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California US101, my favorite highway

For many years these old signs were commonplace.

Route 66 gets all the nostalgic glory, but my favorite highway in California is US 101, The El Camino Real. The King's Road that connects the California missions.

This was one of the first National highways that traverses California from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. Passing through the states of California, Oregon and Washington.

It is the one of the oldest major highways in the country.

One of the most appealing aspects of the highway is that it still follows much of the original elevation and layout.

Thank You Mapquest.

photo source: My Wife's smartphone.
This is the real California.

photo source: cahighways.com
Highway sign near Camp Roberts

Between the Bay Area and Los Angeles it passes along the coast and through the coastal valley through countryside that has not changed that much in a hundred years.

It does bypass the centers of many small towns where it was once the Main Street, however you can follow the commercial route through these towns if you wish.

While everyone knows that California is a populous powerhouse of a state, this section runs through fairly unsettled and empty heartland. Mostly farmland, vineyards, and orchards.

It is the perfect route for a relaxed trip through the center of the state.

There are three major north-south thoroughfares in the state.

US101: The El Camino Real.

Highway 99:  Which is known as the Ridge Route because it crosses the Tehachapi mountains.

Interstate 5: The newest highway that bores straight through the most boring section of the state. I still remember when the final stretches were completed in the 1970s.

Wait, there is still one more route.

California Highway 1: This is the highway that follows the edge of the state's coastline from the Mexican border to the Oregon border. In many places it merges into US101 and both share the same route. South of Santa Barbara it is known as the Ventura highway.

By the late 1920's cars were reliable enough to cover long distances.

Look Familiar?

This stretch of highway was immortalized in the 1970s by the musical group, America. Their song "Ventura Highway" was the anthem of my teen aged desire to get out and explore the country. The late 1960's had popularized the idea of internal tourism, the motto was "Discover America!"

I had this very same poster
hanging on my bedroom wall.

This desire to discover America came to fruition in the concept that produced the movie "Easy Rider."


Recently I took a couple of trips to So Cal down US 101. In the Spring the landscape has turned a lush green with new growth.

Leaving San Jose you will pass the Soledad prison on your way to King City. That's generally my first quick pit stop for coffee. As you leave King City there are a couple of missions just off the highway. I had stopped to check out the Mission San Miguel but this time I had a couple of other things to do.

One of the things that I like most about 101 is that it is a rural highway. There are plenty of curves and elevation changes. Not to mention the Cuesta Grade which reminds me of how adventuresome road travel was back in the 1920s. This grade is so steep that it reduced my truck's speed to only 30 mph. returning home, towing my Jaguar XJS. I find that the road encourages me to slow down a bit and savor the scenery and the highway itself. This is a perfect motorcycle touring road. It's not a soul less boring, highway that makes you want to speed up and just get it over with.

Passing San Luis Obispo brings you back to the Ocean.  My lunch stop is usually in Pismo Beach. Lunch or early dinner at Brad's by the pier.

Scene on the San Marcos Pass Rd.

The next stretch is the longest as it passes by Arroyo Grande, Santa Maria, Atascadero, and Buelton. Yes, the split pea soup place. East of Buelton lies Solvang and the Santa Inez Valley. This time we took the San Marcos pass road south of Las Animas, which passes Lake Cachuma and delivers you directly into the town of Santa Inez. My destination was Solvang where we spent a couple of nights.

This section of road welcomes you into the Santa Inez Valley.

You can have pastries or wine or whatever strikes your fancy, though this "Fake Danish" town is a bit too cute for me. The Santa Inez Valley is home to many wineries and small ranches but the most appealing thing to me is the scenery. The green rolling hills with the old Oaks and picturesque little ranches. It's not really an isolated area but it is far enough off the main beaten path that I get a feeling for what early California must have looked like a couple of hundred years ago.

Vineyards are everywhere.

I rejoined US101 and passed through Santa Barbara and Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo then over the hill into Thousand Oaks. I really became familiar with this area when my Son was attending college in Ventura. I drove this route many times when I was into my swap meet business on my way to Los Angeles.

The Ventura Highway Today.

Soon you are driving through the San Fernando Valley and US101 becomes the Hollywood Freeway. In the early 1980's I worked for several years in the L.A. metro area and feel comfortable getting around. Driving down the Hollywood Freeway into the city during rush hour traffic would have been a nightmare if I had to do it everyday. This time it was a pleasant (though slow) trip down Memory Lane.

photo source: gettyimages

Say what you will about the City of Angels, it has endured and it is even more vibrant then ever. I remember thinking in the 1980's that this place will eventually implode like a Black Hole.  But luckily clean air standards have banished most of the smog, though the traffic isn't really any better.

It's hard to believe that so much natural beauty can be found less than a Day's drive from this teeming metropolis. But it's this contrast that gives California it's continuing allure. I have been driving all over this state for almost fifty years and still find it a source of immense pleasure. US 101 is right there and waiting for you. Travel as far or as near as you wish, you'll find the trip worthwhile.