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Seattle to San Diego Road Trip in August 2015 (19 Days)

Seattle to San Diego Road Trip in August 2015 (19 Days)

Old Jun 13th, 2015, 07:50 AM
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Seattle to San Diego Road Trip in August 2015 (19 Days)

Hello everyone!

My husband and I are planning for a road trip from Seattle to San Diego in August 2015 and would really appreciate any help we can get! I know August will be jam-packed with people and we are probably kinda late in the planning game, but our visas just got approved 2 days ago and we would like to do this trip before school starts in late August.

Our flights are already booked - we arrive 1 August around 1pm in Seattle, and depart San Diego on 19 August at 7pm. So that leaves us with 18 nights.

Just a wee bit more info about ourselves. We are in our late 20s/early 30s and love the outdoors, exploring cities, and amazing food. I have been to the US a couple of times and have travelled from San Francisco downwards, so I kinda have a plan for us from San Francisco to San Diego (husband has only been to LA and San Diego but doesn't remember much).

I have done my research online (wow there's just tons of information!!!) and managed to come up with a draft itinerary. Would really love for any of you to comment on our itinerary, especially from Seattle to San Francisco. I probably need a lot of help on that one.

Thanks so much in advance!!!

==

SEATTLE - 3 NIGHTS
>

PORTLAND - 2 NIGHTS
>

SAN FRANCISO - 4 NIGHTS
>

YOSEMITE - 3 NIGHTS
>

MONTEREY/CARMEL - 2 NIGHTS
>

SANTA BARBARA - 1 NIGHT
>

SAN DIEGO - 3 NIGHTS
>
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 08:35 AM
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All of your plan looks fine EXCEPT the issue of Portland to SF.

>> We also intend to drive by Crater Lake, Redwood National Park and Muir Woods on our way to San Francisco. I've also read about Mendocino, Crescent City, Eureka, Coos Bay, Ashland etc and feel like I should put them somewhere but I don't think I have enough time for them in this tripbarely have time to just get to SF let alone add detours. Portland to SF is a 10 to 11 hour drive straight through just allowing for a rest break and fast food eaten in the car. Detours to Crater Lake, Redwoods NP, or even just Muir Woods make this a (minimum) 3 day drive.

I wouldn't cut time from Yosemite (and this is from someone who has a condo at Tahoe and loves the place). 3 nights will really only give you 2.5 days in the park -- 1.5 for the Valley floor and the best part of one for the high country. So while Tahoe is terrific -- you don't really have time. And as mentioned above -- you have NO time to squeeze in Crater Lake . . . unless you cut 2 nights off of San Francisco which isn't a good idea IMO.

Same w/ Monterey/Carmel -- 2 nights gives you only 1.5 days there so you can't really cut a night.
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 08:51 AM
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Welcome to Fodors!

Okay, enough of the pleasantries. ;-)

I think a little reality check is needed here. Not trying to be Mr. Dark Cloud, but you're not going to be able to hit all the main targets you've listed, so some editing is needed.

First, let me just mention that I've taken several sets of overseas friends (mostly Scots) on road trips up and down the Pacific coast over the years. To a person they've declared the coast redwoods in northern California to be the highlight of the trip. Oregon coast, big volcanoes, Puget Sound... all wonderful, but the big trees were the winners by several lengths. I don't know where you're coming from, but I'll just throw that out there.

Now, more specifics. First, Olympic National Park requires a minimum of two days to visit, preferably three. You don't have three days. Mount Rainier can be done as a day trip from Seattle, but see below.

Second, if you don't already possess bookings for lodging in or near Yosemite, forget about it. And, frankly, in view of the drought that California and the Pacific Northwest has been experiencing over the past few years, the waterfalls in Yosemite - one of the big draws - are likely to be trickles or completely dry by August.

Third, Tahoe and Crater lake are by no means interchangeable, but either/both will require very long and hot detours and in the case of Crater Lake will also be problematic with respect to lodging.

Fourth, it's not clear to me that you appreciate some of the distances involved, particularly if you plan to actually DO something at your destinations besides arrive, eat a meal, take a stroll and crash, only to repeat the process the next day. Portland to San Francisco is ten hours wheels turning by the fastest possible route, and you're not taking (nor should you) the fastest route. SF to Yosemite is 4 hours not counting traffic, and the traffic can be epic depending on the hour/day.

