Californ-i-a: Wine Country, Jackson Browne, Tahoe, and more!

michellepfeiffer
Dec 1, 2025
2 min read

Updated: Feb 1

Monterey Bay, CA

Hey friends! So happy you are here! We are Pat and Michelle, born and raised in Minnesota, and currently taking our 'GAP' year in our 50's. We have decided to leave normal life behind in search of something different... We recently launched full-time travel life in our Brinkley travel trailer with our dogs, Indie and Louie.

September 3 - October 10, 2025

We spent over a month in California and didn't see anywhere near the whole state. We had a lot of fun, drove a lot of miles, saw beauty one can only find on the west coast, and definitely left lots on the table for our next visit. From the huge coastal Redwoods to the amazing Sierra Nevadas; the Santa Cruz Wharf to the rugged coastline along Monterrey Bay; our namesake, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park; from wine country to Big Blue (Lake Tahoe) and Truckee, and all the little stops in-between...California had a lot to offer and we enjoyed many adventures!

A peek at Mount Shasta on our way into the state...

A visit to The Sundial Bridge in Redding, CA.

Santa Cruz Wharf - sea lion party!

Mountain Winery + Jackson Browne. Pure magic.

Mountain Winery - Saratoga, CA

This was a goodie! We saw Jackson Browne in concert at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga. Probably the coolest concert venue we've ever experienced. We traveled up to the tippy top of the mountain on a skinny, windy road. It was a perfect summer night and Jackson Browne did not disappoint. Talk about an oldie but goodie...

Camping under the Santa Cruz Redwoods

Walks to the beach from our campsite near Monterrey Bay

Carmel-by-the-Sea, just WOW.

Olympic Village! North Lake Tahoe, site of the 1960 Winter Olympics

Lake Tahoe + Truckee, CA

Laid Back Wine Country - Lodi, CA

Lodi was a lot of fun...

known as 'laid-back' wine country, it was a beautiful spot for a long weekend! There were vineyards on every corner, grapevines for miles! Also, you would not believe all of the olive trees and almond trees. We think we learned to distinguish which was which and what was what, but sometimes this is tricky when you are driving and only get a quick glance. Lots of Google searches on how to tell the difference! We did a wine tasting at one vineyard and an olive oil sampling at another. We enjoyed a sunny patio with live music and loved their little downtown area with shops and a cafe called Ruby's that had the best Croque Monsieur.