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Pacific Highway Suggestions? (Oregon-California West Coast Trip)


S-L

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March is a good time--Hwy 101 on the Oregon coast and (Hwy 1 in Cali) are bumper to bumper RVs in the summertime.  We have done the trip several times from Seattle.  Have stayed at Seaside, Cannon Beach, Newport, Carmel, Monterrey, Mendocino, Stinson Beach, Mill Valley--all good places for a visit.  Be sure to try Nepenthe (restaurant) at Big Sur for the view and food. 

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My wife and I made the trip from Astoria to Monterey along the coast the entire way over this past winter holiday. Absolutely loved it. Our r route took us from Portland to Rockaway Beach (via hwy 30 thru Astoria), Rockaway Beach to Coos Bay, Coos Bay to Klamath, Klamath to Benbow, Benbow to Fort Bragg, Fort Bragg to Monterey (thru San Francisco). We stayed at Air Bnb's mixed with rental cabins (KOA) each night. One thing we noticed after planning the trip and then DOING the trip was the time we allotted ourselves to get from Point A to Point B did not leave as much time for sightseeing as we had expected. Partly due to slow starts in the mornings getting coffee/food, packing, check out, etc. and partly due to the winter days have fewer hours of sunlight. You shouldn't have the daylight problem in March, but be conscious of your time. We missed a lot of 'must see' places just getting to the next lodging check in on time.


I highly recommend jumping off of the 101 at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. It's a scenic route detour that takes you through some amazing scenery, giant redwoods, elk, etc. and puts you right back on your way on the 101 further south without much delay.

 

As for south of the Monterey, CA area: stay on top of the road closure situations. We have been hit very hard down here with the past storms and there are more coming between now and your trip. Big Sur just closed another section of road due to cracks appearing in the supports at Pfeiffer Canyon bridge, and south of Nepenthe is closed. Most travel in the Big Sur area is still considered 'essential travel only' right now. It may very well still be closed when you get here.

 

http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/blogs/pfeiffer-canyon-bridge-on-highway-closed-to-traffic-until-further/article_4b49f7aa-f21b-11e6-a98a-9b38fd4b6902.html

 

The only other recommendations I have to offer beyond common sense, road spares kits, AAA card, etc. that the other board members recommend would be: take your time, enjoy the sights, if you passed it and it looked interesting: go back and look at it. 

 

Oh...and if you like oysters and such, as we do, we could have stayed here all day: the razor clam fritters were amazing for breakfast.

 

https://www.pacseafood.com/locations/details/pacific-oyster-company/

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Shad

'70 2002 #671 "Bimmerschmitt"

'70 2002 BADUDA aka 'Wall Art'

'72 2002 #672 Sold

'73 2002 Sold

'79 528i Daily Driver (future ETC Clone)

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"Champagne and oysters, they never let you down."

 

Morro Bay, on the Embarcadero:  Tognazzini's Dockside Too ...... bbq'ed oysters drizzled with garlic butter, washed down with champagne available in the cooler box .....

  http://www.morrobaydockside.com/our-restaurants

 

Dockside Too ( http://www.morrobaydockside.com/dockside-too ) 

is directly behind Dockside ( http://www.morrobaydockside.com/dockside-restaurant)

   

and the scenery ain't so bad either ......

 

Tognazzinis%20with%20Morro%20Rock.jpg

 

Cheers,

 

Carl

 

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another of my '74tii's favorite drives, 6 miles in length.

 

On the 101, 2 miles south of Mussel Shoals, CA is Exit 78, Seacliff.  That drops you down onto Hwy 1 South for a 6 mile jaunt right on the water, a great place to take a break/pictures/lunch ....... 

    When you reach Emma Woods State Beach, you are "automatically" returned to the 101 South.

 

Cheers,

 

Carl

 

Emma Wood State Beach__highway.jpg

Edited by OriginalOwner
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The very north end of CA hwy 1 from Fort Bragg to Leggett is about the most fun road I've ever driven. The non-stop short-radius turns and up-and-down hills is a blast. At the north end, where hwy 1 meets 101 is the "drive-thru" redwood tree. I've driven the whole thing from San Diego CA up to Olympia WA and will never forget the scenery. Good luck!