So let me propose one possible scenario for you to consider, full of personal bias. Ignore it as you choose, but it does come of a lifetime of travel up and down the west coast.

Seattle - three days. Don't know what time zone you're coming from, but jumping in a car, maybe on the wrong side of the road, while your body is dealing with 7 or 8 hours of clock offset...? Bad idea. Use those days to explore our fair city, take a ferry ride, catch a baseball game... whatever.

Then head south by east to Mount Rainier, 2 1/2 hours. Visit Paradise and the Reflection Lakes along Stevens Canyon Road, but then exit the park to the east and spend the night somewhere either in the Yakima Valley or near Goldendale or Maryhill close to the Columbia River.

The next day visit the Columbia River Gorge, the Hood River Valley, and Mount Hood. This is a very full day but an immensely rewarding one. Spend the night at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, or in Hood River, Oregon, a very nice little town with a terrific beer/wine/food scene, justified given its position at the foot of the gorgeous Hood River Valley (orchards, vineyards, fruit stands... fab in August.

The next day, visit a couple of the waterfalls (spring-fed so less likely to be dry compared to Yosemite) along the Gorge walls, then spend the night in Portland for your food truck fix.

From there, I'd spend two nights along the Oregon coast, including Yachats and Bandon, (IMO) the two nicest towns along the central and southern parts of the coast. Travel via Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park on the north coast.

After the spectacularly scenic southern 70 miles of the Oregon coast, you're in the redwoods, which start around Crescent City and continue (well, the major groves, anyway) south to around Garberville.

Spend at least one night, preferably two, in the redwoods. Do some hikes into the main groves, or stay in the little village of Ferndale (amazing Victorian architecture, also some good food) and do the "Lost Coast Loop" - touching the Lost Coast, the last remaining roadless coastal wilderness on the California coast.

From there it's five hours or so to San Francisco. Spend your days in SF, then continue south. Frankly I've lost count right now of how many days I've used up, but I'd adjust the timing so that you have enough time to visit Point Lobos, on the coast just south of Carmel, with its rock pools and wildlife, and also to visit Hearst Castle south of Big Sur.

Time your drives to spend the night (and part of a day) in Santa Barbara, not San Luis Obispo. Be sure to visit the old Spanish mission in SB, one of the most beautiful and historic places in California.

Then on to LA and San Diego.

Map - https://goo.gl/maps/etsGa

Now this obviously is a massive reworking of your plan as it avoids anything east of the California coastal strip. Of course, it's all about choices, so you could, for example, simply visit the Columbia Gorge, then head south on US 97 to Crater Lake, then south to the Sierras for Tahoe, then over to SF and down the coast.

But that (just my opinion) would be trading some quite boring - and very hot - drives for more beautiful and varied experiences closer to the ocean.

Don't worry about not having warm weather - it's likely to be toasty to boiling around Yakima or the eastern Columbia Gorge, and again along US 101 between the Redwoods and SF, and possibly again in southern California, again, depending on how far from the Pacific you get.

This route will give you a pretty wide-ranging idea of landscapes and cities - supervolcanoes, desert, sagebrush and winery country, the great river of the west, spectacular rocky coasts, the tallest trees in the world, some of America's most enjoyable cities... hard to top in 19 days.
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 10:39 AM
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Gardyloo's suggestion would make a fine trip -- though (assuming 2 nights in Carmel/Monterey) he hit 17 nights there leaving 1 for Santa Barbara through San Diego/departure. So as you can see something has to give even on his plan.

You are talking a MASSIVE amount of territory in a very limited time and you do need a reality check.

I'd do Gardy's plan in a heart beat . . . but I'd want 23 or so days to do it.

As for Yosemite - yes the waterfalls will be down -- but the Valley is still magnificent and the high country must be seen. Accommodation IN the Valley are most likely booked solid (though there are almost always cancellations because folks book so far in advance). So - if you decide to leave Yosemite in the plans - book at Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal. It is just outside the park gates and usually has openings -- though I'd book as soon as possible. Then you can keep trying for a room IN the Valley and if lucky, you can cancel @ Yosemite View.

No you have to decide -- mostly coast and Redwoods or inland to Yosemite.
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 10:45 AM
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Wow. I knew my planning for Seattle to SF was bad, but I didn't know it was this bad.

