list for those of you who may happen to be looking for suggestions in any of these areas. These are places we went, books and other media that I consumed, foods we really enjoyed. I think you would enjoy them, too! And, I hope you enjoy reading through the list 🙂

So, in no particular order, here is my list of Favorites of 2018. Appropriately, I have 18.

1. Hamilton

This was a special day-date for us back in April. We thoroughly enjoyed the show. We were able to get tickets in the fourth row directly from Ticketmaster (not inflated resale prices!), and it was so worth it to be so close!

Here’s my tip to score awesome seats: stalk Ticketmaster for every day you know you could possibly go. They release tickets close to the day of the event. Check shows one to two weeks out for the best last-minute ticket release selection. Memorize this chart of what tickets to avoid. We got our tickets for around $50 each (plus fees, of course) about four days in advance of the show, and we were in the FOURTH ROW.

2. Road Trip 2018 {RT2018}

Our family really likes to go places. And my husband is a teacher. So that gives us a nice chunk of time during the summers where we have a ton of flexibility in our schedule. It allows us to take some pretty epic family vacations.

Over the past several years, we’ve developed a penchant for taking road trips over the summer. I know not everyone enjoys taking long road trips with their kids in tow. That’s cool. But, we’ve found that it’s a really awesome way to make memories together. Ryan loves to drive, so he drives. And I mostly just love looking out the window. I always bring books to read, but I never end up reading them. I just love watching the landscape (except in South Dakota {RT2015} and Kansas {RT2017}. Those were boring…) Cramming five people into a hotel room sure makes for some funny stories once the frustration of sleep deprivation wears off 😉 And we are met with nothing but excitement from the kids regarding the whole road trip experience. 

So we did take a big road trip in 2018. The trip as a whole, RT2018, is one item on my list of favorite things because it was awesome. This was our shortest road trip clocking in at fourteen days. But it was fourteen days of fun!

This was a fun and educational trip. We had been studying American history in our homeschool during the 2017-2018 school year. So, we hit a ton of historical sites on our trip out East for RT2018. Our main destinations were Niagara Falls, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. It was a great time for sure!

3. Niagara Falls

Our first stop of RT2018 makes the list as a favorite for sure. This place is truly breathtaking. Exceeded all expectations. The Canada-side is where it’s at, though (sorry, ‘Merica). We drove 10 hours straight here, and it was more than worth it. Words don’t really do it justice, so I won’t even try.

4. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Dare I say this may have been my favorite place of 2018. Another standout from RT2018, Philadelphia was so. much. fun. So welcoming. We truly felt the brotherly love here. I have so many things I loved about Philly.

We got to go to church with and hang out with our good friends who live here. I think that made it extra special.

Our hotel was practically perfect, and more than we could have ever imagined. It was so comfortable, spacious, and had a prime location. Steps outside our hotel was a boardwalk and an urban park with life sized games. Legos! Connect Four! Hammocks! It was truly awesome.

Rittenhouse Square was delightful. The cobblestone streets were charming (though our van didn’t love them as much as I did). The Rocky steps. The LOVE statue. The historical sights were so interesting and humbling. Independence Hall. The Liberty Bell. Our nation has a rich history, and it was special to experience that with our kids.

If you have a chance to go to Philly any time soon, I would heartily recommend it and any of the following places and things! Here are some photos for you to enjoy.

5. Hilton Honors Ascend American Express Card

Three cheers for HHonors points and complementary Gold Status with this credit card!! This is one of my favorite things of 2018 because the points paid for half of RT2018. Cowabunga!

I am not one to condone credit in the sense that you spend without knowing how you are going to pay for it! But, if you are in the market for a hotel points rewards credit card, this one is a great option. We are big fans of the Hilton family, and the HHonors program has been a blessing for us. This particular card does have an annual fee, which is equal to slightly less than a one-night hotel stay at a Hampton Inn ($95). So if you are considering this card, you need to be sure you will be accruing enough points to give you well over a $95 value. We put a lot of our everyday spending on this card, so we were able to use points for at least half of our nights on RT2018. You would have to do the math to find if it’s worth it for you 🙂

Just be sure you budget for your expenses and don’t spend more than you can pay off in full!!! (Which brings me to YNAB, but I digress…).

6. Beaver Creek, Colorado

This place is gorgeous. We went in June, so we obviously didn’t get to see it in it’s “Winter Resort” state, but not much compares to summer in the mountains. It was one of my favorite places partly because…Mountains. And sunshine. And Colorado. And partly because Ryan and I got to go without our kiddos. Sometimes it’s fun to do things by yourselves, ya know?

We would absolutely go back with our kids. There was still a lot to do during the summer time, and it was so beautifully landscaped and maintained. I know they do that on purpose to make it seem as close to “perfect” as possible. But it was so clean and comfortable. And the summer is the off-season, so it’s less $$. Just a tip 😉

7. The Corner Room

The Corner Room are recording artists who put whole chunks of ESV scripture to music in a remarkable way. They have been around longer than this year, but I really just discovered them in 2018. Ryan and I both have come back to listening to them time and again. I listen to them several times a week, and I never get tired of it. They have two Psalms albums. The following song is from Psalms Volume 1, but Volume 2 is just as wonderful. I commend them to you! You listen to them on Spotify, and you can purchase their albums from their website here or from Amazon here for Volume 1 or here for Volume 2.