 

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Will be very interested to hear how it goes as it is a trip I might be taking as well in June. Hoping to get my '02 on the road by then and take 101 from Portland down to Santa Barbara. I've always wanted to do it and have to be down there in June and figured it would be a good deadline to get the car road worthy.

 

Definitely take a spare tire, jack, small tool kit, fuses, coolant, water, maybe a spare fuel pump and a AAA card.

 

Good luck and have a blast!

'72 2002 Malaga

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Montana de Oro state park just south and west of San Luis Obispo is pretty. The monarch butterfly's also group in that location and you can drive all the way down to this cool cove. You get there by driving past these fields of flowers that in the right time of season are incredible. There is a huge sand spit that forms the harbor for Morro Bay that you can hike out if you're ambitious. If you really wanted to get crazy you could air down and drive on the beach at Pismo. You can also camp on Pismo beach without a reservation.

 

x2 on Hearst Castle. San Luis Obispo is cool and worth driving thru downtown or getting lunch. They also have a great farmers market with world class tri tip sando's. Can't remember the day of the week they hold it but worth it if the timing is right.

 

If you take  hwy 154 to Santa Barbara you are in prime wine country. Think the movie Sideways. 

1972 Tii

1997 Land Rover Defender LE #127

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I agree with the sentiments thus far; go west to Hwy 1 when you can!

 

I have driven CA Hwy 1 between Santa Barbara and Monterey many, many times for car-related events up there and it is an iconic stretch of road between Ragged Point and Big Sur (south to north)----which is exactly the stretch that happens to be closed at this time due to mudslides. And there is more rain on the way, so that might still be the case during your trip.

 

But, if the road is open, I would definitely stick to the coast in the northernmost parts of CA; coastal Sonoma and Mendocino counties are incredibly wild and beautiful, with turquoise water and coastal redwood forests during some stretches. Not to mention, the road is epic!

 

I do enjoy wine and live near some of the best wineries in the world here in Santa Barbara, but I am a beer lover at heart. Now, you guys have plenty of great breweries in Oregon, but I will attempt to highlight some good ones that you might encounter along your drive (and if you guys aren't much into beer, hopefully others will find this useful!) . To that end, there are a number of great breweries in Mendocino County to which I have never been (including Mendocino Brewing Co and Anderson Valley among others). Russian River and Lagunitas are worth a stop if you cut inland in Sonoma County. 

 

Further south, the Libertine Brewing Co taproom/restaurant in Morro Bay is an essential stop if you enjoy beer. It is right on the water (likely within a couple of blocks of the place that Carl posted about) and the main bar area has panoramic views of Morro Rock and the bay. There are dozens of beers to choose from, and the food is quite good.

 

From Morro Bay, it might be worth it to cut inland towards San Luis Obispo as others have suggested. It is a cool little town, and the aforementioned farmer's market is every Thursday. From a beer perspective, Central Coast Brewing Co is worth checking out, as is Barrelhouse (this is just a taproom; the main brewery is in Paso Robles off 101). From SLO, take 101 until you reach 154, from which you can enter Santa Barbara County wine country, or if you prefer hoppier beverages you can stick to 101 and hit the Firestone and Figueroa Mountain breweries in Buellton. Industrial Eats in Buellton is also amazing if you are into food . . . . 

 

I am biased, but Santa Barbara is a must, and several suggestions have already been posted. PM me if you want more. Or if you need car help, as I manage a Porsche/BMW repair shop here :).

 

Otherwise, stick to 101 and take Carl's suggested interlude if you want, and rejoin Hwy 1 via the Rice Ave exit in Oxnard. From there you will see how the other half lives in Malibu and Santa Monica before the road leads you to the concrete jungles of LA.

 

You guys will have an amazing trip no matter what; please post the story and pics!