Thanks soooo much for your inputs janisj and gardyloo. I really appreciate it!!! Now I have tons to consider (which is not a bad thing! At least now I'm one step closer).

I am now fully convinced that I don't have the time to adequately explore the places in my original itinerary. So, I am contemplating changing my inbound/outbound flight (which will still have to be subjected to flight availabilities). This leaves me with 2 options - exploring either the northern or southern coast. I figured that it may be better to do one side well once, and come back for the other side (hopefully I have the chance!). Sadly I'm unable to extend my trip beyond 19 days.

Option 1: Seattle to San Francisco - This will probably incur extra charges as I booked us on a non-refundable flight out of San Diego.
With the extra 6 nights from Monterey, Santa Barbara and San Diego, do you guys now think that I can do Olympic National Park and Crater Lake? I now know that Lake Tahoe and Crater Lake are very different. But if I were to choose to visit only one, which would you recommend? Should there be other places that I should consider? Gardyloo, I'm thinking of still doing Yosemite cos I really love it!!!

Option 2: San Francisco to San Diego - I should be able to change my inbound flight from Seattle to San Francisco at no cost.
What else should I add to this trip given the 5 extra nights I gain from Seattle and Portland? Off the top of my head I'm thinking of the Redwood National Park and Lake Tahoe. Should I be visiting some other places too?

Do people generally prefer the trip from Seattle to San Francisco, or San Francisco to San Diego? How different is the Oregon coast compared to the California coast? To be very honest, I have only heard much about the California coast. But I think many people will have much to say about my comment!

Looking forward to all your replies! Fodors community is amazing. *big love*
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 11:09 AM
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>>Do people generally prefer the trip from Seattle to San Francisco, or San Francisco to San Diego?
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 12:00 PM
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Redwood National Park is north of San Francisco and a very long drive on top of that, in other words not a day trip. However there are places you can see redwoods south of SF such as Henry Cowell Redwood State Park near Santa Cruz. Also Big Basin or Armstrong Redwoods, but HC is probably the easiest to reach.
It is a long drive from Monterey to Santa Barbara, try and add in a stop in Cambria or Pismo Beach.
I have not been to Washington or Oregon in awhile so will let others who know the area better comment on those sites.
Have a great trip.
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 12:01 PM
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Olympic National Park requires a minimum of two full days to do it justice. You do not appreciate its size. I have centered this map on Port Angeles because it is the place most visitors go to first because it is closest to Hurricane Ridge. You would only have time to get there, drive up to HR, look around, and drive back.

https://goo.gl/maps/Fw2Eo

The preponderance of other visitor venues are west of PA. Scratch ONP from your itinerary...you simply can't afford to take the time.
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 12:01 PM
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Sigh. I just called United, and true to my suspicions, there is a $200 change fee per pax to amend my departure city from San Diego to San Francisco. I was just a couple of hours past the 24-hour grace period. Major bummer... It'll now cost us an additional $400 to do Option 1, which works out to be approximately the cost of a round trip for 1 pax from New York. Rawrrrr.

Taking this cost difference into consideration, it'll make more sense to do Option 2 right? Or is Gardyloo's recommendation still better?
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 12:11 PM
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One data point - flying domestically is not very expensive; in fact if you structured two separate road trips - say, a Seattle to Seattle loop via Olympic NP - Oregon coast - Crater Lake - Portland - Seattle, then a second one-way trip out of San Francisco, say SF - Yosemite - Monterey - coast - Santa Barbara - San Diego, you could fly from Seattle (or Portland) to SF for around $100 per person (or to San Diego for about the same cost) and - by not making it a one-way car rental from Seattle to California, avoid the VERY high one-way car hire surcharges, almost certainly enough to outweigh the airfare.

One-way car surcharges within California are less an issue, but worth checking.

I think the main thing is not to put yourselves into a situation where you're having to rush through some remarkably scenic areas just so that you can get to the next scenic area and rush through it, too.

And be mindful of substitutions that you could make. For example, the Oregon coast is justly famous for its beauty. But if you're visiting Olympic National Park, the beaches on the ONP coastal strip are (to me at least) way more beautiful than most of the renowned highlights of the Oregon coast.

