Do you know the nicest way to San Jose?

June 26, 2007 3:37 AM

Will be driving from LA to San Jose. Starting lunchtimeish on a weekday near Century City. Would ideally like to take as much of State Route 1 as possible and happy to split up the drive with an overnight at a motel or something on the way. Need to be in San Jose lunchtime the next day. Doable? Sensible? Should I take the 5/101 and forget about the scenery? And what are the highlights I shouldn't miss?
posted by humuhumu to travel & transportation (13 comments total)

This is sort of an insane anecdote before I give an answer, but when I moved home from UC Santa Cruz to Orange County, I couldn't drive faster than 55 because of car trouble and the fact that my little station wagon was heavily loaded down, so I had to take the back roads and avoid freeways and my trip took 12 or 13 hours instead of the usual 7. My rough route (in reverse, so you can examine it more easily):

1 north to Oxnard
33 north to the junction with 166
166 west past 101 to Guadalupe
1 north to the junction with 101/227
227 north/west to San Luis Obispo and the junction with 1
1 north to Santa Cruz and the junction with 17
[17 north to San Jose]

Santa Maria (where 101 and 166 meet) to Ojai was the loneliest stretch of road I've ever driven on - I passed fewer than 100 cars in almost three hours, and virtually none between New Cuyama and Ojai on 33. It was gorgeous and completely untouched, and I saw a huge bear statue somewhere along the way (fire danger?).

A good halfway point would be anywhere between San Luis Obispo and Cambria - perhaps Morro Bay - but Morro Bay is four hours from San Jose via Highway 1, at least, and that's without stops; you'd have to leave pretty early to make it up to San Jose by lunch. I'd leave at 6:30 or 7am just to be sure.
posted by mdonley at 4:09 AM on June 26, 2007

PS: it's a LOT of driving, and it's much more intense than the freeway because of the way your muscles flex when you're going around sharp curves with G-forces and the like. I was fresh for the bit down to SLO, including the you-might-fall-into-the-sea bit along the very precipitous Big Sur coast, but by Oxnard I was really achey.

Here's a link from Wikipedia that lists all the state parks you'd pass through on 1 through Big Sur for a little more detail on scenic turnoffs.
posted by mdonley at 4:25 AM on June 26, 2007

It's possible. But you won't be stopping much if you want to do it in 24 hours and get 8 hours of sleep. The curvy cliffside roads around Big Sur shouldn't be missed, but they take time to drive. And you should stop in Carmel for coffee or something. I think of the time from Cambria to San Jose on 1 as the most time consuming part, that's the area I only drive once every few years due to time.

Otherwise, you should stop in Montecito/Santa Barbara, and you should get off in Santa Maria and go to Solvang for a danish or something if you've never been. And the seafood is pretty good in Morro Bay, so if you get off there you can drive out and look at the big rock. And you should go to the Madonna Inn and gawk at the gorgeous testament to tackiness-in-the-name-of-love (it was a declaration of love for his wife).

Then be sure to drive through Atascadero really fast though 'cuz that's where Charles Manson lives -- you don't want any of his crazy on you.
posted by miss lynnster at 7:03 AM on June 26, 2007

One of the worst driving experiences my mother ever had was on 1, when I was young. At least at some parts along the way, there aren't many places to stop (or, at least, there weren't years ago when this occurred). The car had been on E for about a half hour, and 1 is a twisty, curvy place with fast drivers, terrifying blind spots, and very few safe places to have a car break down on the side of the road. In the end, we got to a gas station in time, but my mom always avoided 1 since then. In other words, I agree with mdonley that it can be an incredibly stressful drive. I've only driven on parts of the 1 once or twice myself, and, after not too long, the beautiful scenery stops making up for the stress.

But, then again, you might be less prone to anxiety than I am -- wouldn't be unlikely. Do, at least, make sure that your car always has plenty of fuel and that you'll be able to stay fully alert throughout the drive.

Also, Carmel is wonderful. Do stop there.
posted by Ms. Saint at 9:24 AM on June 26, 2007

I say doable, but the stretch of road in central/northern California is very stressful in the rain (not to mention rain + night driving), so check the weather report.

Not sure if this was mentioned, but keep an eye out for Hearst Castle (Cambria area I think). If you actually want a tour, you should check online to see if it's even open for visitors these days. Either way, giving it a gander from the roadside is quite a trip.
posted by Brocktoon at 11:44 AM on June 26, 2007

I have done the trip up 1 from LA to San Jose in a day - the most pukingest day of all time. I thought that trip would never end.

