The 101 between Ventura and Salinas is one of the most beautiful stretches of highway I’ve ever driven (and I’ve driven a lot of them). The highway winds up to San Francisco from Los Angeles, along the coast in places, but mostly inland through soft rolling foothills and quiet farming valleys. You’ll see everything from vineyards to oil fields on the drive, and though it takes about an hour longer than the more boring but direct I-5, if you’re not in a hurry, it’s worth the extra time.
This trip provided me with some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever experienced on the 101: the grass on the foothills is golden, creating an inviting backdrop for splashes of color thrown across it by wild flowers. There was orange from poppies, yellow and green from wild mustard flowers, bright purple from lavender, and occasional bursts of bright green from grass that hadn’t gotten the memo about dying off for summer. Around it all were gnarled oak trees, providing shade for grazing cattle and horses.
Once I got north of Soledad, towering Eucalyptus trees — sixty feet tall, it seemed — stood guard over vast green fields of lettuce and celery, as if the foothills had been somehow pushed back by farmers decades or even a century ago. Near Monterey, a heavy blanket of fog did its best to come inland, as coastal mountains held it back.
I saw all of this under clear blue skies as I made my way up to San Jose, accompanied by Dimension X on m iPod (an odd but wonderful soundtrack, indeed). I was tired and road weary when I finally pulled into the hotel parking garage nearly seven hours after I’d left my house, but it was entirely worth it.
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Four years ago I spent two months travelling round pretty much the whole of the US.
Can’t remember which road it was, but LA to Yosemite had to be one of the best views you can drive through.
I envy you having to drive back through it again on your way home.
You are making me miss California!
I think that’s highway 395, Ian. Did you pass Mammoth?
To be honest Wil, I’m afraid I can’t remember place names, but I did get some great photos of the elephant seals at the coast!!
The most beautiful road I ever have occasion to travel is the Kancamagus highway back in my home state of NH. It’s only about 40 miles long (route 112 between Lincoln and Conway, NH), but it winds through the mountains and has a number of truly amazing views. I highly recommend it if you ever find yourself up in northern new hampshire :).
http://tinyurl.com/6fp9tk
Wil! Hope you enjoyed my part of Cali!! I’ve never posted here but am an avid lurker. I had to post when you mentioned my home town, Salinas! I know that stretch of road well. What did you think of all the wineries? Crazy huh?! I forgot you were coming to San Jose this past weekend (it’s where I grew up and still work). Wish I could have met you, maybe next time! Take care…
-Jean
I did the same thing last summer, it was great.
And if you have a chance to go to Big Sur on Route 1, do it, there are some amazing sights there, AND, there’s a big connection between Big Sur and Kerouac.
Hi Will,
That drive sounds a lot nicer than taking the dreaded 5 all the way up from So Cal.
It was so great to meet you on Sunday, thank you so much for the book. It was the best graduation gift! I read it that night when I got home. Hope to see you at some other conferences this year, in the meantime, I’ll keep myself busy catching up on all your other publications. =)
*sigh* Descriptions like this of Monterey/Salinas etc. make me forget all about how desperate I was to get out of there when I was younger. Funny how time and distance (and possibly the sights and smells of Nebraska) adds that rosy tint to memories.
I don’t think I ever appreciated the beauty – and how damn lucky I was to get to live there when I was in high school. 20 years later I find myself missing the ocean terribly, and if we get an occasional foggy day here, I get excited.
That Dimension X stuff is cool – I’ve been listening during my commute. I’ve listened to 20 or so episodes now, and am continually impressed by the quality of writing and performance. Many of the stories I remember reading when I was a kid, like “Nightfall”. Very cool.
Oh, and that road *is* very cool. I once drove 101 from LA all the way up the Oregon Coast, which is just awesome.
Wil,
Thanks for sacrificing a weekend away from your family to join us in the Bay Area. It was fun meeting you and getting “The Complete Works of Me” by Wil Wheaton. I hope the drive home was as enjoyable.
