In celebration of my new Z, I'm planning a roadtrip down to California from Washington state. Naturally, I'm thinking about cutting over to Highway 1 and checking it out.

Are there any particular places/points of interest I should hit on my way down to San Francisco?

Another question is the subject of hotels/motels. Any recommendations? I'd like to find a reasonably priced place to stay without fear that something bad will happen to my baby overnight.

I suppose that rules out Motel 6s? javascript:smilie('')

-V

 

Don't know much about the area above SF, but if you go a little further, hit Santa Cruz, Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove, and Big Sur.

There is a scenic loop drive in the Monterey area.

Santa Cruz has a boardwalk with all the beach boardwalk rides and whatnot (great, freshly made waffle cones!). And a classic wood coaster. There are a ton of sweet (but uncrowded) beaches on the way down the coast to Santa Cruz too.

The Monterey area is a big tourist area. Lots of food and drink. Walk around Pacific Grove too. This is a great area.

Then head a little further south and hang out in Big Sur on the beach. Or roam around in the redwoods for a while.

My folks lived out there for about ten years. Really cool places to visit. Nothing is a must do, but any one of these places is worth a little driving.

There is also a little beach town tucked into the cliffs just south of Santa Cruz. It is called Capitola. There is a Margaritaville that is nice to go to for dinner and a couple drinks if you have a girlfriend with you.

I guess, these are all good things to see if you happen to be in the area. The Monterey area is pretty large, so it might be the one worth the trip. Hit the other stuff on the way down.

Good Luck.

 

Hey Vspec2, I'm also planning on a trip down from Wash to NorCal sometime towards the end of July and thought about where I'll put my baby overnight. Think I'll try to get a room in a hotel/motel where I can park her right in front of the room. Also thinking about getting "the club" just for this trip. The club won't stop anyone from stealing her, but will definetly slow them down long enough for me to wake up and bang some heads.

You mentioned Highway 1. How much more time will this add to the trip vs taking I-5 + I-80 to SF area? I've never taken anything but I-5 and wouldn't mind a change of scenery if it doesn't add too much time.

 

Highway 101 and Cal 1 along the coast will add at least 4 hours to the overall trip. They will be very good hours with beautiful scenery and lots of twisty roads.

Stop off in Ft. Bragg and Mendicino. Bed and Breakfast places all up and down the coast, but often very expensive.

 

HWY 101 and HWY 1 will be slow but pretty fun and definitely scenic. Not too sure what happens in the far north of CA or Oregon, but the 100 miles north of SF is definitely very nice. I've stayed at places in Jenner (Timber Cove Inn) and Gualala (Gualala Inn), but they are pretty damn expensive so I don't know if they'd do too well for a road trip. They are about two hours north of SF.

The only time I've driven up north was when I had to get to Canada to go kayaking, so we took 5 due to the schedule. On the way back we were going to go down 101, but we ended travelling late at night through Washington and couldn't find any place to stay. I got pulled over at 2:00 am by some cop and he said to go to Olympia to find a place. We stayed in Olympia and ended up heading back on HWY 5 and never got to go down the coast. Bummer.

I'd just give yourself time so you can explore. Maybe try and find campgrounds so you can stay there, and then maybe stay in a hotel every once in a while to clean up.

Should be a sweet trip.

-D'oh!

 

Lots of good info! Thanks!

Looks like I may have to extend my vacation a few more days to take in the full experience.

TanakaZ, this'll be my first time down Highway 1 so if you hit it before I do...you let me know how it turned out!

 

I'm starting to seriously take a couple more days off just for the scenic route.

Vspec2, when do you plan on driving down? Also, from your other post, I assume you're on the MS campus? What color is your Z and where on campus are you?

 

I'm gonna head down in mid August...haven't nailed down the exact days yet.

By the way, I don't work for MS, but I usually drive right by it on my way to lunch.

If you see a Silverstone 350Z zooming around...it's probably me.

-V

 

while you guys are here, should take a detour through highway 9 and 35. Some of the better twisties that takes you from SF/Half Moon bay to Santa Cruz. Also it's a great way to experience your car the way it was meant to be driven.

 

i took a drive out to santa cruz from SF this past weekend on PCH, don't take that road during weekends.. 1 lane highway and accidents happen often. you will most likely stuck behind a ford escort going 25 mph..

as far as good places to check out.. i stopped at devil's slide about a few miles south of pacifica, very scenic.

hmm, there's also a restaurant called highway 1 diner? pretty good food but i forgot where it was at.. you can't miss it though, it's on the right of the highway not too far from devil's slide (10 miles or so?)

 

Cut over to the coast in Oregon. Drive down & when you cross over into California cut back east I think around or just before Cresent City. This will take you through the most beautiful area of mature redwood trees you will ever see on a medium windy road. I don't remember the cutover but you'll see it on the map. Plus the Oregon coast is awesome if the weather is good. The cut over will take you to I 5 to head south.

 

Oh, also there is a nice hotel in Gold River, Or ( Ithink thats the name) It's the last town before the CA/OR border.