Pacific Coast Highway

Pacific Coast Highway States Traveled: California, Oregon, Washington Total Mileage: Approximately 1,500 Those seeking to truly appreciate the West Coast will receive a crash-course along U.S. Highway 101. The Pacific Coast Highway experience includes much more than the beaches and glitz of southern California, the pristine beauty of northern California, or the shoreline towns of Washington and Oregon. Climates range from arid and dry, to wet and lush. There's plenty of sand and surf to go along with mountains, and enough vineyards dotting the landscape to turn much of the 1,500-mile journey into a lengthy study of Cabernet and Chardonnay. All the while you'll see the contrasts of life on the west coast of the United States, full of fishing communities, beachside hamlets, and protected government lands you'll never want to leave. The two-lane route of Hwy.1 is winding and elevated, scenic and unpredictable, and a must-take journey for people with adventure in their blood. Pacific Coast Highway, as it is best known, is all about contrasts. However, no matter where you go, there's one constant: The wondrous Pacific Ocean is almost always just over your shoulder. California The stretch from the bottom of California to the Oregon border is the longest and most disparate of the journey. The southern California portion of the drive is so close to Mexico that it's a tempting proposition to launch a southern run through that country. Tijuana, a short drive south from San Diego, is a natural starting point no matter which direction you want to explore. Drive south and you'll find fish tacos, sand dunes and some of the best sport fishing around, along the Baja California peninsula (Don't forget to buy Mexican auto insurance, if you go). However, your Pacific Coast Highway adventure awaits you to the north, so let's head out from the border and follow the compass towards Canada. Quite simply, San Diego is one of the prettiest towns anywhere; its laid-back Spanish roots blending with hip, southern California attitude. It's an ideal springboard to the trip if for no other reason than the chance to spend a few days on the isle of Coronado, where the million dollar homes (that's the average price, people), quaint bays, oceanside restaurants, and the historic Hotel Del Coronado might tempt you to unpack the RV and stay a while. And who can blame you? Assuming you like 78° temperatures and sunlight every day of your life (a little fog and mist is still thrown in for the heck of it), this is the place for you. While it lacks the congestion and showiness of Los Angeles, San Diego is no slouch in terms of worldliness, sophistication, and city perks and attractions. The beaches aren't bad, either, and if you want to learn to surf there are plenty of places to try it out around Mission and Ocean beaches. In terms of family fun opportunities, San Diego probably takes a backseat only to Orlando, Florida, and the gap between the two is narrowing. Crowd-pleasing destinations like Sea World and the San Diego Zoo (located in beautiful 1,100-acre Balboa Park) should definitely be included in your travel plans. Legoland theme park, in somewhat-nearby Carlsbad, is a popular attraction for all ages. San Diego is one of the most pleasant and interesting cities in the country. You'd be remiss not to spend a few days sorting it all out before beginning the trip on Interstate 5. Moving up the coast, you'll want to hit San Juan Capistrano. The Spanish mission (one of twenty-one historic missions along the coast) and gardens here are among the most famous of these vanishing, colonial structures. You'll need to detour slightly along I-5 to find the place but it's worth it, especially in mid-March when the famed swallows return from wintering in South America. In addition to the storied mission, visitors should enjoy the town chapel, one of the oldest in the state. Newport Beach, north on Pacific Coast Highway, invites you get out of your rig and exercise your sea legs. You won't find too many better spots for surfing and bodysurfing. Further north, you'll find that Anaheim provides a remarkable choice for fun, with no bigger attraction in the Golden State than Disneyland, located right off I-5. A visit here isn't cheap (particularly if your vehicle is loaded with youngsters), but "when in Rome...", right? You know the drill - lots of rides, goofy characters, and great memories. Although it's difficult to verify, Huntington Beach, just up Hwy. 1, claims to be the original surfing site in the continental U.S. Even if it weren't true, the waves are as big and fast as they undoubtedly were when some guy first got the idea to drop a board in the water to see what happened