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Airbnb and Miramonte cabin pay automatically on Sep 7/8. KT & VT flight dates are confirmed; airline details deferred. LK flies YVR-SFO with MS, leaves the group Sep 22 and rejoins Sep 27 ~5 PM in LA.
119 lines
6.4 KiB
Markdown
119 lines
6.4 KiB
Markdown
# 🌴 US West Coast Trip — September/October 2026
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## The Group
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- KT, VT — Sofia, Bulgaria
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- MS, LK — Vancouver, BC
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---
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## Destinations
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- San Francisco (base: Daly City)
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- Yosemite National Park
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- Sequoia / Kings Canyon National Parks
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- Los Angeles
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- Las Vegas
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---
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## Bookings & Reservations
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| | Dates | Cost | Status |
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|---|---|---|---|
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| [🏠 Airbnb — Daly City](bookings/airbnb-sf-daly-city.md) | Sep 19–22 (3 nights) | $1,049.54 CAD | Auto-pays Sep 7 |
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| [🏕️ Cabin — Yosemite (Wawona)](bookings/cabin-yosemite-wawona.md) | Sep 22–24 (2 nights) | US$933.75 | ✅ Paid |
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| [🌲 Cabin — Sequoia (Miramonte)](bookings/cabin-sequoia-miramonte.md) | Sep 24–27 (3 nights) | US$771.16 | Auto-pays Sep 8 |
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| [🏙️ LA stay — candidates](la_stay_options.md) | Sep 27–30 (3 nights) | US$523–1,075 | Shortlist only — not final or exhaustive |
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| [🎰 Las Vegas stay — candidates](vegas_stay_options.md) | Sep 30–Oct 3 (3 nights) | US$500–1,392+ | Shortlist only; resort fees may be extra |
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| [🚗 Car Rental](bookings/car-rental.md) | Sep 20–Oct 4 (14 days) | ⚠️ TBC | SFO round trip; rent and return by MS |
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| [✈️ Flights — KT & VT](bookings/flights-kt-vt.md) | Sep 19 / Oct 3 | — | ✅ Dates confirmed (details later) |
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| [✈️ Flights — MS & LK](bookings/flights-ms.md) | Sep 20 / Oct 4 | — | Round trip YVR ↔ SFO needed · LK away from group Sep 22–27 |
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---
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## Timeline
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| Date | Day | Location | Notes |
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|------|-----|----------|-------|
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| Sep 19 | Sat | Daly City (SF area) | ✅ Airbnb check-in after 3 PM · KT & VT land SFO 1 PM · public transit / taxi · confirm they can check in without MS |
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| Sep 20 | Sun | San Francisco | MS flies YVR → SFO and picks up rental car (arrival time TBC) · KT & VT use public transit / taxi until then · [See plan ↓](#sep-20--san-francisco-golden-gate--waterfront) |
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| Sep 21 | Mon | San Francisco | [See plan ↓](#sep-21--san-francisco-downtown--classic-sf) · Downtown, cable cars, Chinatown (BART day) |
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| Sep 22 | Tue | Yosemite | LK leaves the group (until Sep 27) · Check-out SF by 11 AM · Depart 7 AM · [See plan ↓](#sep-22--sf--yosemite-valley) · Wawona check-in (flexible) |
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| Sep 23 | Wed | Yosemite | [See plan ↓](#sep-23--yosemite--glacier-point--mariposa-grove) |
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| Sep 24 | Thu | Sequoia | Check-out Wawona by 10 AM · Drive Hwy 41 (~3 hrs) · [See plan ↓](#sep-24--yosemite--sequoia) · Gilmore Cabin check-in from 4 PM |
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| Sep 25 | Fri | Kings Canyon | [See plan ↓](#sep-25--kings-canyon) |
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| Sep 26 | Sat | Sequoia / Kings Canyon | Extra park day — TBD |
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| Sep 27 | Sun | Los Angeles | Check-out Gilmore by 11 AM · Drive to LA · LK rejoins the group ~5 PM |
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| Sep 28 | Mon | Los Angeles | TBD |
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| Sep 29 | Tue | Los Angeles | TBD |
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| Sep 30 | Wed | Las Vegas | Drive LA → Vegas (~4.5 hrs, I-15) · no LA → LAS flight needed |
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| Oct 1 | Thu | Las Vegas | — |
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| Oct 2 | Fri | Las Vegas | — |
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| Oct 3 | Sat | Las Vegas → San Francisco | KT & VT fly LAS → Bulgaria · MS starts drive back to San Francisco · overnight stop / endpoint TBC |
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| Oct 4 | Sun | San Francisco | MS returns rental car at SFO and flies SFO → YVR · coordinate flight time with car return |
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---
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## Detailed Day Plans
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> **Option to look into — Alcatraz:** ferry from Pier 33, ~2.5–3 hrs round trip. No car needed. If the group wants it, best slotted into the **Sep 21 morning** (BART day) — reach Pier 33 via the F-line streetcar, then do downtown after. This avoids clashing with the Sep 20 morning, which Marin Headlands wants for the pre-fog bridge view. **Sells out weeks ahead — reserve early.**
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> **Mondays:** some museums (incl. the de Young) are closed — check before counting on them Sep 21.
