pacific coast highway

[blznnp]

I was wondering if anyone has cruise the PCH? I have been talking with some friends and we are thinking of cruising to san diego and then cruising up the california coast next summer. Just wondering if anyone has done it and if you have, what are some good stops that you may suggest.

[ilikeike]

I enjoyed Hurst Castle,that dude had some coin.

Many places to stop and take in the view. Just make sure all the mud slides are cleared up.

[Bugzilla]

Ya that mud slide is a mess. It happened a few hours before I passed through coming home from San Fran. Makes for a very long and boring detour. I will 2nd Hurst Castle. Its is worth it to see. Just a bit pricey.

[BMR Sales]

I won a Trip about 20 Years ago - flew in to Long Beach, Stayed on the Queen Mary. Our cars were delivered to us and we drove up the PCH. Every turn was prettier than the last. Stayed at the Biltmore in Santa Barbara, a really cool place that I can't remember the name of in Carmel and then on the SF.

Great Trip! Wish I had left the now Ex-Wife behind!

[Bugzilla]

I forgot to add, I dont know how far you are going up, but if you make it to Monterey, plenty of things to see. Do the 17 mile drive around the golf course. Also stop at the aquarium. The fishermans warf is alright to see as well. Couple of cool little shops but nothing to do. If you end up all the way up at San Fran, TURN AROUND!!!! I will never go there again. Dont forget Laguna Seca! That is the stop you NEED to do.

[blznnp]

Awesome, thanks guys. My buddy was talking about driving up into Oregon. We know we want to go do it, we just need to get some details together and then see how many guys we can get to go with us. Why was San Fran so bad Bugzilla? I have never been there, we usually go as a family to anahiem or san diego.

[Bugzilla]

San fran reminds me a lot of Los Angeles. Tons of traffic, no parking, one way streets everywhere, cracked out people walking the streets and not to mention the stupid steep streets they have. No fun with a manual. Its cool if you want to go to shop but again, good luck finding parking. I would rather go somewhere where you dont sit in traffic all day and go one mile. Not my cup of tea. The only thing I found cool was entering and exiting the city on the bridges. But even those were beyond packed with people. If you do go, stop by Alcatraz. You need to get your tickets about a month in advance though.

[Bugzilla]

This was from a few months ago. Now you can save your pain and say you went.

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[cdrod]

My son & I did a father-son road trip a few years ago when he turned 14 - sort of a right of passage kind of thing. We flew into SanFran, rented a Mustang GT 500 (they didn't have any '71 442s for rent - LOL) and drove down the PCH all the way into LA. Day 1 we crossed the Golden Gate bridge and spent the day at the Muir Woods (big Redwood trees) ate dinner at Joe's Taco Lounge in Mill Valley (BJ hometown from M*A*S*H). Day 2 we stopped at the Pigeon Point lighthouse on the way to Monterey and spent the rest of the day at the Monterey Bay aquarium. Ate some great sushi for dinner. Day 3 we stopped at the Julia Pfiefer-Burns State Park and checked out water falls on the way to the Hurst Castle. Day 4 we drove into LA and went to the Labrea Tar Pits then flew home to Houston. Awesome father-son bonding. We stopped alot and messed around at the beaches along the way, saw a pod of whales very close to the shore. The first leg out of SanFran was pretty boring, mostly flat farm land and lots of traffic, but we did buy some fresh fruit for the trip. I highly recommend the drive, though it would have been better in a 442 convertible.

[Zspoiler]

I have done it several times When I was stationed at Camp Pendleton >California When I was from Seattle ,Washington. I drove both my 1973 Nova SS and my 1979 Z-28 RS Camaro..It was quite and enjoyable trips.

[blznnp]

Bugzilla- yea, being from seattle, I don't care much for the city and fully understand all of that. People in utah have no clue what traffic is, and I always laugh when I hear them talking about it (moved here 6 years ago)

cdrod- sounds like a awesome trip. I have four boys (3, 5, 7, 9) and I have wanted to take them on the power tour but I know how it will end up. Hopefully soon I can start taking them on the longer trips and they will be better about it. Do you feel you had enough time when you and your boy went on PCH? or would you recommend a few more days?

Zspoiler- First, thank you for your service. I have driven on the oregon coast (from seattle as well) and it was awesome, just having done much on the california coast. How long did the trips take you? or how long did you plan for?

[Zspoiler]

It took me a couple of days.But I pushed it a little.It depends on "wonderful" the traffic is.And if you want to stop to see the sites .I crossed the bridge at Astoria to the Washington side then headed to I-5.I would give your self 3-4 days.If you want to go around the Washington Peninsula as well.Then take I-5 on the return trip.

[blznnp]

It took me a couple of days.But I pushed it a little.It depends on "wonderful" the traffic is.And if you want to stop to see the sites .I crossed the bridge at Astoria to the Washington side then headed to I-5.I would give your self 3-4 days.If you want to go around the Washington Peninsula as well.Then take I-5 on the return trip.

we will be stopping at some places for sure, but for the most part id assume we will be looking for canyons to drive and maybe some local get togethers we could hit up. We would be taking a day to drive to san diego, then start cruising up and a day to head back to salt lake once we got to northern California or Oregon.