 

Chris

Chris A
---'73 2002tii Chamonix w/ flares, sunroof, 15x7s, LSD, Bilstein Sports w/ H&R springs, upgraded sway bars, E21 Recaros
---'86 Porsche 944 Turbo grey street/track car

---'81 Alfa Romeo GTV6 rescued from junkyard, Lemons Rally/"GT" car

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on a quick note, camping in Oceano Dunes is only $10 a night to camp on the beach (Oceano Dunes SVRA) (its been closed a lot the past week weeks due to rain and water runoff from mountins). That time of year it shouldn't be sold out, however nearing spring break id still reserve a ticket in advance just in case you want an S.O.S. option. Pismo is a small beach town that seams to attract people 2 miles north of oceano on the 1 for god knows why (im 21, so maybe its the fact of growing up among this town my whole life). However oceano dunes, the place i recommended for camping, generates copious amounts of revenue due to it being the only beach u can drive your car on in california. I wouldnt suggest driving on the beach, it may be five dollars but i guarantee youll end up with more than $5 of rust down the road due to that one beach drive from the salt water. If youre near slo/5cities(oceano,pismo,grover, etc)/nipomo and need help email/pm me as id be more than willing to give you a hand.

 

Enjoy it, and drive safe. 

 

PS: take the 154 as mentioned, you save a 20 minute drive and as result of taking the 154 you get put up on the san marcos pass which allows you to see a glimpse of Santa Barbara from uptop at a great elevation. Where as if you took the 101 between bulleton and SB you wont experience much, besides gaviota which does have a brand new ice rink (if youre into that) and that state beaches.  

Edited by moose
because i fail. and read some suggestions
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Awesome trip! I've toured a fair amount on 1 and 101 in California. Here are my recco's for highlights, going North to South:

 

Humboldt Redwoods State Park: camp at Burlington Campground

 

Myers Flat: get on Hwy 254 "Avenue of the Giants". the original road that winds through a long north/south grove of redwoods.

 

Richardson Grove State Park: good for camping

 

Legget: if you have time head over to Hwy 1 here. State Parks are well-spaced on the coast so you can make one for a camping night pretty much no matter what your travel times are like.

 

Tomales Bay/Marshall, CA: stop at any of the oyster places you drive by. Hog Island Oyster Co. is my personal fav -- sit out back and eat bbq'd or fresh around a fire.

 

Samuel P Taylor State Park: good camping option north side of SF

Kirby Cove State Park: another good camping option north side of SF. The beach at this park overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge

Any of the State Park Campgrounds south of SF / north of Santa Cruz in the coast range between Hwy101 and Hwy 1 are great

 

Santa Cruz: the beach and surf spot just to the right of the wharf is one of the best beginner waves in the world. board and wetsuit rental right across the parking lot

 

South of Santa Cruz: I've never experienced brutal traffic north of Morro Bay on Hwy 1. More classic coast driving here, with some pretty famous bridges and overlooks.

 

I'll second Hearst Castle in San Simeon. It's a solid half-day stop that costs money though.

 

San Luis Obispo: if you find yourself driving by the Madonna Inn, it's worth a pee break in the waterfall urinal at the restaurant.

 

Have fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--

'73 Sahara numbers matching 

'74 Mintgrun sunroof car w/ oem Golde deflector, euro bumpers, 5spd, owned since 2002

 

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17 hours ago, OriginalOwner said:

Good write up. I am so glad they left off Mo's for clam chowder. More hype than flavor. 

 

Blackfish Cafe: Awesome Chowder. 

Loose: Not tightly bound. Subject to motion.
Lose: What happens when you are spell check dependent.

 

1975 Malaga. It is rusty but runs. Just like me. 

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We genuinely have an amazing community, absolutely love all the outreach and support of information from all my 2002 folks!

 

I most definitely will be documenting this trip, both in writing, pictures & video blogs (the latter, most likely personal).

 

Question is: where would you like me to document this trip? I think best scenario is in this forum directly, or create a separate thread to to blog it?

 

Lastly, I need to get my car sorted. Needs new tie rod ends & ball joints, and mechanics are going to charge a fortune probably. I'm not the most mechanically-inclined driver at the moment.

 

Oh, and for some odd reason — my brake fluid dropped tremendously under the clutch line in the reservoir, so will have to bleed air again. Just FYI, replaced both the clutch slave & clutch master (which had a big stinking hole) a few weeks ago. Not sure what's sucking up the fluid this time around.

 

Anyways, tons of prep work for a trip next month. Appreciate all the help, and any assistance in advance.

 

Looking forward!

 

Best regards,

 

Slavik

-Slavik

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