Road trip along the coast!

October 23, 2007 7:33 PM

Help me plan a road trip for me & the wife! Los Angeles to Portland Oregon. We're planning the trip for 8 days (roundtrip), preferably no more than about 8 hours driving time per day. We'd like to spend at least one full day in Portland.

"Must" stop points: Santa Barbara, Half Moon Bay, Napa, all for just a few hours max each. I'm considering whether to travel the entire way roundtrip on PCH or if that'll be too exhausting. Or maybe we could do the scenic route just one way, and take faster ways back. But then again, how interesting is the 5 freeway?

Places we'd like to check out along the way: cool diners, bakeries, quirky and cool stores selling regional/souvenir-type items/foods, anything scenic.

The *tentative* plan: LA to Santa Barbara. Stop for lunch. SB to Monterey. Stay the for the night. Monterey to Napa. Stop for lunch. Napa to Eureka. Stay for the night. Eureka to Portland. The way back: ??? no idea.

Any suggestions on which routes to take, places to check out, etc? *Are* there cool places to check out if I just take the 5 freeway back? Or are there more fun ways/detours back down to L.A.?

posted by edjusted to travel & transportation (18 comments total)

ooh.. SB to Monterey on PCH, after lunch? I think you are going to be violating your 8 hour rule on the first day. That is a looong drive.

I think you will want to take 5, or at least the 101 home. PCH is hard to do twice in 8 days. Gilroy, the garlic capital of the universe, is off the 101, but I think it's easy to get to from the 5 too.
posted by clh at 8:00 PM on October 23, 2007

Hmm...Google maps suggests SB to Monterey will only take 4 and a half hours, and LA to SB should only be about 2 to 2-1/2 hours. It's been a long time since I've done that drive though. I do remember it's a long drive.

Yeah, taking the 5 home would definitely be faster. But I was hoping to make it a bit more interesting than just driving driving and more driving. And Gilroy sounds like an interesting detour. Hmm...wikipedia mentions garlic ice cream...scary...?
posted by edjusted at 8:28 PM on October 23, 2007

I've done this drive a few times, all the way to Seattle. It's beautiful, especially if you can spread it out over several days. I would avoid I-5 as much as possible and alternate your route between 1 (PCH) and 101.

Here's a possible route north, and one headed south.
posted by fandango_matt at 8:31 PM on October 23, 2007

If you want to have a fun, yum experience, visit Taylor's Refresher, http://www.taylorsrefresher.com/, in St.Helena (about 20 min or so outside of Napa), and if you go over the hill and into Freestone by Sebastopal, stop at Wildflour Bread Bakery, http://www.wildflourbread.com/
posted by healthyliving at 8:38 PM on October 23, 2007

Google maps says you should be able to drive 250 miles in a little over 4 hours... if you are averaging 60 mph. I don't think you are going to average anywhere close to that on PCH, and you don't want to. The point of driving PCH is to check out the scenery, not race to Monterey. What about stopping at Hearst Castle?
posted by clh at 8:43 PM on October 23, 2007

Some previous threads on the subject.
posted by fandango_matt at 8:47 PM on October 23, 2007

Yes, the entire roundtrip via PCH will indeed by exhausting and although there isn't terribly much to see and do via the 5, if you choose to take it on the way back you'll save (hopefully) a ton of time. My b/f and I roadtripped to Portland from Orange County in August and had a great time. Planned to take the 5 back in case we spent too much time doing fun, vacationy type things and needed to get home quickly.

In terms of places to hit in Portland, you must try Crema for the yummy spanish lattes and amazing pastries. Fantastic public transportation within the city so park the car and let it be your guide when within the city. Have a great time!
posted by Asherah at 10:08 PM on October 23, 2007

Common wisdom is to avoid I-5, but one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen is Mount Shasta in the autumn.
posted by darksasami at 1:08 AM on October 24, 2007

i'd make sure to swing thru the avenue of the giants, and getting out and walking around a bit. it's a lovely area.
posted by rmd1023 at 8:09 AM on October 24, 2007

Check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium
posted by bingwah at 9:17 AM on October 24, 2007

Definitely spend some time in the Redwoods. Ladybird Johnson's grove is a very nice area with a short hike (2 miles at the most I'm guessing).

