YOSEMITE TO MONTEREY

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200 miles (around four hours)

FROM here, we drove to Monterey on the California coastline, stopping off on the ‘Vista of the World’ in Stanislaus National Park on the way. This is an emotive place as you can see the scorched remains of more than 400 acres of forest fire that happened in 2004 and 2015. There are memorials to the brave firefighters who lost their lives.

Onwards, we drove past the bright blue Lake McClure and through the small ‘cowboy’ towns of Coulterville and La Grande, where there was a market dating back to the late 1800s. There was even a real-life Mater from Disney’s Cars parked in someone’s yard (yes, really!) and clusters of mail boxes lined up at the roadside with no houses to be seen.

On through the Sierra Mountains, we saw ostrich and stripy-legged donkeys grazing near ‘Pray for Rain’ signs in the fields while following a truck carrying a vat full of red wine along the Martin Luther King Junior Road!

We were heading into the quirky California vibe we knew and loved.

NEXT TIME: Zoe and her family take on the winding Big Sur drive down the California coastline from Monterey to Los Angeles...

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HEAD to the Caribbean and enjoy 14 nights in the Dominican Republic, from £1454 (based on a family of four), staying at the beautiful five-star Now Onyx Punta Cana Resort and Spa, pictured.

Price includes return flights with British Airways from London Gatwick Airport on August 13 and 14 nights’ accommodation on an all-inclusive basis.

Book online at kenwoodtravel. co.uk or call the 0207 749 7216.