Or Big Sur v. Oregon. One of these pictures is from the southern Oregon coast and one is from the coast near Big Sur. Which is which?

http://gardyloo.us/20130119_61H1a.jpg
http://gardyloo.us/20130116_27a.JPG

Or the Hall of Mosses trail in the Olympic NP Hoh valley rainforest - http://tinyurl.com/p4jpk2v - versus some trail in the redwoods - http://www.redwoodhikes.com/Home1.jpg

Obviously different, but different enough to justify an extra 10 hours in a car? Just saying.

This is your trip, and there isn't a single place you've listed that isn't worthy of several days, not just one or two or four. But packing too much into too short a period is almost worse than missing things altogether.
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 01:05 PM
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OK -- I do not know your budget/financial situation (and don't need to know ) . . . But is a $400 change fee worth actually having the time to see/do things?? If paying an extra $400 gets you a wonderful trip vs. not paying it and having to make do.

(Just asking -- $400 would ruin some budgets and not be a big deal for others)
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 02:18 PM
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August? Yosemite? You might have to cut that, it's too late to find accommodation there, probably.

I would start by figuring out Yosemite, you might have to switch your dates or something...........come back and let us know.
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 04:51 PM
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clarkgriswold - Good point. So I've just checked out Yosemite accoms. While the lodging in the Valley are all booked up, there are still available accoms in El Portal and Mariposa. So I guess that's good enough, and if I decide to include Yosemite in the itinerary, I will keep calling to try for a room in the Valley like that janisj suggested.

janisj - I think I'm having a tough call here on the $400 as I do not know right now if I will come back to the West Coast in future. If I do visit the West Coast again, then I will probably save up the $400 and visit the Seattle/Oregon area then. If this is my only trip to the West Coast, then I will have to decide whether I would like to do Seattle>>SF and pay the $400, or SF>>San Diego. Or, I could even pay an extra $200 to fly from SF to SD, then take my original flight from SD to NY.

gardyloo - I certainly did not take the one-way care rental surcharges into considerations! Your suggestion for two separate road trips do not work in my case I suppose? Since I already do not have enough time. Lol... Wow I did not know that the coasts would be so different! I would have thought that all coastal regions would look largely similar.
P/S: my pick is that the first coastal pic with greenery is the southern Oregon coast. I don't recall the Big Sur area having much greens (or any at all).

bobmrg - Thanks for your input! If I decide on the Seattle route, I will definitely spend nights in the Olympic National Park.

jamie99 - Thanks! If I were to do SF>>SD, I will spend nights in Redwood National Park as well instead of it being a day trip. When you mention a stop in Cambria or Pismo Beach, do you mean that I should spend a night there, or just do a stop and walk around the area to chill and relax?

Thanks so much again guys.
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 05:10 PM
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GARDYLOO!!!! I just realized that you mapped out the entire suggestion for me! I was viewing it on my phone and it didn't show up well, and I just saw it on my laptop. Thaaaaankkkksssss.

janisj - btw, I meant to say "like what (you) suggested" in my previous comment, instead of referring you as a thing by calling you "that janisj"
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 06:08 PM
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Here's a possible 2-rental plan, just for your consideration.

Calendar - (overnight locations)

1-Aug Seattle
2-Aug Seattle
3-Aug Seattle
4-Aug Port Angeles
5-Aug Quinault
6-Aug Hood River
7-Aug Hood River
8-Aug Mt. Rainier
9-Aug SEA-Reno
10-Aug Lake Tahoe
11-Aug San Francisco
12-Aug San Francisco
13-Aug San Francisco
14-Aug Monterey
15-Aug Monterey
16-Aug Santa Barbara
17-Aug San Diego
18-Aug San Diego
19-Aug Home

Maps -

Northern - https://goo.gl/maps/63yJv
Southern - https://goo.gl/maps/iFbWb

Do a big loop that includes Hurricane Ridge, Hoh rain forest, Ruby Beach, Lake Quinault in Olympic NP, then through Portland to the Columbia Gorge and Mt. Hood, back to Seattle via Mt. Rainier.

Fly (around $140) to Reno, drive around Lake Tahoe and into San Francisco. I just looked, and a one-way rental car from Reno to San Diego for your days will cost less than one half the rental from SF to San Diego. Supply and demand I guess.

