Should I hire a car to go up the coast and to see the Redwoods etc
Yes! Just drive carefully. You can't see most of California via public transportation, and a trip up to see the redwoods or down the coast to Big Sur would be an amazing experience. I have English friends who come over, drive around & thoroughly enjoy it. Just be aware though that we do have weather here, and if it's both wet & cold we can get snow piling up and closing some of the northern highways (or washing them out completely). So watch the online weather reports before you actually hop in the car.
Re: the driving on the wrong side of the road - I had my first try last year when I went to the US by myself and I was more nervous about that aspect of the whole trip than anything else BUT it was fine! All the cars are automatics and the only time I struggled was on the drive from the Mesa Verde back to Durango airport when it was dark and pouring with rain and it was so difficult to see which lane I was supposed to be in at the many junctions. One tip - you need to check road signs a lot, because for some reason they are mostly in words, not nice easy to comprehend symbols. So instead of big arrows for left hand lane etc, they'd EXPLAIN it to you.
Did I miss your birthday? Belated happy thoughts if I did.
I missed your birthday! I didn't mean to! I was caught up in excellent goings-on in my life.
I hope you do drive up to see the Redwoods! In October a friend and I rented a car and drove along the coast all the way up to Vancouver. The LadyBird Johnson Grove trail was an easy hike that was most memorable because WE SAW A BEAR!
Granted, we were still in the car, about half a mile from the trail head, a little before 8 am. It wasn't a full-grown bear either. We rounded a curve on the road in the forest and there it was, ambling across the pavement about 10-20 yards in front of us.
I'm accustomed to driving on the right and I was pretty apprehensive about driving in New Zealand, but it turned out not to be a problem at all!
Plus, I found driving from Berkeley down to Santa Barbara and to Yosemite relatively stress-free last year, except for driving in and out of the San Francisco area. But even that was totally worth it, we had a fantastic trip!
I live in a tourist area and we have great big signs saying DRIVE ON THE LEFT! But it's only really a problem because people try to do the 9 hour round-trip from Melbourne in a single day, get exhausted and forget where they are. Drive sensibly and you should have no problems. Enjoy your break when you get to it!
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Yes! Just drive carefully. You can't see most of California via public transportation, and a trip up to see the redwoods or down the coast to Big Sur would be an amazing experience. I have English friends who come over, drive around & thoroughly enjoy it. Just be aware though that we do have weather here, and if it's both wet & cold we can get snow piling up and closing some of the northern highways (or washing them out completely). So watch the online weather reports before you actually hop in the car.
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One tip - you need to check road signs a lot, because for some reason they are mostly in words, not nice easy to comprehend symbols. So instead of big arrows for left hand lane etc, they'd EXPLAIN it to you.
Did I miss your birthday? Belated happy thoughts if I did.
And you are writing fic? That makes me happy :D
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I hope you do drive up to see the Redwoods! In October a friend and I rented a car and drove along the coast all the way up to Vancouver. The LadyBird Johnson Grove trail was an easy hike that was most memorable because WE SAW A BEAR!
Granted, we were still in the car, about half a mile from the trail head, a little before 8 am. It wasn't a full-grown bear either. We rounded a curve on the road in the forest and there it was, ambling across the pavement about 10-20 yards in front of us.
Hope you have a fantastic trip too!
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Plus, I found driving from Berkeley down to Santa Barbara and to Yosemite relatively stress-free last year, except for driving in and out of the San Francisco area. But even that was totally worth it, we had a fantastic trip!
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