Traveling the Central California Coast
We recently took a short trip up the California Coast. It was perfect timing because Spring Breaks were over and the summer crowds haven’t started yet. This is a photo of Highway 1 near Cayucos, California. California State Route 1 is a major north–south California highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of California. At 656 miles, it is the longest state route in California, and the second longest in the United States after Montana Highway 200. We like to sometimes take Highway 1 up the coast from Los Angeles as far north as Cambria for a few days. At Oxnard, Highway 1 joins the 101 Freeway and shares the same route for a while. To save time we stay on 101 when Highway 1 splits off later for a while. Once you leave Malibu and get through Oxnard, Ventura, and Santa Barbara the traffic gets easier. You can travel further north on Highway 1 but the route north of San Simeon to Monterey becomes very narrow in parts with lots of curves, and there is a steep cliff on the edge of the road falling down to the ocean. I won’t travel that part anymore, there are just too many idiots on the road, but it is a beautiful trip. The road is often closed because of land slides after heavy rains too, the road just collapses and falls down the cliff into the ocean.
As you drive along the coast north of Santa Barbara on Highway 1 you can see houses and camping areas along the beach and sometimes, the usual California palm trees. As you look across the water, when the air is clear, you can see the Channel Islands. This is Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa or San Miquel Island off in the distance.
This time of year, depending on how much rain there has been, the California coastal hills are often full of California wildflowers and they are truly beautiful.
Drought in California is a common occurrence that can last for multiple years. The regional climate is characterized by a dry season (approximately May to September) and a wet season (approximately October to April). These green hillsides in the spring are brown for most of the rest of the year in this area. Since we have had several recent storms pass through the region the hills are really green right now but that will change and they will become brown again.
On our way north we sometimes stop a few miles off Highway 101 at Solvang, to get our favorite elephant ears at a local bakery ( and maybe some fudge too at another shop). Solvang has a rich Danish heritage. Founded by Danish immigrants in 1911, Solvang has authentic architecture and traditional windmills. It is a bit of a tourist trap now but it is worth a visit if you are in the area.
Highway 101 turns inland and when you pass through the Santa Maria Valley you can see evidence of California’s agricultural life with tenting protecting various crops.
While it was a bit cold, the weather cooperated, and we had lots of sun during our journey.
On our trips north we often stay at a hotel on the sand in Pismo Beach but this time we decided to go inland just up the highway to San Luis Obispo and stay at the Apple Farm Inn where we have stayed before several times. Unfortunately I can’t recommend it to anyone now. It apparently has changed ownership and the service and accommodations were not up to par. We won’t be staying there again, lots of other options in town. San Luis Obispo is a college town, and there are interesting shops and restaurants in the downtown area.
They do have a water wheel at Apple Farm Inn on the property though and that is always fun to see.
Every day we drove over to Pismo Beach and Morro Bay and then took Highway 1 up the coast to Cayucos, Harmony, and Cambria. I love driving along the coast and watching the waves crash on the rocks. Cayucos has a few antique shops and I always find something of interest there that comes home with me.
There are many places along Highway 1 where you can park and walk along the beach.
Hubby walking on the sand.
As we drove north on Highway 1 from Cayucos to Cambria we passed through Harmony just off the road and stopped. It is a cute tiny town with just a few buildings on a one block main street. Founded in 1869 around a burgeoning local dairy industry, Harmony served as the home of the Harmony Valley Creamery Association (closed in 1955) and de facto capital of Central Coast dairy production for nearly half a century, while also serving as a picturesque stop for the rich and famous on their way to visit William Randolph Hearst up the highway at Hearst Castle.
Harmony has a Pottery Shop and also Harmony Glassworks. The Glassworks has gorgeous (and expensive) glass for sale but they have inexpensive items as well.
A few glass pumpkins have come home with me from here over the years.
We stopped along the ocean near San Simeon and immediately were surrounded by three squirrels looking for food. Apparently they are trained to appear when a car stops because people feed them. They looked well fed and they were not afraid of us at all. They really didn’t want to leave us alone!
I didn’t take any photos in Cambria (I was spending too much time shopping!) but I borrowed this photo from the Cambria web site. We had lunch here one day and enjoyed it so much we went back the next day for lunch too. They had the best Tuna Melt I have ever had with unusual ingredients. They are known for their delicious pies. We missed the gift shops behind the restaurant so we will have to go back again sometime. Cambria has many cute and unique shops and restaurants and I always find things to bring home with me from there.
We returned south again near Hearst Castle. My father was a security guard there after he retired in the 1970’s and we got a behind the scenes tour of it all then so we haven’t taken another tour of the Castle since then. Hearst Castle is an historic estate on a hill in San Simeon, California. Conceived by William Randolph Hearst, the publishing tycoon, and his architect Julia Morgan, the castle was built between 1919 and 1947 and many movie stars visited the castle. Their guest list included many of the Hollywood stars of the period; Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, the Marx Brothers, Greta Garbo, Buster Keaton, Mary Pickford, Jean Harlow and Clark Gable all visited, some on multiple occasions. A stunning showplace for Hearst's art and antiques collection, the castle is home to centuries old sculptures, paintings, tapestries and an ancient Roman sarcophagus dating back to about 320 A.D..
If you spend any time along the ocean you will see sea gulls and other animals and birds.
When we stayed on the sand in Pismo Beach in 2022 we saw two sea otters, one with a baby sea otter on her stomach. We were there at the perfect time for baby sea otters. A trip up the coast can be a bit off the beaten path but it is well worth it.
Bishop, California
This is not part of the California coast but I am including this photo to illustrate the different areas of this large and diverse state. I grew up in this small California town surrounded by mountains in the central east part of the state. It’s about as far as you can get from Los Angeles and Southern California, about 300 miles, and it’s 360 miles from San Francisco. An interesting fact, this town is about 70 miles north of Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the continental United States and it’s about 180 miles away going southeast from Badwater in Death Valley, the lowest point in North America. This is a wonderful part of California to visit as well but that’s a story for another blog post someday.
I always find it interesting to hear what people who have never been to California think about California, the preconceived notions as it were. Some tend to think of California as Los Angeles or Hollywood or San Francisco only, with crazy people as well, and I have to laugh. I am a second generation Californian, my parents were both born in California, my children are fourth generation Californians and two of my grandchildren are fifth generation. My husband’s grandmother was born in California also as was his father. There is much more to this state than people realize. I could never imagine living anywhere else.