Ryan
having grown up between the bay area and LA, i know the route well. i used to take the 5 everytime – especially in the days o my yooth – but wont anymore unless it is absolutely neccesary. i love the part on the 101 past santa barbara where you turn inland and go through a little tunnel and come out into the most perfect valley of rolling hills, oaks, and horses. mmmm. perfection.
The only advantage to taking the 5 North is it saves time. But the lack of scenery and the smell of Cowschwitz(anyone that’s driven that route knows of what I speak of) makes it the least favorable.
I recently had to go up to Northern California and instead of the 5, I took the 99.
If you ever miss Topeka, Wil – the 99 through Bakersfield / Fresno and then up to Modesto is like Kansas California. Sonics everywhere – a nice trip for the kids and better then the 5 by a lot.
And next time, make sure to stop in San Luis Obispo to go to Mo’s for some awesome bbq.
I think they opened one in Huntington Beach, but the SLO one is where it’s at, yo.
It’s funny you should post this. I made that same journey from Ventura to Salinas on my way to Santa Cruz almost exactly 10 years ago on my way to visit a friend and some family. I had wanted to take the 1 up the coast because time wasn’t a factor, but a bridge near Big Sur had been washed out and there was no way around it. I lucked into an amazing drive that I will always remember. Thanks for the memory spark, Wil.
OMG, I ended up totally browsing that website. I had so many of those toys when I was a kid.
And yeah, I totally had a Death Star playset. It was the bomb! But my biggest obsessions were the Micronauts and Lego sets. Especially the space sets.
I really also wanted the Shogun Warriors, but my mom would not let me have those because of the flying fists. But yet the Micronauts toys had lots of projectiles. And then later, you had that whole debacle over the Battlestar Galactica toys and those tiny red plastic missles, which I also had. Go figure!
Oh crap. Wrong post. Please delete the previous one. LOL, sorry!
Love that drive, Wil. I’ve undertaken it more than once and hope to enjoy it with my kid(s) in the future.
Again, your writing is so evocative. Faster than a speeding reader, you are able to leap long timespans in a single phrase. Kudos.
I’m reading Stephen King’s On Writing at the moment. Considering your early connection to King’s work, and your current focus, I found myself wondering if you’d read it?
Oh, I absolutely love that drive! Although I only get up to San Luis Obispo. I’ll miss it when I graduate and move back permanently to L.A. 🙁
(Another lurker coming out of the woodwork. That drive really is beautiful…)
A year and a half ago, a friend and I flew out to LA, drove up to Monterey, and flew out of SF in the space of a week. It was the first time either of us had been to California, but I vividly remember driving out of LA, taking 101, and it started to rain while th sun was still shining. It stopped after 20 minutes or so, and we were surrounded by three rainbows. Blew my mind, and was one of the most memorable part of the trip.
Hey Wil, the only better way to travel that route is on a motorcycle. You not only get the view, you get the wind in your hair. I highly recommend it. Luckily I still have a little hair left to blow.
It was fun chatting with you at SuperCon. Hope to see you again sometime.
In approximately 25 days and 17 hours (give or take a few minutes) my husband and I will be leaving for our month long cross country holiday. I think we are going to actually drive east a little (about 2 hours) to touch the Atlantic, then head southwest until we hit the Pacific. We’ll come home by heading up north along the west coast and then east all the way back to Frederick MD. I’ll have to check out the atlas when I get home tonight to see if the 101 is or can be on our route.
That sounds beautiful. You have such a lovely way with words. 🙂
I have to agree with you Wil, it is one of the most beautiful drives I’ve ever made. I live off the 101 in Los Osos (San Luis Obispo area) and take road trips as frequently as possible- I love the California coast!
We used to drive around that area quite a bit when we lived in Santa Cruz, it’s one of the things I miss about living there.
Before we got married and she moved to Sydney, my wife studied for a year at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Her parents live in Mountain View, so we spent a lot of time driving along 101 to visit them when I was over there.
