UP SoCal Revs Up Post-Reunion Road Trip 2025

by: Jun Valenzuela, UPD'73B

Road Trip: 3,200 miles 

Our road trip from March 17-22 was originally planned to cater to just a small group of fratball attendees who were coming from the Philippines. However, the number grew to 17 when some brothers and their partners got wind of it. Transportation and lodging reservations had to be altered at the last moment to accommodate the burgeoning number of interested parties. It was a big challenge to find a huge place to sleep 17 seniors and we also had to rent 2 vans, a 12- seater and a 7-seater.

On the first day, our group punctually left Las Vegas at 6:00 in the morning. After stopping for a quick breakfast, we proceeded to Zion National Park then to Bryce Canyon in Utah. At Zion, we were treated to scenic mountain views, giant granite monoliths, including some wildlife like bighorn sheep near the roadside.

It rained the day earlier, resulting in snow-covered walkways at Bryce Canyon. Ross, Wowie and Joy were thrilled to escape the heat of Manila. It was a sunny day, but the strong, cold breezes and some snow patches on the ground made it difficult and slippery for the old folks. The rust-orange hoodoos (eroded rock formations) were so close that we could almost touch them. The vast canyons and the cloudless, blue skies above were just so majestic and mesmerizing.

We were back in Las Vegas in the evening, just in time for dinner at Binion’s casino. We took a tour of the Fremont Experience at Old Town Las Vegas to watch artists, musicians, the huge crowds of drunk tourists celebrating St, Patrick’s Day, and the colorful overhead LED light shows. The group just took a nap that evening in preparation for the 500-mile drive to Yosemite National Park the following morning.

I was fortunate to find a huge rental home near the park entrance that easily accommodated our huge group for the next two nights. Right after we unloaded our bags, as expected, the endless supplies of Blue Labels, Yamazakis and Macallans started pouring. Of course, the party would not be complete without the gummies, brownies and vapes, just like the days when we were young and invincible.

Hec, with the help of Manny, grilled some steak for a sumptuous dinner.

It was exactly like our old college days at the Betan tambayan. Same old war stories repeated over and over with some adlibs, alaskahan, chismisan, at mga kwentong walang saysay. These were priceless moments for us to cherish as we fade into the sunset. The merriment finally ended when everyone was finally drunk and exhausted.

ZION NATIONAL PARK 

BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK 

LAS VEGAS

At 8:00 AM, everyone was up and eager to visit Yosemite National Park. Our first stop was at the Mariposa Grove, where the giant redwood sequoia trees grow. It was a 4-mile roundtrip trek through icy roads and trails. After a 2-mile struggle, standing in front of us were 1000-year-old giant redwood trees. One could not stop admiring their beauty, age, majestic size. Some of those giant trees were already there before Christ was born. The long and slippery walk took 4 hours of our daylight tour.

A 25-mile drive through a narrow winding road inside the park took us to the valley. A short walk took us to the famous Bridal Veil waterfalls. The runoff from the melting snow coming from the mountains provided a more picturesque scene for the visitors. We stood near the bottom of the falls, enjoyed getting wet by the mist, reminding us of childhood days when we took shower during the rainy months, and the rainbow colors above when the waters and the sunlight mixed. We stopped at the valley roadside to take some panoramic group photos with the El Capitan as our background. This granite monolith was made famous because it had been featured in some of Hollywood’s classic movies. After a quick late lunch and a drive through the valley, it was time for us to head back to our cozy nest.

Upon arrival and while dinner was being prepared, GP Boy immediately started opening new bottles of whisky. A few of us started dipping into the warm waters of the jacuzzi to soothe our exhausted legs and aching joints. Just like the night before, bedtime was early, I mean three o’clock in the morning. Manny had to bail out early from the group because of employment commitments.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 

We spent the next day at Napa Valley to enjoy some wine tasting. We drove through endless rows of vineyards of famous California winemakers. We spent lunch at the Sattui Winery grounds tasting their products. Later in the afternoon we drove to the Sacramento airport to drop off Hec, Lem, Laureen and Eileen who had some family business in LA the following day. We proceeded to an Asian buffet restaurant and were met by brods Edsel A, Ike A, Tatang V, Lorenzo G, Babes I and Sonny P. These brods treated us to an elegant dinner where we feasted until the restaurant’s closing time. This was the only time when we refused to drink much because everyone had no more room in their tummy. Regardless, Wowie still opened a bottle of Macallan to close out the night.

NAPA VALLEY / SACRAMENTO

MONTEREY / CARMEL / SANTA MARIA

The next day, we headed to Monterey Peninsula to observe some kayakers paddling on the deep waters, a few sea otters and California seals swimming just above the ocean’s kelp garden, together with some pelicans, sea gulls and cormorants trying to catch their next meal. We imbibed a few glasses of Margarita to go with our hefty Mexican lunch. To digest the heavy lunch that each one had, we all agreed to walk the narrow streets filled with tourist attractions. To everyone’s amazement, we discovered that some of us still had room to satisfy their cravings for some ice cream and chocolate desserts while the others did their souvenir purchases.

We leisurely took the 17-mile drive at Carmel. Everyone was breathless when we passed by the huge mansions of the rich with views of giant pine trees and the vast blue Pacific. To the golf maniacs’ surprise, we stopped at the world-famous Pebble Beach Golf Course. Wowie could not resist the temptation, He burst out of the van then stood near the golfers teeing at Hole 3. On a cold and windy day, to our surprise, he took off all his bundles of outerwear and only kept his summer shirt on. Then he asked Iou and Joy to take some once- in-a lifetime souvenir photos of him standing near the hole. Not to be outdone, Ross sat on a golf cart parked next to a huge golf ball with the logo of Pebble Beach on it. We were able to take some photos of the lone cypress tree that grew on solid rock at the ocean’s edge, icon symbol of Carmel in magazine photos. We spent the evening at Santa Maria where Joy finally had her In-N-Out’s cravings for their tasty burgers and Animal fries ultimately fulfilled.

Our last day was spent at Solvang, a Danish village with a Scandinavian aura. We drove through an ostrich farm before walking around the village, taking photos while the ladies shopped at the uniquely expensive stores. We then drove to Sonny Pagador’s house in Santa Clarita for an early dinner of kare-kare, crispy pata, inihaw na bangus, and chop suey. Our meal would not be complete without the cheesecake, tiramisu cake and some turong saging with langka.

Some attendees departed from LAX that evening, leaving Iou, Joy, Ross, Wowie and Vale to drive back to Vegas that night. The 6-day bonding officially came to an end when we finally got home at midnight after logging approximately 3,200 miles.

SOLVANG /  SANTA CLARITA

Members of the Expedition:
John and Greta Antig
Lem and Laureen Michelena
Hec and Eileen San Juan
Boy Pantig and Agnes Maufit
Edwin and Sylvia Encomienda
Jun “Vale” and IouValenzuela
Dan “Wowie” Bautista
Joy Lacanilao
Ross Fernando
Danny Galoso
Manny Boado