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### Sep 20 — San Francisco: Golden Gate & Waterfront
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> **Sights menu:** see [`sf_sights.md`](sf_sights.md) for the full candidate list.
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*Car day after MS arrives and collects the rental. The order and scope depend on the flight arrival time.*
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- **Morning** Drive to **Marin Headlands / Battery Spencer** — the classic Golden Gate Bridge panorama; go early before fog and crowds
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- **Late morning** Cross back over the bridge → **Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center** & Fort Point underneath
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- **Midday** **Palace of Fine Arts** → **Crissy Field** (bridge + skyline)
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- **Afternoon** Drive **Lombard Street** (the crooked block) → park near **Fisherman's Wharf**
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- **Late afternoon** **Pier 39** sea lions → **Ghirardelli Square**; dinner on the waterfront
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### Sep 21 — San Francisco: Downtown & Classic SF
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*BART day — park the rental in Daly City, ride in to skip downtown parking.*
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- **Morning** BART Daly City → **Embarcadero**; **Ferry Building** marketplace for breakfast
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- *Optional:* **Alcatraz** — early ferry from Pier 33 (F-line streetcar from the Embarcadero); book ahead
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- **Late morning** Ride a **cable car** (California St line) over Nob Hill → **Union Square**
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- **Midday** **Chinatown** (Dragon Gate) → **North Beach** (Little Italy) → **Coit Tower** views
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- **Afternoon** **Alamo Square** Painted Ladies; optional **Golden Gate Park** (de Young / Japanese Tea Garden)
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- **Evening** BART back from Powell St → Daly City
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### Sep 22 — SF → Yosemite Valley
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> **Sights menu:** see [`parks_sights.md`](parks_sights.md) for the full candidate list + seasonal notes (firefall, water levels, etc.).
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- **7 AM** Depart SF
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- **Morning** Tunnel View (Hwy 120 entrance) → Bridalveil Fall (5-min walk) → Valley View (Merced River framing)
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- **Late afternoon** Cook's Meadow Loop — 1 mile, flat, Half Dome framing, good golden hour
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- **Evening** Wawona check-in (flexible)
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### Sep 23 — Yosemite: Glacier Point & Mariposa Grove
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- **Morning** Glacier Point — best light on Half Dome early
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- **Midday** Mirror Lake — 2-mile paved loop via free shuttle (low water in Sep but great views)
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- **Late afternoon** Mariposa Grove — relaxed pace
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### Sep 24 — Yosemite → Sequoia
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- **By 10 AM** Check out Wawona
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- **Morning** Drive Hwy 41 south (~3 hrs)
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- **Afternoon** Giant Forest Museum (orientation) → General Sherman Tree (shuttle) → Congress Trail (2-mile paved loop, better than just the Sherman stop)
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- **Late afternoon** Moro Rock
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- **From 4 PM** Gilmore Cabin check-in
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### Sep 25 — Kings Canyon
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- **Morning** Grant Grove & General Grant Tree — quieter than Sequoia
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- **Midday** Kings Canyon Scenic Byway descent
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- **Afternoon** Zumwalt Meadow → Road's End
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- **Return drive** Canyon walls spectacular in afternoon light
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---
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*Last updated: August 2026*
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