[landcruiser123]

Here are some teasers showing what father and son do when they meet in California after a year.


Teaser #1


Teaser #2


Teaser #3


Teaser #4


Teaser #5


Background:
If you're from of a family (like mine) who loves road trips- it is sacrilegious to not drive down the CA State Route 1. Even if you're not crazy about road trips, you should not miss this one.

Ever since I got my drivers license in 2013, I persuaded the family to go on long(er) road trips while considering the constraints. Did many memorable trips- Bangalore-Goa-Bangalore being one of them. Ever since I was a kid, we've been cutting across highways of TN in our Qualis (2000-2007) and Innova (2007-2018.) I also remember some memorable trips in my dad's Mitsubishi Galant (in the USA) in 2003.

Circa November 2017...
In August 2017, I move to the Minneapolis, Minnesota for graduate studies. After settling in graduate school, I got my instruction permit to drive after passing a theory test. With winter setting in and a high amount of snow, I didn't drive much for the next few months.

If you have a home country license and you're above 21, Minnesota makes it easy to get a drivers license- you have to pass a theory test and give a road test. You're exempt from the road test if you already have a drivers license in the US or a small list of countries.

April 2018...
After a little practice with some friends, I go to give my road test. I'm not allowed to give it as the car obtained by the driving school doesn't have functional brake lights. Same time, I commit to working on a project with one of the big retailers in the city- ruling out the possibility of a vacation to India.


June 2018...
I pass my drivers' license test and go on a road trip along Minnesota's North Shore Scenic Drive that goes along the Lake Superior which is... well.... superior to all other great lakes. It was breathtaking to drive along a shore on one side and the woods on the other side.

Just before the trip, my dad was planning a trip to the US to meet me. Now we know who's planning for a better and more grand scenic drive.

August 14, 2018:
I land in SFO at about 5 pm. There's a lot of chaos. I vaguely remember stepping into the same airport about 15 years ago as a kid. I go to the rental car counter and go to Hertz to finish paperwork. I see my choices are a Camry, Malibu and an Altima. No prizes for guessing which car a Toyota fanboy picks up.

It was the first time I had really driven in traffic in the US. I've driven in high volumes of traffic on congested Indian roads, I've driven in fast-moving traffic in Minnesota. But this was the first time I had seen high volume fast moving traffic in my life. Needless to say, I was a bit intimidated during the first 10-15 minutes from the airport to Fremont.

August 15, 2018 to August 19, 2018:
Dad lands in SFO international on the 15th. The next few days go by exploring SF, visiting friends and relatives. I initially planned to drive the 380 miles from SF to LA in one stretch, but we decided to break the journey and spend a night at Pismo Beach near San Luis Obispo(SLO.) SLO is about half-way between SF and LA and is described as the Happiest place in America by Oprah Winfrey. Pismo beach had something that caught my attention and maybe yours too. You might want to see teaser #4 & #5. More about it later.

Without further going , I'll start getting to the meat of the matter. Thanks for reading this far. There'll be more photos and less text from the next post.

[landcruiser123]

Before I start with the TL, I need to mention that I avoid using navigation when possible. GPS is a distraction according to me and I don't use it while traveling on major highways in the US. So, I stick to the 4 main directions and most highways and freeways in the US are North-South or East-West. So, NB=Northbound, SB=Southbound and so on.

Note: I'm not against technology, but I'm against over-reliance on technology. Also, all these images are clicked on either a Nokia 6.1, Moto G5S plus or a 6th gen iPad. The pictures simply don't do justice to the beautiful scenery there.


More photos and lesser text from now on.

August 19, 2018:
The journey starts from Campbell, CA at 2 pm. We take the SB CA 17 and SB CA 85 to get onto SB US 101. About 40 miles south, we take the exit to get onto WB CA 156 towards Castroville. About 7 miles later, we are on the SB CA 1, more commonly known as the Pacific Coast highway.
Oh yay!

We're munching miles in a rather mundane fashion as the CA 1 has 4 or 6 (and speed limits between 55-65 mph) lanes till a little beyond Monterey. I know the name now, but didn't know back then that the 2 lane road starts from a place called Carmel-by-The-Sea. The fun starts now!

