How to cover the real California in 7 days - Day 2

After having an amazing Day 1, we were tired as hell and it was time to get a good night sleep to prepare us for Day 2.

We normally take 6-7 hours of sleep while traveling, as it is enough to refresh us and get going for the next day.

We always plan to start at 8:00 a.m., considering the fact that not all days are the same and we might waste time being stuck in traffic, roadwork or something similar which are inevitable.

On Day 2 and 3, we planned to cover South California and some points of San Jose.

Our first destination was Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve. It is one the highest points in San Jose from where you can get jaw dropping views of San Jose city and nearby bay areas.

In addition, the view of the mountains to the left is equally amazing. After spending an hour in the bliss of nature, it was time to head to the next point.

Our next point was Pigeon Point Lighthouse, which is a beautiful lighthouse perched on a cliff on the central California coast. Standing at 115 foot, it is one of the highest lighthouses in California. You can see variety of marine life like seals and whales passing by.

After spending half hour here and taking some nice shots, it was time to head towards Monterey Bay as we had our whale watching tour booked for 1:00 p.m.

Monterey Bay is one of the best spots in US or probably the world, for whale watching.

You can see variety of whales all-round the year. During winters, you get to see grey whales, while during the summer, it is home to humpback, blue and killer whales.

The tour is around 3-4 hours, depending on how quickly and how many varieties of these giants you get to have a closer look.

It was like a dream come true to observe these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat.

After a fascinating experience of whale watching, it was time to visit the surf city of USA - Santa Cruz. Just in case you do not want to go for whale watching, you can visit Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is the best aquarium in the country.

Santa Cruz is a beautiful city known for its boardwalk, amusement park and surfers.
It is also known as the surf city of US, as the sport was originally introduced here.

It was around six in the evening and we had around 2 hours to cover this gem of a city, before heading towards San Jose.

The boardwalk is the main attraction here, with lot of shops, eateries, arcade game parlors and an amusement park, on the way. If you are a ride lover, you will definitely love it.

The boardwalk parking is $15, so if you want to save few bucks you can park your car in the public parking just at a 15-20 minutes walk.

The arcade games were nice and so were the rides. It was like reliving the childhood again. The only con of this place is it is too crowded and noisy, and sometimes can get into your head.

Finally it was time to turn the curtains down for Day 2 and head back to San Jose for some delicious Indian food and good night sleep.

Stats

Total hours of commute           : 5 hours

Total hours at the attractions    : 7 hours
Food and other break                : 1 hour
Start time from San Jose          : 8:00 a.m.

End time at San Jose                : 11 p.m.