Travel from SF to Monterey via the Big Basin State Park redwoods. Not as stunning as the northern groves, but pretty impressive and no detour needed. There are more redwoods at Big Sur, too.

From there it's straight down SR 1 and US 101 to San Diego.

This doesn't include Yosemite obviously, but it picks up Tahoe, keeps some redwoods, and doesn't particularly strain the calendar. LOTS of variety.

PS you were wrong on the pictures. Both taken in January, by the way.
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 06:44 PM
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>>August? Yosemite? You might have to cut that, it's too late to find accommodation there, probably. >there are still available accoms in El Portal and Mariposa. YNP Aug 9-10 > SF > Monterey >and so forth.
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 07:03 PM
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You can still include Yosemite (it would fit in nicely in Gardyloo's southern loop) by flying Seattle to SMF

Definitely a possibility. However I priced rental cars from SMF (Sacramento) to San Diego and the price was almost double ($640 v. $300) compared to Reno. Same for Fresno (FAT) plus airfare was $50 pp more.
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 08:42 PM
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Wow the new itinerary sounds incredible, and most importantly, doable.

We were actually thinking of shaving the nights off Portland and Columbia Gorge to spend more time at the other places (either Olympic National Park, Yosemite, San Francisco or San Diego). Does this sound like a plan? This will allow me to have 2 extra nights - any suggestions which location I should allocate it to? Currently allocating it to ONP and SF.

Here's the slightly tweaked version.

Calendar - (overnight locations)

1-Aug Seattle
2-Aug Seattle
3-Aug Seattle
4-Aug Olympic National Park - Port Angeles
5-Aug Olympic National Park - Quinault
6-Aug Olympic National Park >
7-Aug Mt. Rainier >
8-Aug [SEA-SFO] San Francisco >
9-Aug San Francisco
10-Aug San Francisco
11-Aug San Francisco
12-Aug Yosemite
13-Aug Yosemite
14-Aug Monterey
15-Aug Monterey
16-Aug Santa Barbara
17-Aug San Diego
18-Aug San Diego
19-Aug Flight out of SAN at 1900hrs

What are the thoughts between between these options?
(1) 3 nights ONP & 2 nights Yosemite vs 2 nights ONP & 3 nights Yosemite
(2) 4 nights SF & 2 nights SD vs 3 nights SD & 3 nights SD
(3) Take 1 night from Monterey for an additional night at either (1) or (2)
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Old Jun 13th, 2015, 08:50 PM
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Looks like a plan

re your new questions:

1) Either would be good. The way you laid it out is fine.

2) (assuming you mean >>4 nights SF & 2 nights SD vs 3 nights SF & 3 nights SD
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Old Jun 14th, 2015, 02:06 AM
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Yay it's so nice to finally have an itinerary that has a stamp of approval.

I have tweaked it further as I wanted to cater more time at Yosemite due to the longer drives. To maximize the time I have at Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier and San Francisco, I intend to do an evening drive from ONP to Mt Rainier, and then an evening flight out of SeaTac the next day. Spending the night at Mt Rainier instead of ONP will position myself better the next day, check out the lovely paradise field and then head to SF. Don't think I'll do any walks at Mt Rainier as I'll be doing them at ONP and Yosemite already. Will this be doable, or is it too rushed?

Calendar - (overnight locations)

1-Aug Seattle
2-Aug Seattle
3-Aug Seattle
4-Aug Olympic National Park - Port Angeles
5-Aug Olympic National Park - Quinault
6-Aug (spend most part of the day at Olympic National Park and start journey to Mt. Rainier in the evening 4hr drive Mt. Rainier
7-Aug (leave Mt. Rainier in the early afternoon for 1900hrs SEA-SFO flight 3hr drive San Francisco
8-Aug San Francisco
9-Aug San Francisco
10-Aug San Francisco (SF-Yosemite 4hr drive
11-Aug Yosemite
12-Aug Yosemite
13-Aug Yosemite (Yosemite-Monterey 5hr drive
14-Aug Monterey
15-Aug Monterey (Monterey-SB 5hr drive
16-Aug Santa Barbara (SB-SD 4hr drive
17-Aug San Diego
18-Aug San Diego
19-Aug Flight out of SAN at 1900hrs
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