When we drove down to L.A. once, we just had to stick to the 101 on the way down. Gorgeous, especially when you’re right on the sea-cliffs and marvelling at all the awesome houses built right there on the edge.
I lived in Monterey a few years back, and made the drive down the 101 to LA and up to SanFran. So beautiful; it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.
Wow, thanks for the info. I hadn’t ever made the drive before but am planning on doing so this August for my honeymoon (after getting married on the bridge of the Enterprise! 😀 ) so I’d love to hear of some neat places to visit.. Any tips, anyone?
Almost every time I head up to Cullowhee NC, I make it a point to hit a stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway thats right on the way. Makes for a great relaxing drive.
Before gas got so out of hand my friends and I liked to get in a car, pick a direction and go. We might make it back by the end of the day. Then again….
Back then Huddle House was open 24 hours like it was supposed to be…unlike now.
What a great drive! I took it a few years ago and loved it. I am from Ukiah, CA and they both look the same. Now if you drive from the small city of Willits up to Eureka the drive is even greater, with the giant redwood trees.
Sounds lovely; any pictures?
Mmmm. Wil! You should be a travel writer!
It doesn’t hurt to diversify!!!
🙂
hehehe
Hey wil,
I totally agree w/ you about the beauty of driving down the 101. I’m usually in a hurry when I make my trips down to SoCal so the 5 is what I usually take. Though, The last time I drove on the 101 to LA, I watched the sun rise it was pretty freaking amazing.
Also, thank you so much for signing the books for me, I now have all three of your books signed by you,plus the sunken treasure. I wish I would have said more,but I was such a dork and was so nervous that I forgot to say just about anything. Next time i’ll remember to tell you how much I love your books and that stand by me is possibly my favorite movie of all time. Also, I won’t forget my other money in the car so I have to ask my brother for a 5. Haha. Once again, thank you.
That whole stretch from L.A. to Seattle has great views, specially seen from a train. Both the inland and coastal lines offer scenes of great natural beauty. You can sit in the lounge car and relax, not worrying about traffic, as the landscape unfolds before you. You get to meet some interesting people as well. The only draw back is not being able to just pull off to to the side and bask in the glow of the sun setting over the vineyards, orchards or forest meadows. But still if you take the trip, you should try the train just once. Its also the best way to see the Colorado Rockies in the fall or winter.
On a totally different note. While wandering around down town Denver this weekend with a friend, we passed by The Tattered Cover, One of the oldest and largest book stores in town. He wanted to go in for a look, and while wandering around reading titles and discussing authors, we found our selfs on the second floor in front of the Graphic Novels section. I immediately thought of you. Though I have never really read nor had much of an interest in graphic novels, I stopped to take a look. I was drawn to one small book, to the exclusion of all others. A book that looks like it was drawn by a fifth grader, written by a third grader for third graders, but has a fair share of adult language and situations. The book, by Graham Roumieu, is titled “BIGFOOT i not dead”. After reading just five or six pages, I was laughing so hard, I just had to buy it. With stories of Al Qaeda sleeper agent beavers, crazy wolverines, crack smoking squirrels and wine spritzer guzzling soccer moms, I was laughing all weekend. I think you might get a real kick out of it if you get the chance to read it. Then maybe some time you can make it to Denver for some shiny gold rocks in exchange for books and autographs, and pictures.
Wow, beautiful piece. You make it sound absolutely stunning. I can’t wait to see it for myself when I embark on a west coast road trip later this year. 🙂
Do you know the history of the mustard flowers along the 101? I used to live in California (raised in Orange County, went to school in Santa Barbara, so I did the drive as far as SB many times) and was fascinated by the story when I first heard it.
When Father Junipero Serra first traveled up the California coast, he scattered mustard seeds along the way. Each subsequent spring, a bright gold highway would bloom along the path he had taken. He built his “rosary of missions” along this path.