The first stop is a little south of Carmel by the Sea. Location:


Here are some pictures from the location:










The car and the man who matters the most in my life:


The first stop is a little south of the Legendary Bixby Creek Bridge. Location:

[landcruiser123]

Here's a scene of the road a little south of the Bixby Creek Bridge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0PgISqHp5E

Gunning the car to reach Big Sur! The Camry was delivering 29mpg on the instantaneous trip counter, down from a regular 33. Some pictures from this part:







Some flat and straight sections to put the pedal to metal








Don't EVER leave your unattended pet in your car. Cars are the best places to demonstrate the greenhouse effect. A few minutes of closed windows can increase the temperature significantly. :(
Spotted this cute fellow at a gas station:


As we enter the twisties in the woods in Pfeiffer Big Sur national park.
Dad + Twisties + Flats + Old Hindi songs + a Toyota* = recipe for the greatest road trip.

*The 86 would've been the perfect car to drive down this highway


Some photos in the twisties outside the woods:




I don't have many videos of these sections as none of us recorded one. We were just enjoying the drive and the breathtaking views.

[landcruiser123]

As the last few photos indicated, we were near the ocean again.

Need. To. Stop. To. Get. A. View.

Location:








The ride:








More photos on the move:






Need. To. Stop. Next stop:










More pictures on the move:

[landcruiser123]

As the evening draws to a close, the urge to see the blue Pacific grows stronger. We pull up at a viewpoint near the Limekiln State Park.
Location:








We slowly descend from the mountains and we're on flat straight roads. End of the fun Twisties. Can I have more











At 6:15 PM. Exact location unknown, about 10 minutes north of Elephant Seal Vista point*

*next stop






With diffused light and the 'end of the best part of the drive' feeling, we pull over to the Elephant Seal Vista Point at San Simeon.

Location:


















Note that the Sunset was much later. But cloud cover and traces of fog had made the highway a little cold and light was dull.

The rest of the journey was fast-paced mundane driving on the SB CA 1. Once we reached San Luis Obispo, we merged onto the SB US 101. At Pismo Beach, we exit to the SB CA 1 again. Apologies for the lack of photos for this part- the roads were flat and relatively straight.

[landcruiser123]

August 20, 2018:
Location: Oceano, CA
After a wonderful day 1, we wake up on day 2. We were looking forward to driving to LA with a stop in Solvang.

But before that, here's an It happens only in America moment- A large beach which is a playground which for vehicles. More information at https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=406

Our car waiting for another day of driving:

Things you see at an airbnb:

Here's a glimpse of the Oceano SVRA:



Patterns in the sand. This is continuously made to allow 2WD vehicles to be driven on the beach





The kind of buggies people tow and drive on the beach:


The location:


We take the SB CA 101 & EB CA 246 to Solvang. The drive is relatively boring as the roads are more or less straight.

About Solvang:

It's a Danish village founded by a group of mid-westerners who migrated to CA. I'd best describe it as a quaint little village. We didn't do the wine tasting, which is apparently a 'Solvang' thing to do.

Here's a glimpse:





















We continue along the SB CA 101 towards Ventura.

[landcruiser123]

We stopped for getting one last view of the Pacific for the Day @ Ventura. Here's a glimpse of Surfer's Point a Seaside Park. We also saw the Ventura Pier at a distance.

Location:








Well, that's not us. :/


Here's the view on EB CA 118 as we were heading to our final destination for the day.


This was part of a wonderful trip covering 1966 miles and 2 states (entered the 3rd state- AZ at Hoover Dam too.) The CA 1 is a great road trip. If you get an opportunity to drive down the road, DO NOT MISS IT.

Hope you enjoyed reading this.

[SmartCat]

Moving thread from Assembly Line to Travelogues forum. Thanks for sharing!

[condor]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

As the evening draws to a close, the urge to see the blue Pacific grows stronger. We pull up at a viewpoint near the Limekiln State Park.

@Landcruiser: These pics bring back memories ! What a drive this one is.

Where is the point with the arch like structure ? I dont remember this point

[vnabhi]

@Landcruiser: what an awesome trip and TL! I am green with envy because this is one trip I could not do when i was in SFO a decade ago. Now I know what exotic scenes I've missed.

Great way to spend with your dad! Please keep posting.

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by condor

Where is the point with the arch like structure ? I dont remember this point

Hi condor,
If you're referring to this image: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/travelogues/1829885d1545428537-twisties-mountains-woods-pacific-california-state-route-1-46.jpg - I guess this is new. Here's a link: https://www.discover-central-califor...rock-shed.html

I heard from my uncle that CA 1 was closed for a good part of 2 years before 2017 due to landslides.

[condor]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

I heard from my uncle that CA 1 was closed for a good part of 2 years before 2017 due to landslides.

thanks ! This is pretty recent. I was comparing to my drives during 2001-02