CALI
Hitting California’s Adventure Hot Spots. Part I
An essential guide for those looking for adventure.
CALI
Home sweet home. Until I rented a jeep and blasted up the coast for an off-road adventure up Highway 1. It has always been my dream to experience the thrill of driving up California’s coast in an American muscle car with the top down. And by American muscle car I mean a 1965 Lincoln Continental convertible. You know, that one in the opening credits of Entourage. Ok fair, you want a reference to a show that hasn’t been off the air for 15 years now… well just google the car, and strap in! Here are 5 things I learned driving California’s infamous Highway 1:
Plan your rental car in advance. So my dreams didn’t happen exactly according to plan. I waited three hours at the rental car place to pick up an economy car. It was pretty much the furthest thing from American muscle, but big props to Avis for stepping up to the plate and upgrading me to a Jeep 4xE. Let’s go! There’s nothing more American than packing up the Jeep for the weekend and heading out to the beach. Cooler full of ice, burgers, brats, buns, charcoal grill, frisbee, High Noons. I couldn’t have felt more American if I tried, but I spoke too soon. I turned the radio on, and boom, an MLB day game broadcast. If the excitement of packing up the Jeep and heading out on the open road can be likened to our national pastime in any way then the adrenaline of offroading is reminiscent of what, in my opinion, were the best days of major league baseball, with Bonds, McGuire, and Sosa belting blast after blast of towering, steroid-fueled home runs twenty rows deep into the upper deck. There were plenty of opportunities on the California coast to slam the Jeep into low gears, navigate steep inclines, fishtail over sand dunes, and fjord riverbeds. It just goes to show that if you are somehow able to keep a positive attitude when your plans don’t go according to plan, an opportunity for an even better adventure could be waiting just around the corner.
Spontaneous stops in Big Sur are a must. Pro tip, there was a landslide that took out 23 miles of road along the Big Sur Highway 1 route in 2021 that still is not fixed. Instead, you need to be prepared to turn around midway through Big Sur. Luckily, Google Maps accounts for this issue, but it’s still annoying that you’ll have to allocate at least two days to explore Big Sur because of the turnaround. The good news is that there are still dozens of convenient spots to explore in Big Sur. On the North end, the list includes 17-Mile Drive, Carmel by The Sea, and Los Lobos State Park among others while working your way down to McWay Falls and Pfeiffer Beach before having to turn around. On the South end, the list includes: going all the way up to Sand Dollar Beach, San Carpoforo Creek Beach, and Hearst Castle, from Morro Bay. The best part of the drive is spontaneously pulling off the road to take in exhilarating vistas, grab a bite to eat at a famous restaurant or explore a beautiful trail. The worst part is traffic during peak hours (rush hour and weekends) and gas prices (upwards of $8 per gallon in spots,) but despite any negatives, a trip to Big Sur is 100% worth it. Click into Big Sur from our main menu for a comprehensive itinerary and a full list of hot spots.
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Go 4×4. Not having an off-road vehicle to navigate the Cali coast is like making it into the NFL and not having Taylor Swift in your box. It’s cool that you made it, but having Taylor Swift in your box has to be the cherry on the sundae. With that in mind, the main roads up the coast are fine for any car and not that treacherous, but if you’re looking to level up and venture off of the main highway you’ll likely encounter dirt roads, standing water, steep inclines, rocks, and more than a little sand with plenty of heart-pounding off-roading opportunities including dunes, trails, beaches, riverbeds and more. There are even some spectacular vistas that you can only access with a 4×4 so if you’re planning to spend significant time near the coast grab an all-purpose vehicle with 4×4 to amp up the fun. Click here for a full list of hot spots to offroad off of Highway One.
Redwood National Park is a magical place. The Redwoods were one of my favorite parts of my Cali Coast road trip. Go for a feeling of enchantment as you experience the natural serenity of Redwood National Forest. The quiet tranquilness feels otherworldly as you go deeper and deeper into the remarkable forest. I was waiting for hobbits and elves to cross my path as I stood amongst the giant trees. Having a Jeep was perfect because taking the top off enabled me to experience the massiveness of the Redwoods jungle safari style.
Do not miss out on inland hotspots. There’s so much to do and see in California. While on the Cali Coast, I definitely took a few detours to take in sights at some of inland California’s hot spots which included getting blasted on wine in Sonoma… ehemm, cough, evaluating aromas and flavors of California’s finest wine selections, stripping down and skinny dipped at Lake Tahoe… ehemm, cough explored the glacial lake’s natural beauty, doing mushrooms in a tent… ahemm, cough, glamping in Ukiah, and partied late into the night at a Carmel Valley’s dive bars… ehemm cough ok that one doesn’t even have a cover. There is no shortage of magical spots in California to find some fun. Shoot me a note with some of the things that I missed and would be interested in writing about them.
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Bonus Thing: California is not what it seems. First, bring a hoodie. Don’t be that tourist who doesn’t know that California is not hot on the coast. It’s temperate. It gets cold at night. Yes, California is almost always sunny and can get quite hot inland, but the mighty Pacific cools the coast and you’ll be treated to weather that is pretty good year-round except for May Gray, June Glume, and some rain in February. That said, a warmer climate and warmer temperatures inland have caused more rain than usual and more fog over the coast. Be prepared! Second, not to be a buzz kill, but I always thought of California as a poster child for environmental stewardship. I didn’t realize it was out of necessity due to the fact that California is so polluted. The smog, refineries, dumping, oil spills, and fires all combine to put California in a tough spot so it’s absolutely necessary for Cali to be environmentally focused to ensure the state remains beautiful. Just lately California’s governor chose to preserve refiner profits while sacrificing the environment by choosing to switch to a higher polluting winter blend gas earlier than normal. Luckily California’s economy, our leaderships need to get votes, innovation, and the environment all worked together in fucked up harmony. That said, we love our home and invite you to support our efforts to keep California a beautiful place to live. Link here.
My 2,500-mile / 4023 km adventure on California’s coast was a dream. It started driving onto the PCH from Santa Monica, cruising Highway One with the top off of the Jeep, and going all the way up to Crescent City before pulling a “U” to head back down to LAX. This series will be split into two parts so that I can detail the entire itinerary, but feel free to get in touch if you would like us to develop a custom itinerary or have any questions about exploring California. Rock on!
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