I have also done it overnight. My brother and I left Huntington Beach around 9am, stopped in Solvang for lunch, then arrived in the late afternoon in Cambria (we stopped a couple more times along the way to stretch our legs and play on a beach or two). We stayed there overnight and did a tour of Hearst Castle the next morning. I think we left there around 2pm and were back in San Jose in the evening. So I think this is do-able, if you skip the castle tour. Since it's light out later now you could probably drive quite late in the afternoon your first day. I would NOT do the curvy part of the coast drive while sleepy though.

The part of the coast from Morro Bay up to Carmel is the spectacular part - the rest you could skip, if you could figure out a good route from those listed above to get from 5 or 101 over to 1.
posted by marylynn at 1:10 PM on June 26, 2007

Nepenthe is a great spot to have a stretch and a bite. A bit pricey, but even a $7 ice tea will get you one of the most beautiful views of any restaurant in the world. I remember hearing about how during a time when landslides(fires? what was it again?) effectively closed Big Sur from the outside world, the owners fed much of the locals for free because they're, like, awesome members of the community.

For lodging, Deetjens Big Sur Inn is a funky, and entirely worthwhile place to spend an evening/night. There is a restaurant, too. One of the best parts is to read the diaries in the room you're in. Some are deep, and some kind of racy. My GFs and my stay there one night had us reading the journals while listening to some pretty vigorous squeaking going on in the old spring beds next door :)

Both are less than 3 hours from San Jose. Deetjens is just a bit farther South.

(¿)Leave at noon going up the 101. Grab maybe the 46 out of Paso Robles and see the coast for an hour(Cambria is a nice town) or so til you get up to Big Sur around 5-6pm. Take a short hike and then head to Deetjens for dinner and a snooze. Up at eight, breakfast at nepenthe(Café Kevah) and a three(max) hour drive later, you're in San Jose(take the 68 out of Monterey to Salinas and then back to the 101)(?) - It's kinda rushed, but only because there's a ton of great stuff in that region and you have set a ridiculously small amount of time for it!

Look for this gate as you leave Carmel Highlands. You can't go in there, but I did once by picking up random hitchhikers who knew the owners :)
posted by a_green_man at 10:01 PM on June 26, 2007

mdonley's route is greatly scenic but seems to include an awful lot of extra miles. How about as an alternative;
Hwy 1 to Oxnard
33 North to Hwy 150
150 North to 101 at Carpinteria
101 to 154 over San Marcos Pass
Continue on 154 reconnecting with 101 North of Buellton or take the option of 126 through Solvang then going North on 101 or continue West on 126 and connect with Hwy 1 at Lompoc (extra miles and hours)
You can connect with Hwy 1 by going west from 101 at a number of points north of Buellton or continue to SLO and catch Hwy North toward Morro Bay
To actually see the coastline from Hwy 1 between Morro Bay and Santa Cruz requires the better part of 8 hours
Maybe take Hwy 46 from Morro Bay back toward Paso Robles. Make a wine tasting stop or two and spend the night where Joe Dimaggio and Marilyn Monroe spent their first night after their wedding in San Francisco.
Finish the drive to San Jose on 101 the next morning.
posted by X4ster at 11:35 PM on June 26, 2007

Corrrection; that's Hwy 246 from 154 through Solvang
posted by X4ster at 11:36 PM on June 26, 2007

I disaprove of X4ster's take on this(hrrumph!). Too complicated. Too many small roads, and maps, and constant attention to exactly where you need to be going. Keep it simple and enjoy the trip :)
posted by a_green_man at 2:50 AM on June 27, 2007

Thanks folks... this is all great stuff - I'd never have known about most of the places you've suggested, being an out of towner. Looks like the general consensus is to stay round Big Sur for the night, then take the 1 up the cliff route the next morning once refreshed and then on to San Jose.

I'll send y'all a postcard...
posted by humuhumu at 3:00 AM on June 27, 2007

Oh, and the 101 is lovely, if you don't know. It's far nicer than hwy 5 in nearly every immeasurable quantity, but it is slightly slower. Highway 1 is spectacular!!!1!, but the driver sees very little(safely) except when stopped. The 101 is pretty much the way to go for variety. You can jump on the coast a bit and then head back to the 101. Another time you can jump on some of the east-west roads in the more rural areas and wander for a while.
posted by a_green_man at 3:10 AM on June 27, 2007

I was a little surprised you marked mine best - it's about 5 hours longer than it needs to take! I only took it to avoid freeways, but if your car is up to the challenge, by all means take a_green_man's route!
posted by mdonley at 5:15 AM on June 27, 2007