So the mustard flowers along 101 are not a coincidence, but rather a hack to help an old man remember his way.
At least that’s the story I heard when I lived in California. Here’s a web page that enshrines the story:
http://www.goldenhaven.com/events/calistoga/mustard_festival.html
It is indeed a lovely drive, regardless of the flowers’ provenance, and despite the fact that they bring to mind a problematic historical figure like Father Serra.
When you say you were listening to ‘Dimension X’ I had to wonder if you meant the original or some recent pretender? [smile] You can download and then hear the original episodes of ‘Dimension X’ at
http://www.archive.org/details/OTRR_Certified_Dimension_X
and they are generally really cool. It is amazing to listen to what life will be like in the distant future of 1968… For anyone who says they like Science Fiction, these are definitely worth checking out.
Ahh- the beautiful drives in South Florida are amazing! One can travel north on I-95 in the blistering heat while some asshole on a toy Honda motorcycle cuts between you and the slow-driving little old lady in front of you with about 3 inches to spare. And the sights off the road are just as wonderful – sex shops, warehouses, tract housing projects from the 1970s that will blow away at the first sign of a hurricane – smoke from the Everglades fires keeping the atmosphere just the right shade of hazy. I too, listen as I drive; to the traffic report teling me that there’s a huge pile-up a few miles ahead…
… and I’ve just past the last exit before it.
I know what you’re thinking, and dammit- you’re right. My glass (like the water level in the Everglades) IS half empty and I’m on fire, too!
And if you *really* have time, take Highway 1. Even better scenery.
Best memory: driving home from S.F. past Hearst Castle many years ago. Looking around while driving, I saw cows on left, ocean on right. Horses on left, ocean on right. Zebras on left…waitasecond.
That’s when Heart Castle still had some zebras out on the pastures.
I found myself reminiscing with you about this drive, as I have also just experienced it. Just graduated college and left two of the best friends I’ll ever have in NorCal, to come back “home” (whatever the heck that is) to Arizona. My family and I were on that same road last Sunday afternoon and evening, and it was just as beautiful as you described. Guess I really could not see all of it through the melancholy in my eyes.
I understand your excitement in finding such a wonderful scenic route. For nearly 30 years I drove through Quebec every year on the South shore of the St. Lawrence. A couple of years ago we took the North shore… WOW. It was like discovering a new world… absolutely beautiful. It’s cool when you find the getting there so beautiful that it hurts. Glad you enjoyed your drive.
Wil
Great to meet you. I was so nervous I didn’t know what to say. So what I ended up saying was “have you been to the Star Trek Experience” What I wanted to say is “Rock on man your an Improv artist and I loved you in Stand by me and Star Trek! I grew up with you in my living room. Great to meet you!” Thanks for being so nice and putting me at ease with talking about the trip and your books. I was to nervous to talk. Also keep writting I really am enjoying “Just a Nerd and Dancing Barefoot” P.S. My Mom flipped when I gave her the book and the signed picture. She was so excited. Thanks!
I spent several weeks traveling on the 5 and the PCH coming back from Canada two summers ago. Driving through the redwood forests at dawn was heavenly.
I have to agree that I love the drive up the 101 (and the one up 395, for that matter.) Have you ever tried taking the 154 from Los Olivos to Santa Barbara? It cuts about 30 minutes off the drive; if you look at a map you can see that it takes you diagonally instead of at the right-angle the 101 makes. I know, that sounds like heresy to shorten a gorgeous drive. However, the first time I took it, I realized it was even more beautiful to drive down the little two-lane road through the mountain pass, past Lake Cachuma and around the back side of Solvang. It’s worth a try on your way home.
I grew up in Oregon before moving here for college in California and becoming a permanent residence. I’ve driven sometimes the scenic route instead of I-5 and I agree they’re gorgeous.
I live in Ontario and I’ve become a huge fan of Mt. Baldy! Another great place for beautiful scenery and a really good drive as you wind on up.