Also check out the Oregon Dunes along the southern half of the Oregon coast. If you're up for a little adrenalin rush I recommend a dune buggy ride. Most places will let you rent 4-wheelers but the real fun is in one of the 7 seater dune buggies. Our driver was missing most of his teeth and the more we screamed/laughed the faster he went. It was way more fun than I expected.
posted by J-Garr at 9:35 AM on October 24, 2007

Avoid I-5 as much as possible, but it's not so bad in Oregon. Stop for a bite in Ashland, go downtown, and have a drink from the fountains right in the middle of town. The water comes from the Lithia Springs, which has lithium in it and makes for a restorative tonic. Well, a foul and sulphuric tonic. The sort of thing you dare your friends to drink.
posted by Casuistry at 11:56 AM on October 24, 2007

PCH to Monterey is beautiful, and easily doable from SB in 4 hours if you don't plan to make any major stops. I've done that commute many times. However, you'd be cheating yourself to do it in so little. Give yourself a full day at least. You're going to want to stop, often. Ditto for PCH between SF and the Sonoma coat, which is the first leg of your Napa trip.

Is there something specific you want to see/do in Napa, or are you just looking for 'wine country' touring? Because it's really quite a sidetrip unless you're planning to take Hwy 5 to Eureka (bleh!). Consider options closer to 101 like the Russian River Valley (Santa Rosa/Guerneville), Alexander Valley (Healdsburg), or Valley of the Moon (Sonoma/Glen Ellen). All offer beautiful wine country experiences. Personally, I'd opt for maximum PCH time, continuing north to Jenner then heading east into the Russian River Valley (30 mins) and Alexander Valley (15 mins north on 101) for doing a couple hours of tasting/touring before settling into a nice B&B for the night.
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 3:22 PM on October 24, 2007

Sonoma coat Sonoma coast
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 3:24 PM on October 24, 2007

Great suggestions all! To give you a better idea of our tastes:
healthyliving, Wildflour Bread Bakery looks cool.

fandango_matt, thanks for the link. I did the trip a loooong time ago to Seattle too, but was tired as heck on the way back. That's the only reason I'd even think about taking the 5 back...'cause it seems faster.

Asherah, crema looks right up our alley.

daksasami, hmm...I didn't think of that. I think some autumn foliage might be just the thing to balance out a few days of coastal driving.

rmd1023 & J-Garr, yes, I think we will check out the redwoods.

nakedcodemonkey: Napa is just for a "wine country experience"...which frankly might be a bit dumb as neither of us are drinkers, but wifey like the *idea* of wine.

Thanks to everyone for the great ideas so far. I'm fine-tuning/adjusting our itinerary now.
posted by edjusted at 9:46 PM on October 24, 2007

Also, I know everyone's telling me to stay away from the 5, except for Mount Shasta...is it really *that* boring along the 5?
posted by edjusted at 9:47 PM on October 24, 2007

In that case, may I recommend any of there along the PCH-to-wine country leg:

* Marin Headlands
* Point Reyes National Park (the north end is quickest to access, and has great views of Tomales Bay or the ocean side; while the lighthouse at the south west reach is the best spot for panoramic views of the park, Farallones Islands, and undeveloped coastline as far as the eye can see)
* Bodega Bay for a lunch of BBQ oysters and crab fresh off the boat
* Bodega Head or Goat Rock to watch for seals and whales
* Armstrong Redwoods in Guerneville
* Korbel for the obligatory tasting and vineyard tour
* downtown Healdsburg for wine, cheeses, bakeries, and dinner
* lodging in Healdsburg or Cloverdale (e.g. the Shelford Inn is quiet and gets a gorgeous sunset view across the vineyards and valley)

If you're no rush the following day (or as an alternate route for the return trip), take 128 out of Cloverdale instead of 101. Lots of vineyards, rolling hills, and periodic farm stands for the first hour, then it takes you through the "redwood tunnel" before emerging back on the coast and Hwy 1. That'll lead you through Mendocino before hooking back up with 101 in time to do the Avenue of the Redwoods. Detouring with 128 is a slower pace than taking 101 directly, but considerably more interesting. The corresponding stretch of 101 is pretty dull.
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 10:58 PM on October 24, 2007

posted by edjusted everyone's telling me to stay away from the 5, except for Mount Shasta...is it really *that* boring along the 5?

Yes. The 5 between Los Angeles and Sacramento is one of the loneliest and most boring interstates in North America. It's two lanes in either direction separated by a median of dry scrub grass and you're constantly switching lanes to pass a convoy of semitrailers or to allow someone doing 90 in a Porsche to pass you. The only scenery is rolling foothills covered with dry scrub grass, occasional truck stops with faded and rusty signs that poke high into the vacant sky, and high-voltage power lines which drape across the horizon and stretch into infinity, towards cities filled with people. At night the highway is pitch black and the wind howls with a weird and relentless emptiness, as if to remind you to keep moving, since the only people out there are headed elsewhere.
posted by fandango_matt at 2:26 AM on October 31, 2007