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PART THREE - CALIFORNIA |
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MONDAY (27/10/03) |
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Our carrier (United) wouldn't fly us to Tempe, so we decided to fly to SD, hoping to then fly or drive out to Tempe. About 30 mins from SD, we flew over the fires themselves. The plane lit a ghostly orange and the smell of burning filled the cabin. As we approached the city, it looked a smog filled ghost town ... |
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And it was! Ash filled the heavy air and the few people on the streets were wearing masks. With the roads east to Tempe closed, we figured we might as well do some sightseeing instead. Since part of the game's appeal was seeing LB Junior Seau come back to SD, moving it to Tempe shot that one down. |
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Our hotel was next to the most appropriate street name in San Diego ... |
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Our disappointment at missing the football was pretty much forgotten once we discovered a Jack In The Box next to the hotel! After a majestic late lunch at the World's premier fast food chain we decided to go change out of our slightly inappropriate T-shirts ... |
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And then headed to watch the game in any open bar we could find. Not surprisingly it was mainly full of Dolphins fans who had traveled to see the game We didn't miss much. The Chargers looked like they had a lot on their mind (like saving their homes) and the Fish behind QB Brian Griese got out to an early lead and never looked back. FINAL |
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TUESDAY
(28/10/03) The mission was simply to drive the coast up to Seattle for the Seahawks game the following weekend. Out of San Diego, you quickly pick Route 101, which forms the first stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway in Southern Cal. |
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Up past La Jolla, up through places like Del Mar, Carlsbad and Oceanside this is definitely surfing country. Here Shuggie displays good form riding a wee wave. Yeah right. |
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After Oceanside, you are forced on I-5 for a short distance before hitting the PCH again at San Clemente (it's Highway 1 here). It's not long before you get sucked into the outer reaches of LA at Newport Beach, and then are forced to fight traffic on the city's south side. Eventually you hit Redondo Beach and turn North up to Santa Monica. |
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In SM was another appropriate street name. We had just found out that Cheddar Hall of Famer Jack Bicknell was the new Claymores coach. DAY 1: TOTAL MILES 140 |
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WEDNESDAY
(29/10/03) Heading west from Santa Monica, gets you to Malibu and out of LA and away from the traffic and you're by the ocean again. At Ventura, you rejoin the 101 and the traffic. With fires burning North of Malibu, the air is still hazy. |
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Even at Santa Barbara, 90 miles west of LA, the smog still hasn't lifted from the fires. Only once out of Santa Barbara, does the air finally smell fresh and full visibility returns. After a stretch where 101 goes inland into the hills, the coast is picked up again at San Luis Obispo, by taking route 1 again. |
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Once past San Simeon and all the way to Big Sur, the drive becomes breathtaking, hugging the coast through some dramatic twists and bends that require speeds of 15mph or less. |
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With daylight fading it's a race up through this uninhabited stretch of highway to the next bit of civilization - Monterey. DAY 2: TOTAL MILES 470 |
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THURSDAY
(30/10/03) A quick visit to the harbour at Monterey and we're on our way again with another lightning stop at the boardwalk at Santa Cruz. After that Highway 1 gets back on the ocean, and away from the traffic all the way up to San Francisco's outskirts at Half Moon Bay. |
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With San Francisco visited before (most recently in 2001), we make a flying tour of the city, driving up Twin Peaks for a different perspective. It's unusually a clear day and visibility is great so most of the Bay Area can be seen. |
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In San Francisco, Highway 1 rejoins Highway 101 and together they cross the Golden Gate Bridge over towards Sausalito. Toll is collected only southbound so this is a free ride. |
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Highway 1 splits off from 101 not long after the bridge and makes a series of crazy bends and turns as it winds on over Muir Woods out to Muir Beach where they are stunning views up and down the coast. |
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From there Highway 1 goes inland slightly before emerging again at Bodega Bay. Traffic is light but the pace is slow as the road continues wind along the ocean. The sun sets and the rest stop for the night is the Victorian era town of Mendocino. DAY 3: MILES 770 |
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FRIDAY
(31/10/03) It's Halloween and the drive is spooky once the road leaves the ocean north of Westport. As it heads toward Leggett, we are entering the empire of the Redwoods. |
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The mist clears to reveal these giants of the Northern California forests, visible as far as the eye can see. |
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And when there's no way round them sometimes you have to drive though them ... |
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At Leggett the 1 finally ends, giving up as the 101 ploughs North into the Redwoods. Alongside the 101 here is the aptly named Avenue of the Giants, a two-lane highway that is is towered over by these Redwoods. A break in the trees is had at the port of Eureka, before the Redwood National Park beckons. After that they are gone for good, and not long after Crescent City, so is California as you cross into Oregon. MILES SO FAR: 1000 to the Cal border |