8. Knowing Faith

This is my top podcast find of 2018. Currently on the second “season,” Knowing Faith is a generously free resource of The Village Church. I listen to this as much as I can. While doing laundry, doing the dishes, driving. Ryan and I like to listen to it together when we drive longer distances (while the kids are listening to or watching something else on the VES system in our van). We love the discussions it births between the two of us. It is so thought-provoking and helpful. The episodes are between 30 minutes and an hour, and they announced that in 2019, they will release them weekly! Woot!

9. The West Wing

We don’t watch much network TV (except for Packers games, obviously…). But we do like to watch series’ on Hulu and/or Netflix. The better part of 2018, we spent as many evenings as we could snuggled up on the couch watching an episode of The West Wing. We watched it from beginning to end, and we were both so sad when it ended. I honestly think that watching this enhanced our trip to Washington D.C., and especially the White House (did I mention we went to the White House? I’ll get to that later…).

This show is superbly written, and I have been recommending it to everyone who asks for a new series to watch. I know it’s not real life, but I feel like I have a better grasp of politics because I have watched this. Definitely my favorite TV show of 2018, even though it was not actually from 2018 (haha).

10. Psalm 77

2018 held much discouragement and anxiety for my heart. Psalm 77 was a deep encouragement to me in many ways and many times this year. God is so faithful. He sustains and has redeemed His people. Hallelujah!

Psalm 77
I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
When I remember God, I moan;
when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I consider the days of old,
the years long ago.
I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;
let me meditate in my heart.”
Then my spirit made a diligent search:
“Will the Lord spurn forever,
and never again be favorable?
Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

When the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
indeed, the deep trembled.
The clouds poured out water;
the skies gave forth thunder;
your arrows flashed on every side.
The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lighted up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.
Your way was through the sea,
your path through the great waters;
yet your footprints were unseen.
You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

11. The Henry Ford

I’d love to tell you about that one time I spent two days in Detroit mostly solo with my three kids. We had a lots of adventures, and it was a (fun) trip! We did get some all-together family time, though, and the highlight was The Henry Ford. Worth every penny of the full-price admission. It’s like a mash-up of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (Washington DC) and the Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago). This place rocks!!

We only did the actual museum part, not the outdoor village that they have. But it was fun for all five of us, and I’m still giddy about the math exhibit.

The Henry Ford is a must-do if you are in Detroit! They have the REAL ACTUAL Rosa Parks bus. I thought I saw this bus when we were in Memphis, but it turns out that was a replica. This is the real deal.

Other fun things to do in Detroit that are definitely worth a visit (especially if you are there with kids and need something to do inside!!): Michigan Science Center & GM Renaissance Center

12. The White House

Ok, let’s put our politics aside for a moment, shall we? I think we can all agree that the White House is a pretty awesome place, regardless of what you think about the current resident.

We were extremely grateful for the opportunity to tour the building as a family. We were told by many people inside and outside of DC that tour requests are granted so rarely that we should definitely not plan on it happening. Even Congressional staff interns were very surprised that we got a tour, and said they’ve still not even been approved for one themselves!

For those of you who may be interested in requesting this, you have to request the tour through a Congressional office. You can request it through one of your senators or through your representative. We chose the representative route, and we actually received a tour of the US Capitol given by one of our representative’s interns, which was also quite wonderful and included a visit to the in-session Senate Chamber. And (side note) our representative popped out of his office for a photo op…

We requested our tours in February for a trip in July, just to give you some idea of the time frame. Again, we were told that it was highly unlikely that we would be approved for a White House tour, even with our request being made so far in advance. But, we were fortunate enough to be approved!

It was a challenge to get our family of five to the White House via Metro and still follow all of the security rules. I won’t bore you here with all of that. But, if you are in this situation, and have questions about this, please ask. I’d be happy to tell you what we did!

13. La Colombe Draft Latte

This is a Philadelphia find, thanks to our dear friends, the Tomkos. Words cannot adequately describe to you how much I love this beverage. It is milky, sweet, frothy, almost chocolatey, and of course coffee-y. My favorite way to enjoy it is with little sips on a hot, sunny, summer day, walking the streets of the city (any city will do). Even better if there is a little exploratory adventure thrown in there. Oh! Make sure they don’t put ice in it. Yuck! That was an unfortunate mishap.

For those who live near me, there are a few La Colombe shops in Chicago where you can indulge in this beautiful creation. You can also search their website for the location nearest to you: here.

Last but not least, it is no substitute for the real deal (trust me…totally different taste and experience), but the lovely Target carries these little bad boys. I may have consumed a few handfuls of these on our drive back home during Road Trip 2018 😉 Again…not the same by any means, but still a tasty treat.

To quickly round out 18 favorites in 2018, here are my last five. Thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoyed my favorites. Let me know if you have any thoughts to add!

14. New City Catechism

Website and iPhone App and a book. My kids are loving the songs!

15. Decluttering

Yes, this is an action. But it is still a favorite. Decluttering is my favorite. I’m a fan of this girl’s blog and videos for easy inspiration.

16. I Will Always Write Back

Delightful! Thought-provoking! Wonderful!

17. Ocean City Beach, New Jersey

18. Social Media Fasting

I really enjoyed this. Will do it again soon.

See you in 2019!