Driving (and Stopping) on the Central Coast
Let me say one thing straight out at the beginning of this blog: California Highway 1, through the state's Central Coast region, is one of the top scenic drives in the entire United States. (Don't just take my word for it; it routinely features in "Top 5" and "Top 10" compilations of amazing drives.) That's why we weren't overly sore about the route to Cone Peak being blocked. We had already planned to drive this route home on Saturday, and that hike being inaccessible merely meant we could spend more time on Highway 1.
Viewing the Central Coast from close to sea level at Mill Creek Picnic Area
Some people get confused about what "Top Scenic Drive" means. They think the superlative refers to the act of driving, like it's some kind of motorcross skills test. It's not. The key word is scenic. It's a top drive because you will see stunning scenery on this drive. That scenery is even better if you stop to appreciate it.
I chuckle every time someone asks on one of the travel forums I frequent how many hours it takes drive. "How fast can I do it?" is the wrong question. "How many hours more than the bare minimum can I reserve for it?" is a better question.
We made our first stop on Highway 1 pretty much right after dropping down to it from Nacimiento-Fergusson Road over the mountains. The picture above shows a view of the rugged coastline from near water's edge at the Mill Creek Picnic Area.
Our second stop was actually the one I wrote about in my previous blog, where we hiked to Limekiln Falls. I've sorted the experiences into different order here to create better narrative flow. Our third stop was one of many random pullouts on the highway.
California Highway 1 hugs steep mountains along the Central Coast and crosses Big Creek over a historic bridge
Pretty good for a random stop, yes? That's the most amazing thing about the Central Coast- there are so many amazing places to stop you can literally pick a few at random and they'll knock your socks off.
In the picture above you can see Highway 1 hugging the sides of steep mountains. In the distance it crosses Big Creek on an original bridge dating to the 1931-32 construction of this remote road. The graceful concrete arches of that bridge, over 100 feet high, aren't even the most famous example of the type.... No, that'd be the Bixby Bridge, a bit further north. It's featured in a lot of commercials about cars, driving, and touring. That's an example of what I wrote above about random places knocking your socks off- here's an "also ran" highway bridge and it's still sublime.
Superbloom on the Central Coast
We also made several stops for wildflowers. Recall we're in a superbloom in California right now. While the flowers here on the Central Coast aren't staging a mass riot like in the state's arid areas they're still more abundant than normal for springtime.
Next stop: Iconic McWay Falls.
Viewing the Central Coast from close to sea level at Mill Creek Picnic Area
Some people get confused about what "Top Scenic Drive" means. They think the superlative refers to the act of driving, like it's some kind of motorcross skills test. It's not. The key word is scenic. It's a top drive because you will see stunning scenery on this drive. That scenery is even better if you stop to appreciate it.
I chuckle every time someone asks on one of the travel forums I frequent how many hours it takes drive. "How fast can I do it?" is the wrong question. "How many hours more than the bare minimum can I reserve for it?" is a better question.
We made our first stop on Highway 1 pretty much right after dropping down to it from Nacimiento-Fergusson Road over the mountains. The picture above shows a view of the rugged coastline from near water's edge at the Mill Creek Picnic Area.
Our second stop was actually the one I wrote about in my previous blog, where we hiked to Limekiln Falls. I've sorted the experiences into different order here to create better narrative flow. Our third stop was one of many random pullouts on the highway.
California Highway 1 hugs steep mountains along the Central Coast and crosses Big Creek over a historic bridge
Pretty good for a random stop, yes? That's the most amazing thing about the Central Coast- there are so many amazing places to stop you can literally pick a few at random and they'll knock your socks off.
In the picture above you can see Highway 1 hugging the sides of steep mountains. In the distance it crosses Big Creek on an original bridge dating to the 1931-32 construction of this remote road. The graceful concrete arches of that bridge, over 100 feet high, aren't even the most famous example of the type.... No, that'd be the Bixby Bridge, a bit further north. It's featured in a lot of commercials about cars, driving, and touring. That's an example of what I wrote above about random places knocking your socks off- here's an "also ran" highway bridge and it's still sublime.
Superbloom on the Central Coast
We also made several stops for wildflowers. Recall we're in a superbloom in California right now. While the flowers here on the Central Coast aren't staging a mass riot like in the state's arid areas they're still more abundant than normal for springtime.
Next stop: Iconic McWay Falls.