next. Don't worry if your surfing knowledge isn't up to snuff. A surfing museum in town lets visitors learn about the sport sans wipeouts. Depending on one's willingness to negotiate his or her RV through traffic, Los Angeles is either a great place to stop because it's loaded with things to do, or best avoided for fear of running your blood pressure up too high. Some of the city's highlights include celebrity-chasing in Hollywood, high-brow shopping along Rodeo Drive, devouring a delicious Dodger Dog at Dodger Stadium (a.k.a., Chavez Ravine), and more of the same in terms of beaches, trendy eateries, and people-watching. If you'd like to see what a real high-rent district looks like, the massive and eclectic beachfront homes along Hwy. 1 Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu make for entertaining viewing. The road narrows in some places and may provide a challenging drive during weekday rush hour. Whether it be whale-watching, beach-lounging, or breaking in the credit cards in the boutiques, few places capture a vacation vibe quite like charming Santa Barbara. While much of the town is architecturally intriguing (think old-world Spanish), the rose-clad mission and art museum are both worth pulling your vehicle over for. Novel sights abound on the road north. Don't blink while you're in San Luis Obispo or you might miss the Motel Inn, credited as the world's first-ever motel. It was a savvy decision to locate it here since the town is approximately halfway between L.A. and San Francisco at the junction of Hwy.1 and US-101. Established in 1925, the property remains but the business is defunct, probably a curse from changing its name from the Milestone Inn many years ago. A moment of silence may be observed at the junction of Highways 46 and 41, where James Dean rolled his Porsche and died in 1955. Hearst Castle, just south of Big Sur on Hwy. 1, is quite a spectacle. The creation of media baron William Randolph Hearst, the 144-room castle (and make no mistake, it is a castle) took 28 years to build. As such, we recommend taking the full tour. When it's time for a lunch break, make your way north on Hwy. 1 to the Nepenthe Restaurant for food as good as its mountain top views. Don't try their namesake coffee (laden with potent Metaxa brandy) if you have any driving plans. The scenic drive along the coastline on Pacific Coast Highway is among the best in the state. The towns of Carmel (actually, Carmel-by-the-Sea) and Monterey are tough to beat. For its part, Carmel boasts a beautiful town, scenic drives, and a storied mission. And then there's the Hog's Breath Inn and the "Dirty Harry" dinner (chopped sirloin, wild mushrooms, horseradish, and garlic mashed potatoes) in celebration of former owner and town mayor, Clint Eastwood. Monterey features a terrific jazz festival, aquarium, and John Steinbeck museum. Pebble Beach is a grand place to visit, whether you'd like to tee up on the world-famous championship golf course or attend the annual Concours d' Elegance, showcasing the world's finest and rarest vintage and collector cars. Keep it northbound and all roads lead to San Francisco. Hwy.1 enters San Francisco through Pacifica and Half Moon Bay. Is it the best city in America for sightseeing? Perhaps. To stop and enjoy all the sights the city has to offer is a definite must. Begin with the obvious sightseeing duties including Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf; relive the Summer of Love in the funky Haight-Ashbury district, or take in a ball game at SBC Park, where Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants play. If you can't get a ticket, grab a kayak and wait for a homerun ball to splash in the bay like the locals do. North of the city, throughout Sonoma and the Napa Valley regions, is California's Wine Country. What does that mean exactly? Why, plenty of excuses to toast the latest vintages at 10:30 in the morning. Numerous wineries, posh hotels, and vineyards grace the region. Grab a case while you're there, to take back home and enjoy. You're probably wondering at what point you'll get to drive through that famous giant redwood tree? Well, that pleasure awaits you in the town of Leggett, just off the US-101/Hwy. 1 junction. Sadly for RV owners, the drive-thru is limited to cars and smaller trucks only. Picking up Hwy. 101 reveals even more forest, namely the massive redwoods found in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. You have to see the size of these trees to believe them, and they just keep coming as you proceed north through the Redwood National Park, home of "Libbey", the world's largest tree at 370 feet tall, and Redwoods State Park. Be warned: This area has been dubbed "Bigfoot Country," so it's best not to spill your cheesy puffs out on the trail. Oregon Highway 101's been good to us so far, so let's not stray from the beaten track. The first stop in the Beaver State, for our money, is Gold Beach. Gold Beach is to salmon what Napa Valley is to grapes. Let's just say the fishing is better-than-average on the Rogue River. And then, before you know it, its "Dune Country," boasting, what else, but some of the nation's largest sand drifts, up to 500 feet high in some areas. Lots of opportunities for dune sightings exist throughout Honeyman State Park. Otherwise, stay alert for two scenic stops along the highway, one man-made and another of the jaw-dropping natural kind. The first is Heceta Head Lighthouse, located just north of Florence, towering 205 feet over the ocean surf. The other is Siuslaw National Forest, packed with interesting diversions, including Spouting Horn rock formation, Trail of the Whispering Spruce, and Captain Cook's Trail among its 630,000 acres. Further north, the small town of Newport has carved out a tourist niche for itself. A fishing village at heart (not a bad spot to sample some local seafood, especially oysters!), it features both the Oregon Coast Aquarium and a Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum with its collection of oddities. Stay on 101 to Cannon Beach, reportedly named for a cannon that washed ashore in 1846 from the U.S.S. Shark. There were also rumors of Japanese subs off these waters during World War II, which probably gave the locals pause when contemplating a morning swim. The area is best known for it annual sand castle showdown, which attracts large numbers of visitors and competitors alike. You may look but not touch the 235-foot-tall Haystack Rock sitting just offshore. It's designation as a "marine garden" is a polite way of saying, "Keep off!" The nearby town features some fun shops and eateries as well, with such novel fare as chocolate-covered marshmallows and clam chowder. Washington The Pacific Northwest is like no other place in the U.S.A. and there's no better way to experience it than to "keep on, keepin' on" along Hwy. 101 throughout Washington. The first noteworthy stop is Cape Disappointment, which is anything but, when you take in the amazing views and consider that this is where Lewis and Clark's arduous westward journey took them before they retreated south to Oregon. There's even a small lighthouse nearby. Of course, if the world's largest frying pan is just your thing (and why wouldn't it be?), there's no point wasting time with amazing views. Just detour things slightly over to the Long Beach Peninsula to the Marsh's Free Museum, where the 18'4" long skillet proudly hangs. (Of course, others will say the skillet record should go to the one in Rose Hill, North Carolina, but we're not taking sides here). Other museum...uh, artifacts include a shrunken head, eight-legged lamb, and Jake the Alligator Man. Don't ask. Travelers at this point in the trip are faced with a tough choice: Stay on Hwy. 101 or hop on the Hwy. 105 loop for watery fun (great fishing and kayaking) near the town of Westport. You really can't go wrong with either choice, but staying the course on Hwy. 101 means a coastal reunion at the town of Kalaloch, at Ruby Beach. Lots of nice coastline here. The Hoh River Rainforest confirms what we know about Washington State: It rains a lot; so much so that this region has earned "rainforest" status for its annual precipitation and temperatures. Since there aren't too many chances to hike among this type of lush vegetation, we say get out of the RV when the chance arises and stretch those legs. You won't believe what you'll find. Easily the highway's biggest marquee attraction in the state is Olympic National Park. For starters, it's absolutely massive, just shy of one million acres. And then there are all those opportunities for recreational pursuits such as more than 600 miles of trails for hiking, whitewater rafting, biking, kayaking, fishing (think salmon), etc. And what about those mountains? Some approach 8,000 feet above sea level. When visiting Olympic, bring an umbrella. With an annual precipitation of 200 inches, you're bound to get wet. Hwy. 101 runs along the perimeter of most of the western and northern portions of the Washington peninsula, veering southward to its end in Olympia, the state capitol. Set on the shores of South Puget Sound, with the rugged Olympic Mountains rising in the distance across the water and the dome of the state's capitol soaring above the town, Olympia ranks as one of America's loveliest cities. It's the perfect place to end this epic trip up Highway 101. The decision then becomes, where to next?